INSPIRED by trooper Errol Boughton, Pallamallawa residents are pushing for a permanent war memorial in the village.
Local resident, Jason walker investigated Errol Boughton’s service record of the First World War 1914-1918 as part of his History Teaching Degree at the UNE.
Mr Walker said he chose Errol for his assessment because the details of the record were quite strong and he could be confident that what he wrote was accurate.
Errol Boughton volunteered for the light horse at Moree in September 1915.
Boughton was allocated into the first horse regiment with his pal, 18-year-old Gravesend blacksmith Charles Lee.
The duo landed into Egypt in July 1916 and immediately went into the training company of the first light horse regiment.
The regiment consisted of roughly 600 men on horseback.
A German led Turkish attack descended across the Sinai desert into Egypt in August 1916.
On the night of August 3, 1916 Errol Boughton and Charles Lee were taken into the ranks of the first light horse regiment.
The regiment bore the brunt of a Turkish flanking attack and where heavily outnumbered by roughly 10 to one.
The first light horse held the Turks all night in the fiercest fighting since Gallipoli.
In the morning two fresh Australian and New Zealand light horse regiments drove off the Turkish attack and set the deserts back across the desert.
Six days later the first light horse regiment engaged a Turkish defensive shield.
With no real benefits of engaging the enemies defences the light horse was ordered to attack the rearguard Turkish positions.
A Turkish ambush caught the leading squad of troopers and killed three troopers in the following skirmish.
Errol Boughton fell just outside the Turkish strongpoint at the small Sinai desert oasis of Bir El Abd on August, 9 1916 - only 11 months since singing up at Moree and only six days after he had joined his unit.
Sources show that Boughton and his two dead comrades had to be left where they fell.
His surviving comrades beat a hasty retreat on horseback because of the Turkish attack.
Dismayed at leaving the dead on the battlefield a volunteer section, including Charles Lee, went back at nightfall to bury the three dead troopers.
The dead were buried and Charles Lee took into his keeping Mr Boughton’s personal effects. After the battlefield burial but still on the night of August 9 Charles Lee was shot in the chest.
Like Mr Boughton, Mr Lee’s war was over but the youngster ended up making it back to Australia.
Lee later took up residence at “Richmond”, Pallamallawa.
After Mr Walker submitted his assessment of Mr Lee and Mr Boughton it was decided that a committee should be formed to promote a permanent war memorial in Pallamallawa.
The next meeting where all are welcome will be held next Wednesday, September 12 at 7pm until about 8pm.
The meeting will take place at the aptly named Boughton room, at Pallamallawa Public School.
A working committee will be formed during the meeting. Light refreshments will be available.
There will also be an information stall at Pallamallawa school on council election day, this Saturday September 8. A register of support will be available for signatures. For further information contact David Steer on 6754 9599 or Jason Walker on 0428 320 706.