“The Fighting Israels” It was the heading from a newspaper article from the Evening News on the 13th of July 1916, which was reprinted in the Mercury Hobart on the 27th of July 1916. This hint intrigued me while in the process of cleaning up my tree. I followed up on Trove. It concerned my son-in-law's two-times great-grandfather and his four sons (all pictured) who had enlisted in World War I. (apologies for the poor quality of the article scan from Trove)
In honouring the ANZACs this ANZAC Day 2025, it hits home at the loyalty, selflessness and courage of families who watched their men go to war and alternatively the sacrifice of the families and the ANZAC services to our country. They were some of the first to go.
Staff Sergeant Alfred Robert Tasman Israel 1855-1930, based at Victoria Barracks, New South Wales, where he was a paymaster had 5 sons and 3 daughters. His father had been a convict sent out to Tasmania. His brother, John William Israel was a Federal Auditor General whose son also enlisted. Not only that, he had five other nephews in active service.
Now this was a true Australia and New Zealand ANZAC story as two of the Israel brothers had moved to New Zealand and brought their boys up there. Australian and NZ fighting cousins. Naturally I used a variety of resources to track them down.
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| Staff Sergeant Alfred R Israel |
Staff Sergeant Israel's four fighting sons were
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Corporal Leonard Clarence Israel 1897-1918
Sapper Eric Victor Israel1890-1968
Hector Rhoderick Israel 1890-1965
Leslie Joseph Finn aka Israel. (Alfred and his wife Katie Spargo Rosman were his guardian.)1895-1988
Further research finds an article in the Evening News referring to the death of Corporal Leonard Clarence Israel of the 24th Battalion, killed in action in the Somme on the 11th of July 1918 in France.
Leonard had been previously employed at the Evening News and the Town and Country. The article also mentioned that he had been a long term member of the choir at St John's Church in Darlinghurst. In fact Leonard had received a presentation watch with a luminous wristwatch from the Canon and the choir prior to his departure for the Front. There was a note on his military record advising that the army was to advise his father of any news on account of his mother's health. Four sons in the war, is it any wonder?
Private Leonard Clarence aged 20 was killed in France and was briefly interred before his remains were exhumed and reinterred in Crucifix Corner, British Cemetery, one mile south-south of Villers-Bretonneux on the 3rd of April 1920. The army had written to his father that
“This work is carried out with every measure of care and reverence in the presence of a chaplain.”
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| Corporal Leonard Clarence Israel |
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| Crucifix Corner Grave located at VII. D. 22 |
Sapper Eric Victor Israel was a sapper Field Engineer and then was part of the Australian Corps Signal Company. He had been a mariner and he enlisted at age 28 on 1/7/1915. After training he embarked in November 1915 to serve in France also. His return to Australia was April 1919.
Private Hector Roderick Israel from the 56th Battalion was married to Mildred in 1914 and had a child, Mavis in 1915. He enlisted on the 29th of November 1915 and was wounded in action on the 26th of July 1917 in France and returned to Australia on the “Euripides” in 1918 after which he was discharged on medical grounds. He had suffered from a gunshot wound to the right hand. His marriage ended with a decree absolute in October 1920. He later had children to Edith in 1921 and 1923 after marrying her in 1920. Later he married Margaret in 1946. His record shows he signed up for CMF in WWII.
Sapper Leslie Joseph Finn was listed in the article as Alfred's son, but he was in fact his son by guardianship. He was born in Tasmania and spent a portion of his life in England until the death of his father and possibly his mother, returning to Australia on the 6th of March 1913 as a student. He enlisted when he was 19 and a surveyor/ draftsman by trade. He was a sapper in the 5th Engineers and the 13th Field Coy Engineers. In July 1916 his next of kin were advised of his admittance to hospital with Bronco Pneumonia. He returned to Australia in June 1919 invalided on the “Medic” and was discharged. He had two marriages and died in 1988.
Of the “ fighting “cousins ……..
One was Lieutenant Donald Percy Israel 11/12/1886 -19/10/1943 born in Hobart. The son of the Federal Attorney General John William Israel enlisted in August 1917 at the age 30 leaving his wife Kathleen who he married in 1914 and their young son John Robert Israel born 1916. On the 3/8/1917, he completed lieutenant training. He graduated from lieutenant training in the UK, so possibly became part of the RAF as some did when they arrived in the UK.
Lance Corporal Gerald Evelyn Israel 20/10/1880-10/10/1916, son of George Cashmore Israel of NZ, was injured with a gunshot wound to the leg and died of his wounds on the 10/10/1916 in France. He was in the NZ Rifle Brigade. The headline announcing his death in New Zealand says it all. “For the Empire's Cause.” He is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery Pas-de-Calais.
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| Corporal Gerald Evelyn Israel |
Private Percy Jago Israel was the brother of Gerald Evelyn and an accountant. He enlisted in May 1918 age 32 in Invercargill, New Zealand, leaving behind his bride, Lucretia Nee Garfield, and young son, George. He appears to have had a short service due to previous injuries which impaired his mobility.
Another nephew/cousin, Corporal Leslie Lambert Cashmore, Israel 1888-5/10/17, enlisted in NZ at age 28. He was the son of Ernest Augustus Israel. He was part of the Canterbury Regiment of the New Zealand Expeditionary in the 5th Battalion. He was reported wounded on a second occasion in November 1916. His father received advice that his son was recovered after injury in the Somme. However, later he was wounded in action and died of his wounds on the 5th of October 1917. He is buried at Nine Elms British Cemetery. Poperinge, Arrondisement Laper, West Flanders.
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| Grave at Nine Elms
British Cemetery. Poperinge, Arrondisement Laper, West Flanders. |
His brother, 2nd Lieutenant (Acting Corporal) Aubrey Wilford Israel 30/1/1892-1966. Fought in the 6th Auckland Infantry Battalion. He enlisted in 1915 and was injured suffering a fractured skull which caused him to return to NZ on the “Ruahine” 5/1/1918. He made slow progress and after 12 months unfitness for service was struck from strength.
“They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. On the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”
This ANZAC day read about these boys, commemorate them, and reflect.
Celebrating Anzac Day is important to Australians and New Zealanders. Not just a day off work it's a solemn day of remembrance. It's a day of honouring the courage, sacrifice, and camaraderie of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who landed in Gallipoli during World War I and the years that followed. It is part of our national identity. I also acknowledge the cost of war to the men, families, and parents.
So, involve the family in baking ANZAC biscuits together. Attend a dawn service. Visit a local war memorial or war museum. It may be that you can participate in some community parade or commemoration event held in local areas. Talk with the grandchildren about the veterans and service members present at the parade. Or talk to your family about your own members who were like the fighting Israels.
Lest We Forget
