Jack Massie - World War I Campaign

World War I Campaign

Massie, who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 17 August 1914, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th Battalion on 14 September, served with distinction during the war. His battalion embarked for Egypt in October, and he was promoted lieutenant on 1 February 1915. He took part in Australia's campaign at Gallipoli and in just his second day in the conflict was fortunate to survive a suicidal advance towards the Turkish lines, resulting from orders that were misunderstood by his battalion, when his commanding officer was killed, Massie tried to recover his body. While fighting at Gallipoli he wore a scarlet rag on his right arm so that if he was shot by the Turkish marksmen it would likely be to the arm that stood out and not his left arm which he used for bowling.

Massie received slight wounds on 25 June, and 20 July, he was seriously injured on the night of 6–7 August 1915, during the Battle of Lone Pine by shrapnel. The cricketer had been sent by a junior officer to investigate an outpost which was under fire, and was struck by an exploding shell. The shrapnel lodged into the back of his left shoulder and he also suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs. The injury was serious enough for him to be repatriated to Australia, he was promoted to captain during the journey, on 1 December.

Massie was Mentioned in Despatches on 28 January 1916 for his service in the Dardanelles, and awarded the French Croix de Guerre. He was promoted major on 1 May, and appointed second in command of the newly raised 33rd Battalion, which he had previously been involved in training. The battalion departed Sydney, New South Wales on the transport Marathon on 4 May, and arrived at Devonport on 9 July. The battalion was sent to France with the 3rd Division on 21 November.

Massie was Mentioned in Despatches a second time on 1 June 1917, for his actions prior to 9 April 1917. He was attached to the divisional HQ during May and June 1917. On a brief period of leave in England in August, and despite his previous injuries, he played in a cricket match at Lord's on a combined Australian and South African services side against a combined British Army and Navy side. The "Colonials" (as a report in The Times referred to them) won convincingly, with Massie taking 2/31. From October to December he was a student on a higher command course. Returning to France, he was again severely wounded on 3 February 1918, a training exercise behind the lines being interrupted by a solitary German bomb, the resulting shrapnel badly damaging his right foot. He received a further Mention in Despatches for his actions prior to 7 April 1918, this was gazetted on 28 May 1918, and he then received the Distinguished Service Order on 3 June 1918.

After Massie's initial recuperation he trained with the Machine Gun Corps at Grantham, passing the tests to command a machine gun battalion. He was attached to the Australian Corps School on 12 September, appointed commandant on 24 September, and promoted to lieutenant colonel on 21 October. He was demobilised on 16 August 1919. His combined injuries meant he never played competitive cricket again.