Maurice Wilder-Neligan

Maurice Wilder-Neligan
Wilder-Neligan as a lieutenant colonel, returning to Australia in July 1919
Nickname(s)	Mad Wilder Mad Neligan
Born	(1882-10-04)4 October 1882 Tavistock, Devon, England
Died	10 January 1923(1923-01-10) (aged 40) Ekerapi, New Britain
Allegiance	United Kingdom Australia
Service / branch	British Army Australian Imperial Force
Years of service	1910–11 1914–19
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	Royal Horse Artillery (1910–11) 9th Battalion (1914–17)
Commands	10th Battalion (1917–19)
Battles / wars	First World War Gallipoli Campaign Battle of Arras Battle of Passchendaele Battle of Polygon Wood Battle of Broodseinde Operation Michael Battle of the Lys Hundred Days Offensive Battle of Amiens
Awards	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order & Bar Distinguished Conduct Medal Mentioned in Despatches (5) Croix de guerre (France)

Maurice Wilder-Neligan, CMG, DSO & Bar, DCM (4 October 1882 – 10 January 1923), born Maurice Neligan, was an English-born Australian soldier, who commanded the South Australian-raised 10th Battalion during the latter stages of World War I. Although born in Devon, England, he enlisted as a private in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 20 August 1914 at Townsville, Queensland, under the name Maurice Wilder, giving Auckland as his place of birth. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel by the end of the war, fighting during the Gallipoli campaign and on the Western Front in France and Belgium. For his services, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, and he was twice made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry. He was also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, and was mentioned in despatches five times. After the war, he worked as a district officer in the Australian-administered Territory of New Guinea, where he died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Considered by many to be rather eccentric, he was also a master of tactics, a consummate organiser, and highly regarded for his treatment of the soldiers under his command.

Early life

Born Maurice Neligan in Tavistock, Devon, England, on 4 October 1882, he was the son of Canon John West Neligan and his wife Charlotte, née Putland. His older brother, the Right Reverend Moore Neligan, was the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand, from 1903 to 1910. Maurice attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Ipswich, and Bedford Grammar School. On 18 February 1905 he married a divorcee, Frances Jane Wyatt, in London. They had one daughter. He enlisted in the Royal Horse Artillery in September 1910, having lowered his age and given Auckland as his place of birth. He served as a soldier for a year before leaving his wife and child in London and going to Sydney, Australia. He worked as a weighbridge clerk in a sugar mill at Proserpine, Queensland, and while doing so, lived at Kelly's Club Hotel, Brandon, where he formed a close connection to the publican's family.

World War I

9th Battalion

Neligan enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 20 August 1914 at Townsville, Queensland, under the name Maurice Wilder, again giving Auckland as his place of birth. He had first attempted to enlist under his true name and age, and had told the clerk he was married with a child. When told that younger unmarried men were volunteering in great numbers, and that his services would not be required, he merely joined a queue in front of a different clerk, gave the name Wilder and claimed he was a bachelor. He was enlisted as a private in the Queensland-raised 9th Battalion of the 3rd Brigade. Within three weeks he had been promoted to lance corporal, and by late September was a corporal. The battalion embarked for overseas the following month and sailed via Albany, Western Australia to Egypt, arriving in early December. Wilder was promoted to sergeant on 1 January 1915, and was posted as the battalion orderly room sergeant.

The 3rd Brigade was the covering force for the Landing at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915 and so was the first brigade ashore about 4:30 am. The day after the landing, Wilder's actions came to the attention of his superiors, and he was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the second highest award for acts of gallantry by other ranks. The citation read:

For conspicuous gallantry on 26th April 1915, near Gaba Tepe. Assisted by another non-commissioned officer, who was subsequently killed, he carried a wounded man into a place of safety under very heavy fire. Later on he was instrumental in collecting stragglers, who he led back into the firing-line.

Due to officer casualties, he was soon acting as the battalion adjutant, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant three days after the landing. On 27 May, he commanded a raid on a Turkish post near Gaba Tepe by 63 soldiers of the battalion. Supported by naval gunfire from the destroyer HMS Rattlesnake, his force inflicted casualties on the enemy and captured a prisoner without firing a shot and without suffering casualties itself. The success of the raid was ensured by his meticulous planning. He was wounded in early June and evacuated to Egypt, but discharged himself from hospital and made his way back to his unit by early August, when he was promoted to lieutenant. In the same month, he was mentioned in despatches for the first time. In mid-September he was formally appointed as unit adjutant, swiftly followed by a temporary promotion to captain. He formally changed his name to Wilder-Neligan in October, and remained at Anzac until the evacuation to Egypt in December.

In March 1916, he relinquished his post of adjutant, and was substantively promoted to captain before the battalion left Alexandria for France at the end of the month. Soon after his unit reached the trenches, he planned a major raid near Fleurbaix, carefully preparing his men before launching it on the night of 1/2 July. During the raid he received a serious wound to the head that fractured his skull, but continued to direct his men until they had all returned safely. The Australian Official War Historian, Charles Bean, described this action as "perhaps the most brilliant raid that Australians undertook". The success of the operation was recognised by Wilder-Neligan being appointed as a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. The citation read:

For conspicuous gallantry when commanding a raid in force. His careful training and fine leading were responsible for the successes attained. Fifty-three of the enemy were killed and prisoners taken, besides a machine gun, many rifles, and much equipment. Though wounded in the head he stuck to his command".

