Clive Nielsen Reynolds Huntley was born in Gosford in 1884, the son of Leonard Robert Huntley and Ethel Woolley (nee Stenhouse). Clive also had four sisters and two brothers.
After serving his time as an engineer and draughtsman with Messrs Waugh and Josephson, Sydney, he was employed with New South Wales Railways and made rapid progress. It was said he had a genial disposition and was popular among his peers. Clive Huntley was also among the founders of the Draftsmen’s Association, which later became a branch of the Railway and Tramway Service.
On his application for a commission, Clive Huntley also noted his service with the 6th Field Company civilian engineers, where he was a provisional 2nd Lieutenant. Only two weeks before enlisting and obtaining his commission, he attended the annual dance held for the 5th and 6th Field Companies at Paddington Town Hall. That same evening Lieut Henry Bachtold and Lieut Richard Dyer were also in attendance. The three officers were well acquainted with one another,
![N.S.W. Engineer Officers in October 1914, shortly before embarking for overseas. Back row: Lieuts. Noel Ernest Biden [DoD 21.12.1915], Henry Bachtold, Richard John Dyer, Clive Nelson Reynolds Huntley [KIA 04.05.1915]; Front row: Captain James Monteagu Christian Corlette, Major John Patrick Lawton McCall, Lieut. Leslie Mather [Suicide 23.01.1919]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article263755046](https://aussiesappers.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/nsw-engineers-officers-october-1914-no-3.jpg?w=696&resize=696%2C816#038;h=816 "NSW Engineers Officers October 1914 no 3")
Photo Above is an early photo of the N.S.W. Engineer Officers in October 1914, shortly before embarking for overseas. Back row: Lieuts. Noel Ernest Biden [DoD 21.12.1915], Henry Bachtold, Richard John Dyer, Clive Nelson Reynolds Huntley [KIA 04.05.1915]; Front row: Captain James Montagu Christian Corlette, Major John Patrick Lawton McCall, Lieut. Leslie Mather.
Clive then joined the officers in charge of the 1st Field Company and was appointed command of No.3 Section.
Mentioned in various diaries and reports, the following names of originals have been referenced as serving in No. 3 section, 113 Laurence Doyle,104 Percival Polley, 217 Neil Clausen, 230 Robert Osborne Wrightson Earle, 36 Alexander Littler, 150 Leslie Cridland, 30 Donald Mackay, 101 John Hoey Moore, 88 Bill Casburn, 173 Thomas Cameron.
Prior to the Gallipoli landing, some of the engineers named above were among twenty sappers selected from the No.3 section and trained in demolition work. On board a troopship with a number of naval marines and under the leadership of 1st FCE officer Lieut. Clive Huntley, these sappers were involved in the historic mission to “Force the Narrows” of the Dardanelles on March 18th 1915.
The Allied naval fleet had an ambitious plan to force their way through the Turkish straits known as the Dardanelles and onward to conquer Constantinople. This campaign was hampered by the Turkish artillery defences and the 2-kilometre wide section of the Dardanelles channel known as the “The Narrows” which was riddled with mines.
After the fleet had destroyed the forts guarding the outer entrance to the Dardanelles, Sedd el Bahr and Kum Kale, the next phase was the bombardment of the Turkish forts guarding “The Narrows”. Unsuccessful attempts to clear Turkish minefields which were also guarded by well-concealed forts and mobile artillery batteries led to fierce artillery duels between the Turks and the Allies culminating in an unsuccessful attack and the failure of the Allied Fleet to “Force The Narrows”.
The mission was abandoned when the two British battleships HMS “Ocean” and “Irresistible” and the French battleship Bouvet were lost .
HMS ‘Irresistible’ abandoned 18th March 1915 -Photo published in The War Illustrated, 1 May 1915.
After the unsuccessful mission Lieut. Huntley and the sappers returned to Lemnos Island where they 1st FCE had been preparing the Island as the launch site for the Gallipoli landing.
Sapper 84 William Echlin Turnley described the great work of the Engineers on the island of Lemnos in his narrative, ‘200 days at ANZAC’. He told how the men of the 1st FCE spent seven weeks forming a base camp on the island, sinking wells, building a reservoir, erecting horse lines and drinking troughs, putting up navigation posts around the harbour and building shelters for the wireless stations. Turnley also mentions their most significant achievement, the construction of the stone and wooden jetty known as the ‘Australian Pier’.
