4th Light Horse Regiment
Memorial Association
361 Squadron Sergeant Major Bert (Joseph Albert) Wright
Like many soldiers who served and made it home, it seems Bert Wright didn't share much about his experiences in World War I with his family.
Talking to his son, Bruce Wright, on the family farm in Pelluebla South, it seems Bert was a modest man.
"The only time they did talk was if they were at a soldier's do," said Bruce.
Bert’s father established the Wright family farm, around 20 kilometres south of Yarrawonga, on an original selection back in the 1870s. It is said that the Kelly gang rested their horses in a paddock at the farm on their way to Jerilderie.
Bert Wright was 26 years old when he enlisted in August 1914. He joined the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment and sailed from Melbourne to Egypt as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.
Bert carried a scar on his face which was the result of an injury incurred while bringing horses up on deck of the ship for air during the weeks they spent at sea.
At Gallipoli Bert was severely wounded by shrapnel. It destroyed his helmet, but he survived. He remained at Gallipoli until they were evacuated in December.
For his valour and devotion to duty under fire particularly during campaigns at Messines & Pachendale in Europe, he was awarded the French Medal Millitaire and the Croix de Guerre.
As a Squadron Sergeant Major Bert was one of 800 in the cavalry charge at Beersheba on 31 October 1917.
He returned to Australia in late 1918 and was discharged in 1919.
During WW2 Bert enlisted again in June 1940. During this period he became one of very few Australians who had three service numbers; emphasising the extent of his service to this country.
Stationed at the No. 9 Training Camp in Wangaratta, he helped train a special platoon of Aboriginal soldiers who had volunteered for service. According to the Australian War Memorial, despite positive public opinion and being recognised for their merits, in 1940 sadly the Defence Committee stated that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples enlistment in either the army or the navy was "neither necessary nor desirable." As a result these volunteers were eventually discharged in March of 1941.
Promoted to Major that Bert Wright received his third service number; serving once again in Egypt where he continued training duties, and on his return at the training camp in Caulfield.
He has been described as highly respected, a natural leader and "fiercely patriotic"; continuing to serve the community until his death in 1977.
"He was a great man with men," explains Bruce, who described his father as being "firm" by nature. "He had a fair knowledge of everything and he was a terrific horseman.”
"When he was discharged, he was offered a pension, but he refused it. He said he was only doing his job and wouldn't take money from the government."
In 1967 Bert Wright went back to visit Gallipoli, returning with three “Lone Pine” seeds. One has grown into the tree at the Lake Rowan memorial site and another the garden at the Wright farm.
Edited from an article in the Wangaratta Chronicle
