History of the 11th Field Company Australian Engineers, Australian Imperial Force

A compact yet heartfelt record, this volume was assembled by the men of a World War I Australian engineer field company for the very comrades who served alongside them. It offers a framework of memory, stitching together both solemn sacrifice and the lighter moments that kept spirits high in the trenches. The narrative is intentionally straightforward, meant to echo back familiar names, places and jokes to those who lived them.

The story begins with the company’s birth in 1916, when recruits from South Australia, Queensland and other states gathered at camps such as Mitcham and Enoggera for training and equipment fitting. Though supplies were scarce—horses proved wild, tools were scavenged from warehouses, and rifles arrived only after reaching England—the men forged a cohesive unit. Their first voyage aboard the Suevic took them from Adelaide through Durban, Cape Town and St. Vincent, a journey marked by a minor leak, a brief shore march and the improvised use of company pontoons as emergency lifeboats.