Enrico Catani - War Services of Old Melburnians

In 1923 Melbourne Grammar published War Services of Old Melburnians recording the names and World War One military history of past students. Carlo's son, Enrico Ferdinando, was one of these students and I have transcribed his entry. He was listed in the book as Eric Frederick Catani, so had obviously anglicised his name. Enrico sounds like a lovely man who was loved and respected by all who knew him and what a tragedy it is that he and 60,000 of his fellow Australians were killed in the prime of their life.

Photo of Enrico from War Services of Old Melburnians

Eric Frederick Catani who was killed in action in France on 29^th July 1916 was the elder son of Mr. C.D.T.M Catani. He was born in 1891 and was at school from 1905 to 1909. In his last year at school he was in the football team. On leaving school he went to Dookie Agricultural College, where he took his Diploma in 1912. He had a farm near Kyneton when war broke out, but he gave it up and enlisted on 28th April 1915 and was appointed 2^nd Lieut. in 21^st Battalion. “Puss” Catani, as every old boy of his time knew him, was a good fellow and a good sportsman and he made a splendid soldier. He was one of the troops on the “Southland” when she was torpedoed and was on Gallipoli from 4^th September 1915 to the evacuation on 20^th December. During that time he was away for three weeks, sick and wounded. He was acting as machine-gun officer nearly all the time he was on the Peninsula. During the Lone Pine engagement a 6-inch high explosive shell burst on the edge of his machine gun. It killed two of his men, wounded the other two, and buried him and his gun, and it was sometime before he was dug out and could not speak or hear for a day afterwards.

On his return to Egypt he was made Transport Officer and Staff Officer of Railways at Ismailia, and eventually rejoined his battalion, in which he had on 26^th August 1915 been promoted to Lieutenant, and went to France and was killed soon after the Australian went onto action. A brother officer writing says: “He was the best and cheeriest of friends a man could have, and the life and soul of the company whether things were going well or ill. I never saw him downcast or out-of-sorts even when things were at their worst, and I hardly think there was a man better loved by officers and men in the division. His platoon would do anything for him and were inconsolable at his loss. On the night of 29^th July I was ordered to take my company to hold a small trench which was the key to Pozieres. It meant marching in pitch black through a perfectly hellish barrage which the enemy were throwing behind the village. “Puss” was my senior company officer, and as my place was at the front I sent him to the rear charged with that most difficult and all-important of tasks - keeping the men blocked up when the shells began to take toll of the ranks. How well he did his job you can imagine when I say that looking back after getting through the barrage, I found the company blocked up as if on parade. The losses had not been inconsiderable, but his cheery voice and unfailing courage had caused every gap to be immediately filled. As they filed past me into some temporary cover, as I expected, he greeted me with ‘Cheer oh! Pretty warm trip, wasn’t it?’ I left him in charge and went to make a reconnaissance of our new position. When dawn broke he was missing, and though we spared no effort we found no trace of him. I hung on for days in the hope he had been wound and evacuated through the English troops on our left, but was finally forced to report him ‘Missing, believed killed’. In him I lost one of my very best friends and the most capable officer I had”

His Colonel writes: “He had won the respect of, and endeared himself to, both officers and men. He was one of the keenest officers that any commanding officer had under him, that together with his happy disposition and cheerfulness under all conditions made him a general favourite. He gave his very best, and was devoted to his duties. Australia has reason to be proud of her boys, and your son was a noble example even to Australians”

Cover and front page of War Services of Old Melburnians, complied by J. Beacham Kiddle, O.B.E.

This is the group photo - 1. E.B McKay; 2. C.C.D. St Pinnock; 3.E.A. Dyson; 4. K.R. Stephenson; 5. E.F. Catani; 6. J.H.R. Butler; 7. W.S. Campbell; 8. H.L. Franklin. 

'The School will  not forget"

"You, our brothers, who, for all our praying,

To this dear School of ours, come back no more"