Lyle Stewart Glasby (1894 - 1918)

Ancestors

Biography

Lyle Stewart Glasby was born on 18th August 1894 in Beaudesert, Queensland (Australia). He was the third and youngest son of John Glasby and Jeanette Moore. ^[1] His eldest brother, John, died whilst Lyle was an infant.

Lyle enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 14th September 1915 for overseas service in the First World War. ^[2] He was posted to the 49th Australian Infantry Battalion. Approximately half of the 49th Battalion's recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 9th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 9th, the 49th was predominantly composed of men from Queensland. The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division and deployed to France on 12th June 1916, moving into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 21st June. It fought in its first major battle at Mouquet Farm in August, suffering heavy casualties. Early in 1917, the battalion participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, supporting the 13th Brigade's attack at Noreuil on 2nd April. Later in the year, the focus of the AIF's operations moved to the Ypres sector in Belgium. There the battalion fought in the battle of Messines on 9th June and the battle of Polygon Wood on 26th September. With soldiers released from the Eastern Front following Russia's collapse, a major German offensive on the Western Front occurred in France in late March 1918, with the 4th Division moving to defend positions around Dernancourt on the River Ancre. The 49th Battalion assisted in the repulse of a large German attack on 5th April, launching a critical counter-attack late in the afternoon. ^[3]

A further successful counter-attack later in April dislodged the enemy from Villers-Bretonneux. Lyle, then a Lance Corporal, was mortally wounded when an enemy artillery round exploded nearby during the night of 24-25th April 1918. A witness stated that he was blown 'as high as the trees'. ^[4] He succumbed to his wounds on 25th April and is buried at Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France. Lyle Stewart Glasby's name is located at panel 148 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra and on the Beaudesert War Memorial, Beaudesert, Queensland. ^[5] Following the war, his family was issued his service medals, both the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Lyle's uncle, George Glasby, also a member of the 49th Battalion, was killed in action on 12th October 1917.

Sources

1. ↑ Queensland Birth Index #1894/C/4555
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: 5094 Lance Corporal Stewart Lyle Glasby; accessed 24 Mar 2019
3. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 24 Mar 2019
4. ↑ Red Cross files; accessed 23 Oct 2021
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour; accessed 24 Mar 2019