Alfred Miles McCOLL

Alfred McColl was born on 20 September 1892 at Brunswick East. His parents were John James and Ada Maria (née Miles) McColl. He attended Scotch from 1907 to 1911. He was in Cadets. He played for the First XVIII football team during seasons 1910 and 1911, the latter a premiership team.

Alfred was working with the State Rivers when he enlisted on 17 August 1914 at Shepparton, Victoria. He served in the 7th Battalion with the rank of Private (was a Corporal August-November 1914). His Regimental Number was 298.

Alfred died on 25 April 1915 at Gallipoli. He was 22 years of age.

Service record

Alfred ‘Mona’ McColl’s service record contains two enlistment forms from 17 August 1914. One suggests he was 5’4” tall and weighed 11 stone, the other that he was 5’6 ½ ” and weighed 11 stone 5 pounds (see images below). As 5’6” was the minimum height for enlistment at the time, it appears that there was some manipulation of height measurements to ensure that he was accepted. McColl was reverted from Corporal to Private in November 1914. The battalion history says this happened after an incident on the voyage to the Middle East at Aden. For an unknown reason, McColl dived from his ship, the Hororata, and swam about 800 yards to another ship, the Orvieto. On arriving he was arrested and brought back to the ship by an officer of the 5th Battalion.

He was initially reported missing at Gallipoli, but in June 1916 was officially listed as killed on the day of the landing. In a letter to his parents before the landing he wrote about the action ahead: ‘I do not relish the idea one little bit, but Australia owes a good deal to the Mother Country. Then, again, I could never stay at home, realising that some of my best chums from School were over there, whilst I stayed home reaping the benefit of their sacrifices.’ (The 1916 The Scotch Collegian dates this letter as 18 April 1915 from Shepparton, but this cannot be accurate). He is said to have been asked on going into camp whether he would not prefer to stay at home, and to have replied: ‘I couldn’t if I would, and I wouldn’t if I could.’

In a letter dated 27 February 1916, Captain Claude Swift of 7 Battalion said: ‘About young Alf. McColl. He was my favourite lad, and was with me right from Broadmeadows to the day of landing at Gallipoli, and I felt it very much, when the roll was called a few days after the landing, to find that he was one of the many heroes who failed for the first time to answer the Roll Call. He landed with me, and followed me into action, and I know he was still with me a couple of hours after landing; but what became of him after that I have never been able to find out. My opinion is that he was shot unnoticed by any of us, and there he remained – a fallen hero.’

Another member of the 7th Battalion, Pte F. Woodberry, reported in McColl’s Red Cross Wounded and Missing file that McColl had ‘advanced to the furthest ridge at Anzac about 11 a.m., where casualty was seen wounded. Casualty was left on the ridge.’

McColl’s service record contains poignant messages reflecting his father’s anxiety about his missing son. One is a letter to the Minister of Defence dated June 1915 and referring to ‘our dear boy Private A McColl’. Five years later, there were still unanswered questions: the file contains a note dated June 1921 from his father concerning the fact that his son’s body had still not been found and gave as a possible identifying marker that he took overseas a metal Scotch College badge (see images below).

Alfred McColl has no known grave but is commemorated at the Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 29), Gallipoli, Turkey.

Photographs and Documents:

Two pages from McColl’s service file concerning his enlistment

Letter from McColl’s father in June 1915 asking for more information

Page from McColl’s service record mentioning his Scotch badge (in his father’s writing on the RHS)

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