He was evacuated to the United Kingdom for treatment, and did not return to his unit until October, when he was promoted to major. In November he was again mentioned in despatches for "distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty in the field". He was in temporary command of his battalion during the desperate Battle of Bullecourt in May 1917, for which he was recommended for the Belgian Order of the Crown, although there is no record of an appointment to the order. He also fought with his battalion during the Battle of Passchendaele from July to November. For brief periods in 1917 he was acting commanding officer of the 9th Battalion. On 23 June 1917, he was temporarily placed in command of his battalion's South Australian-raised sister unit of the 3rd Brigade, the 10th Battalion. After briefly returning to his old unit on 6 July, he took command of the 10th Battalion with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 15 July.

10th Battalion

Wilder-Neligan's first fight with his new command was the Battle of Polygon Wood in late September and early October 1917. He prepared his battalion for its assault in a determined and imaginative way, achieving outstanding results. He was mentioned in despatches for a third time in December. The recommendation cited his "clever organisation, untiring energy, zeal and exemplary bravery" between February and September 1917, and highlighted his leadership at Bullecourt. He was mentioned in despatches for the fourth time in May 1918, and the following month was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his work as commanding officer of the battalion from September 1917 to February 1918. His biographer, A.J. Hill, stated that "perhaps his greatest achievement was the capture of Merris in July 1918". The inspector general of training in the British Expeditionary Force described the capture of Merris as "the best show ever done by a battalion in France". Wilder-Neligan was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order for this "innovative and daring operation". The citation read:

For conspicuous gallantry during a night attack on a village. Owing to his skill and courage, the plan of enveloping the village was successfully carried out, resulting in the capture of 200 prisoners and 30 machine guns. The attacking force suffered less than 20 casualties.

As a commander, he excelled during the Hundred Days Offensive which began on 8 August 1918 with the Battle of Amiens. An example of this was that during the fighting for Lihons, Wilder-Neligan moved 250 yards (230 m) forward of his unit, then used a signalling lamp to transmit orders to his unit to halt and advance. By this method he brought his battalion into a position from which it could support his old unit, the 9th, with only one casualty. On 10 October, he was awarded the French Croix de guerre. After the end of the war, he was mentioned in despatches for the fifth and final time.

Wilder-Neligan's clear tactical acumen was accompanied by relentless striving to ensure the needs of his men were met. He was an outstanding organiser, possibly the best in the AIF. Bean noted that he was "a restless and adventurous spirit", "an impetuous, daredevil officer, but free of the carelessness with which those qualities are often associated", "a gay, wild young Englishman, clever soldier, and inevitably a leader wherever he was", and a "mercurial commander". He had many eccentric habits, and often embarrassed his officers through his actions. He was known by the nicknames "Mad Wilder" and "Mad Neligan". Nevertheless, he was trusted by his men. He was the most highly decorated officer to command the 10th Battalion during the war.

New Guinea and death

Wilder-Neligan's commission in the AIF was terminated in October 1919. He was involved in the formation of a soldiers' parliamentary party in Queensland, travelling the country and delivering speeches from the back of a truck. On 1 January 1920 he was appointed as a lieutenant colonel in the peacetime army, the Australian Military Forces. In late March the following year he transferred to the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force which was occupying German New Guinea. This appointment was at the rank of lieutenant. He did not immediately travel to New Guinea, living on the north coast of Queensland for two months, and visiting Brisbane in early May to receive his French Croix de guerre from the former AIF commander Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood during his first visit to Australia. Wilder-Neligan travelled to New Guinea later that year to take up his appointment.

His initial role was as a deputy district officer for the garrison of Rabaul on the island of Neupommern (later renamed New Britain). In May 1921, when the military administration of the former German colony was handed over to an Australian civil one mandated by the League of Nations, he was transferred to the administration of the newly created Territory of New Guinea as district officer for Talasea in west New Britain. Early in January 1923 he was summoned to Rabaul by the Administrator, Evan Wisdom, to answer allegations of financial malpractice made by a former German planter. It appears that he resigned, but still set out for Rabaul by sea. Going ashore to rest for a few days at the village of Ekerapi before continuing his journey, he died of unknown causes during the night of 9/10 January. Survived by his wife and daughter, he died intestate and in debt, and a coronial inquest held by the acting district officer in Talasea found that his cause of death was unknown and that there were no suspicious circumstances. He was buried on Garua Island. The men of the 10th Battalion AIF Club contacted his widow to ask that his remains be reinterred in the AIF Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia, and offered their assistance, but she declined.

References

• "9th Australian Infantry Battalion". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
• "10th Australian Infantry Battalion". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
• Hill, A. J. (1990). "Wilder-Neligan, Maurice (1882–1923)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian National University. Retrieved 18 April 2017. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• "Lieutenant Colonel Maurice Wilder-Neligan". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
• "NAA: B2455, Wilder-Neligan, Maurice". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
• Lock, Cecil (1936). The Fighting 10th: A South Australian Centenary Souvenir of the 10th Battalion, A.I.F. 1914–19. Adelaide, South Australia: Webb & Son. OCLC 220051389. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)