People Australia

Moreton Burrell, n.d. photographer unknown

from Bank of NSW Roll of Honour

MORETON BURRELL, the son of Mr. William Robert and Mrs. Edith Burrell, was born at Townsville, Queensland, on 31 st August, 1894. He was educated at the Brisbane Boys’ Grammar School.

On 1st December, 1910, he entered the Bank’s service at Brisbane, and while there joined the Moreton Regiment, C.M.F., in which he held a commission.

When the war broke out he volunteered for active service and enlisted on 26th January, 1915. He left Australia in June, 1915 , as O.C. (with the rank of second-lieutenant) of the Machine Gun Section of the 26th Battalion, 2nd Division. Before leaving for Gallipoli in September, 1915, he was promoted to first lieutenant.

Lt. Moreton Burrell served with credit through the latter part of the campaign on the Peninsula until the evacuation. In connection with this latter operation he was detailed to select sixteen volunteers to remain behind with him during the withdrawal of his brigade. Their duty was to keep up a continuous machine-gun fire until the last man had embarked. This operation was successfully accomplished; but the task of withdrawing his own small section was by no means easy, all the ammunition having been expended and each man having to be lowered, one by one, down the face of a cliff four hundred feet high. However, this difficult task was carried through without a casualty. Later, he saw service in Egypt, and went with his Division to France in 1916. He was wounded on 30th May, 1916, and invalided to England.

After convalescence he was appointed Adjutant of the Command Depot, at Westham, Weymouth, which position he held until his return to France in April, 1917. He was then promoted to second-in-command of the 7th Machine Gun Com¬pany and received his captaincy in June, 1917. A few months later he had command of the 7th Machine Gun Company, and held that post until after the Armistice. For his work during the Somme Campaign of 1918 he was mentioned in despatches by Sir Douglas Haig.