While the Engineers continued preparing the Island for the increasing number of Allied troop arrivals, news finally broke that they would soon be preparing for a landing on the Dardanelles.
On the 3th May, 8 days after the landing at Gallipoli, a member of Lieut. Huntleys section, 150 Leslie Cridland was struck down with a gunshot wound to the left upper leg.
His wound was considered severe and his leg was fractured so he was immediately transferred to Alexandria hospital, then onto Manchester hospital England and ultimately back to Australia and was later medically discharged in January 1916.
On this same day 158 James Johnston, a Scottish born 26 year old Blacksmith from Marrickville Sydney was also wounded, a gunshot wound injuring his pelvis, groin area, thigh and buttock. James would later recover and return to Gallipoli.
On the night of the 3rd, while constructing communication trenches behind the firing line and in the early hours of the next morning Lieut. Clive Nielson Huntley was also severely wounded in action.
Lieut Henry Bachtold explained that Lieut. Huntley and his party were working the 2- 6am shift just after he and his party finished their 10pm – 2am shift. According to Lieut. Bachtold, Lieut. Huntley was was bending down instructing his Sergeant on the directions of the road when he was sniped by a bullet, which passed through his right shoulder and out through his buttock. Bachtold explained that Lieut. Huntley appeared quite cheerful when making his way to the beach, and everyone knew it was serious, but no one expected it would prove to be fatal.
On the 4th May, Cridland, Johnston and Lieut Huntley were all transferred to the Hospital Ship “Gascon” and embarked for the hospital in Alexandria, Egypt.
Unfortunately later that day Lieut. Clive Huntley died from his wounds en-route to Alexandria. He was buried at sea between Gallipoli and Alexandria, and the service was officiated by Chaplain Hugo.
A sad end for an officer who knew his sappers well, he had signed them up, helped to train them under extraordinary circumstances, and he was an officer who was extremely well-liked by all the officers and sappers. It was only fitting that at least two of his sappers although wounded themselves would have been present to honour him at his burial.
Clive Huntley was the first officer of the 1st FCE to be killed in action or die from wounds and in fact the only original commissioned officer to have died either from wounds sustained in action or killed in action.
Whilst he was buried at sea, the men of 1st FCE commemorated him with a cross erected in his memory.
News of Lieut. Huntley’s death quickly reached home and was reported in The Sydney Morning Herald on the 13th May 1915.
“Lieutenant Clive Neilson Reynolds Huntley, among those reported killed in action, was born in Sydney and received his first appointment to the Australian Engineers in September, 1913, as a 2nd lieutenant. He was attached to the 6th Field Company (Sydney), under Lieut.-Col. Spain, V.D., and went to the front with the divisional Engineers, under Major H. I. Mackworth.
Lieut. Huntley, who was born and educated in Sydney, was 30 years of age. Prior to enlisting, he was a civil engineer and draughtsman in the Department of Works. While in this capacity he was employed in the demolition of the Ziz-zag. The dead officer was well known in aquatic circles, having for many years been associated with the Snails Bay Amateur Sailing Club, a body of which his brothers are also well-known members. His parents reside at Snails Bay.
Thirteen years later, his parents had an ‘In Memoriam’ published in the Sydney Morning Herald, a tribute to their brave son who made the ultimate sacrifice and a fine young man taken too soon.
In Memoriam – Published Sydney Morning Herald -Friday 4th May 1928
HUNTLEY.-In loving memory of Lieutenant Clive N. R, Huntley, 1st Field Coy. Engineers, who died from wounds received at Gallipoli May 4. 1915.
So dearly loved, so sadly missed. Loved son of Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Huntley, Snails Bay,
To view the Gosford City Library Memorial online book with personal details and war record – follow the link :- https://issuu.com/gosford_council/docs/huntley_clive_neilson/1
In July 1967, his nephew Llewellyn Huntley Evans applied for his Gallipoli medal on behalf of his mother, Rubie, who was Clive Huntley’s sole surviving sibling. Rubie died in November 1967, a few months after possibly receiving his medal.
His nephew, Llewellyn, followed in his uncles footsteps, both as an engineer and also serving with the Australian Armed Forces as a Flight Officer with the RAAF in the Pacific Wars in WW2.
Storycopyright©VanceKelly 2018
SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
AWM, NAA, NLA Ancestry.com.au
Photo Of Clive Huntley on Board the SS Afric – courtesy of the Mike Milburn collection
Gosford Council – Gosford City Library
1st Field Company Engineers - Australian Imperial Forces 