A BARE PATCH OF GROUND

17/04/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 279 Views 0 Comments

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were hundreds, if not thousands of carefree Australian larrikins craving adventure. Some satisfied this lust by enlisting overseas in regular forces, some in colonial units and even some in revolutionary partisan groups in distant lands.

CAPTION: Photo of William Henry Belpitt in 1886. Courtesy USN Memorial Foundation

Was it for patriotism, a just cause or merely for adventure?

One such Australian that most have never heard of is William Henry Belpitt. He was a knockabout kid born in Ryde, NSW, on the 3rd of May 1860. William’s father died when he was a lad, his mother married again but her husband, a seaman, was away for long periods and thus she was at wits end and soon lost control of William and his two brothers. Roaming the streets at will, they soon came to the notice of police and the trio were committed to a nautical training ship in Sydney Harbour, designed to sort out wayward youth.

His ‘training’ complete, William made his way to Freemantle, where he soon ran afoul of the law, this time for embezzling cargo from the barque Fitzroy. His punishment – 12 weeks imprisonment. On release, it looks like he joined a ship’s crew bound for England. Within the ensuing period, he joined the Royal Navy, where, in his own words, he soon took “Leg Ball”.

He was in New York in 1881, when he decided to join the United States Navy. Enlisting for three years, he was posted as an ordinary seaman on the sidewheel gunboat USS Monocacy, whose mission was to patrol the coasts and major rivers of Japan, Korea and China. He was duly promoted to Petty Officer and appointed Captain of the Afterguard.

On 7 October 1884, with the Monocacy at anchor in Fuzhou (Foochow) Harbour, China, William saw a man fall from a small boat into the churning water, who immediately started to panic and was on the verge of drowning. Without hesitation and disregard for his own safety, William immediately dove into the water and kept the man afloat until a rescue boat arrived.

For his actions that day, William Henry Belpitt was awarded the United States of America’s highest award for valour – the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Following his discharge from the Navy, William returned to Sydney and married Minnie Gould. They had a son Charles, who later served in the 1st AIF, as a member of the Field Ambulance.

William held down a position as Harbour Master – Harbour and Rivers and later as a crew member aboard the nautical training ship, Sobraon, which replaced the Vernon, where William and his brothers had ‘done their time’ as children. William, now an avid letter writer, wrote to the NSW Parliament highlighting the brutality and abuses he personally witnessed aboard ship.

In early 1900, William was again in uniform when he enlisted in the New South Wales Medical Corps in the hope of deploying to South Africa, to fight the Boer. His contingent was held in training camps for over three months. Not one to be stuffed around, William drafted a stinging letter to the authorities via the Evening News, stating that he and a number of mates had departed by ship that morning, at their own expense, bound for South Africa.

Enlisting firstly in a British unit, the Imperial Hospital Corps, then two colonial units, the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles and later the South African Light Horse. His service earned him, The Queens South Africa Medal with three clasps.

Returning to Sydney, he became a fireman. His military service had contributed to a serious decline in his health. On 29 November 1912, while a patient in the Rookwood Infirm Asylum, he succumbed to his illness and passed away.

Since his death, William Henry Belpitt has rested in an unmarked grave in Rookwood Cemetery.

But, that may be about to change!

In the mid 1990’s, a group of avid history enthusiasts, started exploring options to secure an appropriate and permanent memorial for William. Sadly, it was a long process, spanning many frustrating years and a number of the members passed away. As a sign of respect, another group (Warwick Group) was formed in 2020 and took up the cause in their memory.

By sheer coincidence, and unbeknown to each other’s existence, a group from the Australian Chapter of the American Legion, were contacted in 2024 by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in the US with the view to assist the family with the placement and dedication of a memorial at the gravesite. On hearing of this, the Warwick Group made contact with the American Legion and are now working in unison, with the aim of having a lasting memorial to William Henry Belpitt become reality.

The American Legion Group is also assisting William’s Great Granddaughter with the management of a ‘Go Fund Me Page – William Henry Belpitt’ and would gladly welcome and encourage any contributions.

The realisation of this project has come from years of dedication and painstaking research from many parties, past and present from both here in Australia and the US, intent with enhancing William’s memory and ensuring permanent recognition of this courageous Australian with the larrikin heart.

Lest we forget!

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