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Daniel Poole DCM & Bar (21 April 1882 – 13 August 1959) was an Australian soldier and sailor. On 15 April 1917, during the
battle of Lagnicourt #REDIRECT Lagnicourt-Marcel Lagnicourt-Marcel is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming village situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D18, D14 and the D5 roads. Po ...
, Poole collected a party of men and led them forward under heavy fire, killing nine enemy and capturing fifteen prisoners. For his leadership and bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.


Early life

Daniel Poole was born on 21 April 1882 at Birkenhead, England, son of Richard Poole,
baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...
, and his wife Anne, née Warburton.Foldi, N.S. (1978)
Poole, Daniel (1882–1959)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
, Volume 11, Melbourne University Press, p. 255. Retrieved on 9 August 2009.
Leaving home at age 11, he worked on a German sailing clipper. He arrived in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in 1909, and subsequently worked as a marine stoker and served for five years with the Royal Naval Reserve.Daniel Poole
(2009).
New South Wales State Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the States and territories of Australia, Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party o ...
: About NSW. Retrieved on 9 August 2009
On 13 August 1910, Poole married Mary O'Donnell, a domestic servant and together they had one son. Poole was described as 5 ft 8 ins (173 cm) tall, with fair complexion, blue eyes, fair hair and tattooed on both arms and shoulders. Before joining the army, he gave his trade as marine fireman.


First World War

On 15 August 1914, Poole enlisted in the
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) was a small volunteer force of approximately 2,000 men, raised in Australia shortly after the outbreak of World War I to seize and destroy German wireless stations in German New Guin ...
to German New Guinea. Poole returned to Australia with that force and he was discharged on 5 March 1915. Like many other members of the expeditionary force, Poole subsequently enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 13 May 1915. Poole was posted to the 20th Battalion, and that unit embarked from Sydney on 26 June 1915, on board ''HMAT A35 Berrima''.Daniel Poole
(2008). University of New South Wales: The AIF Project. Retrieved on 9 August 2009.
On 14 July 1915, he was promoted to lance corporal. The 20th Battalion landed at Gallipoli on 22 August and the unit took up a position at Russell's Top until evacuated on 20 December. The battalion was taken to Egypt for further training and then moved to France, arriving at
Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
on 25 March 1916. He fought at the
Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...
and in July was involved in the heavy fighting at Pozières. On 16 August 1916, Poole was promoted to temporary
sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
, later confirmed on 1 December. On 15 April 1917, during the
battle of Lagnicourt #REDIRECT Lagnicourt-Marcel Lagnicourt-Marcel is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming village situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D18, D14 and the D5 roads. Po ...
, Poole gathered a party of volunteers and led them forward under heavy fire, killing nine enemy and capturing fifteen others. For his leadership and bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.Bean, Charles Edwin Woodrow (1933)
''The Australian Imperial Force in France 1917''
Vol. 4, Angus & Robertson, Sydney. . .
Four days later, on 19 April, he was wounded and evacuated. The award was gazetted on 18 June 1917, with the citation: Poole returned to his battalion on 7 September 1917 and he took part in the battle of Menin Road in Belgium. Near Westhoek on 20 September, as the barrage moved across the Hanabreek water course, machine guns in Hannabeek wood came into action and the front wave became slightly disorganised. Major A.K Hosking, M.C. quickly rallied the men in his immediate vicinity and was moving forward with them towards the wood when he was killed by a piece of shell. Many stirring deeds were of the order of the moment, but the berserk spirit of Sergt. D. Poole, D.C.M. appears to have stood out alone, no less than 5 machine guns in Hanabeek wood falling to him. He was the leading spirit in the clearing of the wood. Poole then noticed an enemy machine-gun which had come into action after the barrage and first wave had passed. He rushed the post single handed, captured the gun, killed the crew and took prisoner a large number of men emerging from the pill-box. Although the battalion recommendation was for award of the Victoria Cross, for what was called "reckless leadership", Poole received a Bar to his Distinguished Conduct Medal. On the same day Poole was wounded again and evacuated to Australia, arriving there on 11 January 1918. The Bar was gazetted on 6 February 1918, the citation read:


Post-war and later life

Poole was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 10 August 1918. He then returned to his work as a seaman working for
McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co was an Australian shipping company. History McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co (MMC) was founded in 1875 in London by Scottish sea captains, Andrew McIlwraith and Malcolm McEacharn. In 1876 it began operating ships to take Bri ...
and from 1937, the Adelaide Steamship Company. On 25 October 1939, Poole reported for duty on mobilisation of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve. He was allocated to , an armed merchant cruiser, as a petty officer stoker. After service in Australian, Papuan, New Guinea and South-West Pacific waters, Poole was discharged as medically unfit on 28 November 1941. He died in Sydney on 28 July 1959 and was cremated after an Anglican service. He was survived by his son.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Daniel 1882 births 1959 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian military personnel of World War I Australian military personnel of World War II English emigrants to Australia People from Birkenhead Royal Australian Navy sailors Royal Navy sailors Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Royal Naval Reserve personnel