THE HORSESHOE BEND MEDAL OF WWI
The Horseshoe Bend is a unique area of Maitland, so named because it lies within the horseshoe-shaped bend of the Hunter River and had, possibly, the first subdivision of our city when in the early 1840s James King subdivided his grant.
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Over the years the Bend people grew to be tight-knit community with strong family and friendship ties; a self-reliant group and protective of their own.
This was never shown better than in how the Bend people acknowledged the sacrifices of their men when they returned from the horrors of WWI. They formed a Welcome Home Committee and each returned soldier was presented with specially commissioned gold medal with a horseshoe in the centre.
I had known of these medals for some time, but thanks to the recent article in the Mercury – Alan Hardie’s WWI Memorabilia Wanted on August 5 – I was
privileged and honoured to hold one of these historic medals in my hand, a medal given by the people of Horseshoe Bend to a soldier of the 34th Battalion, Maitland’s Own, who had fought on the battle fields of the Western Front.
When The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser moved its office to the corner of High and Hunter streets in1857, it became part of the Bend, employed many of its people and reported all its news.
So the Mercury files give a great description of that iconic medal and the stories that go with it.
THE PRESENTATIONS
“Before the medals were presented, Mr. C.J. Mannall (chairman) said the Horseshoe Bend Welcome Home Committee had been giving a welcome home to all the Horseshoe Bend heroes who had returned, and these welcomes would never be forgotten.
“He thought it a pity that similar welcome homes had not been given to other soldiers of the Maitland area.
“But the Horseshoe Bend committee decided that the returned men should have something given to them to commemorate the heroic part they had played in the war and decided to present each man with a gold medal.
“These medals were very unique.
“ Each had a horseshoe in the centre with the monogram of the recipient, the name of the returned soldier to whom it was presented, and an inscription stating by whom and what it was presented for and each was surmounted by a crown, and attached by a green ribbon to a gold pin for the purpose of attaching to the coat.”
(The HSB Honour Roll lists a H. and L.A. Mannall K.I.A.)
- One of the recipents of the medal was Private Reginald James Hackett, 34th Battalion, who had his right arm amputed above the elbow after being wounded at Messines, June 7 1917. Less than two months after being awarded the medal he killed himself with a revolver. He lived with Miss Soorley in Cohen Street.
- A medal to Major (Dr) J.J. Hollywood, living in the “extended area” of Horseshoe Bend.
- A medal to Nurse Dorothy Feneley and the HSB committee “were honoured and had the
privilege of welcoming home one of their brave nurses.” A very important historical record of WWI.
- Kath, wife of cousin Terry O’Brien, of Paxton, found mention of this medal in Di Morrissey’s book The Valley where there is reference to a newspaper cutting of 1919. From clues given, that cutting is probably of an item “Returned Men Welcomed” in The Maitland Daily Mercury, Friday, September 5, 1919, page 6.
Does Di Morrissey have a HSB medal?
– Peter Bogan, (born in HSB), for Maitland Historical Society.
