The history of Gordon District Cricket Club - August 1915 - The Prior brothers

Gordon District Cricket Club | August 13, 2024

Author - Paul Stephenson

On August 5, 1915, William Prior enlisted in the AIF to fight in World War 1. While this event was very similar to the more than 400,000 enlistments of Australians in the war it was a very traumatic one for the Prior family. William was the first of three brothers to enter the war.

The three brothers were the sons of William Prior (Senior) and Selina Prior who lived at a property by the name of “Trewinnia” in Broughton Road Artarmon, just a short walk down to Chatswood Oval.

With younger siblings Edith, Jessie, Maud and Ernest it was a big household with 7 children. Cricket would have been a big part of the family activities as the Gordon Club secured its first premiership winning First Grade in the 1910/11 season, with both William and Robert playing in second grade. Victor Trumper and Charlie Macartney were playing in the first grade side with Charlie having made his debut for Australia as an all-rounder in 1907 taking a 10 wicket haul in 1909 at Headingly during the Australian England Tour. History shows that Charlie was dropped for the 1910/11 season and this no doubt helped the Gordon team with Charlie scoring 443 runs in 9 games and taking 51 wickets at 14.04. With Charlie living a few streets away in Muttama Road Artarmon, no doubt there would have been “make up” games of cricket as shown by this shot of Charlie in his backyard in Artarmon. 

William and Robert played mainly in 2nds and 3rds both as batsman from 1909 to 1914 with William top scoring with a 95 in thirds and scoring 1300 runs. The 23 year old Macartney in 1911 would have been friends with the Priors who as lower grade players would have looked up to their Test hero.

Robert Prior in his Sydney Boys High School 1stXV Rugby jersey in 1907

The news of war however would have shattered this happy family in 1914 as the parents William and Selena realised their sons may be needed to join the war effort.

Their worst fears would have been realised when William (Junior) enlisted at age 26, was followed by

Robert at age 25, and then by Claude, who rather than play cricket had entered the Duntroon Military College at the age of 16 and after graduation enlisted in April 1916 at age 20.

William was initially sent to the Sinai campaign, however was transferred to the Western Front in February 1916. He was badly injured on the 28th June 1916 during a raid on German trenches where he received a "mention in despatches" by General Haig for his role in removing a very important German position and was transferred to England for treatment and remained in hospital until January 1917. Due to his injuries, William was stationed in England where he was promoted to a Captain and was made Officer in charge of personnel at the British Headquarters in London.

For his role as captain in England William was awarded an OBE in May 1919.

Soon after William, Robert was first shipped out to Alexandria and then with the 5th Field Ambulance to Gallipoli where he fought till the end of the Gallipoli campaign in early January 1916. Robert was stationed in the famous Rest Gully in Anzac Cove where his spirit of adventure would have been dulled with the sights he would have seen with the dead and injured being cared for in the Hospital tents near the coastline. He was then transferred to the Western Front with the 8th Field Ambulance in September 1916.

Robert was promoted to Corporal and then Sergeant during his time in France and Belgium before being injured and returned to London for treatment in 1917. The 8th Field Ambulance saw action in The Battle of the Menin Road and Battle of Polygon Wood and the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.

Claude Prior was promoted to captain prior to his departure in May 1916 within the 9th Brigade Headquarters. He arrived in France in November 1916 as Staff Captain but at the end of the year was hospitalised with influenza after living in the trenches during the harsh winter of 1916. After suffering from coal gas poisoning in February 1917, Claude was treated in England and returned to the Western Front and fought throughout the Somme in the Battles of Passchendaele and the defence of Villers-Bretonneux and Amiens.

Claude Prior

Claude was given command of a company of the 33rd Battalion but was again gassed at Villers-Bretonneux and sent to England for treatment. He rejoined his battalion and commanded a company during the fighting at Bray and along the north bank of the Somme River to Bouchavesnes (just to the north of Mont St. Quentin) in August 1918. Just after the Armistice came into effect in November 1918, Claude was appointed as Adjutant to the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion.

One can only imagine the worry that would have overtaken the brother’s parents and siblings during the whole period of the war with the devastating news that was coming from Gallipoli and the Western Front where each of their three sons was on the front line.

Amazingly each the three brothers returned home, but it was not their health that in the end proved to be the saddest part of their journey through the hell of the First World War. Letters from the front with tales of their injuries would have been a frightening experience for the parents, waiting for almost the inevitable telegram or visit from the military, and sadly in October 1918, William (Senior) died at his home in Artarmon and was buried at Gore Hill Cemetery. Within 8 months on June 17, 1919 his wife Selina and mother of the seven children also died with the burden of her sons at war and a lost husband no doubt contributing to her poor health.

The three sons after serving from 1915 were not released from the war until their returns in 1920 and no doubt would have returned to a sombre household that held so many memories from their childhood of cricket summers and that walk from Broughton Road down the hill and along Orchard Road to Chatswood Oval for practice carrying their kit bags and maybe collecting Charlie Macartney along the way to give them some instruction as budding second graders. A practice that still happens today, but maybe with a different means of transport.

Claude Prior later served In World War 2 as a Brigadier in command of the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion and received the recognition as Commander of the Order of the British Empire being the second member of his family to receive this honour after William in 1919.

So in the end our three brothers returned from the war, but they returned to a house without their beloved parents to welcome them. Thankfully their siblings would have been there to greet them and try and pick up the pieces of their innocent lives so tragically taken from them by the war.

The brothers didn’t play cricket again as now in their early 30’s when they returned, their bodies affected by gunshot wounds and gas poisoning did not allow them to again take that trip down the road to Chatswood with their buddies. Charlie Macartney was able to continue and hopefully the Prior brothers were able to enjoy his skills from the Pavilion at Chatswood where William (Senior) and Selina would have proudly watched their sons before the war. 

The Gordon District Cricket Club will always be indebted to these men for their sacrifice and bravery that allowed our country to continue as the nation we are today, able to enjoy our sport played in the right spirit and for the enjoyment of all.

We owe to their memory to continue to play our cricket at Chatswood Oval in the near vicinity of the Remembrance Garden where the 6 cricketers in World War 1 and the 9 in World War 2 who lost their lives are remembered. 

Lest we forget.