General News
7 November, 2026
Veterans Voices: Dalitz Family pt.1
Matthias Dalitz and his wife Marie (Habner) immigrated to Australia in 1858. The family, although they came from Germany, were not Germans but had descended from the pre-German inhabitants of what later became Brandenburg, known as the Wends or Sorbs.
Matthias Dalitz and his wife Marie (Habner) immigrated to Australia in 1858.
The family, although they came from Germany, were not Germans but had descended from the pre-German inhabitants of what later became Brandenburg, known as the Wends or Sorbs.
After arriving in South Australia, Matthias and Marie settled in Robertstown and had nine children.
One of their children, Heinrich (Henry), born in 1861, married Maria Elizabeth Wuttke in 1885 and moved to Victoria in 1891 with their three children.
Over the next four years, the family moved from Horsham to Rupanyup, before settling at Dimboola.
The family moved to what was known as the ‘Village Settlement’, a cluster of small-holdings, several kilometres east of the town, where the family grew to ten sons and three daughters.
When the First World War broke out, some of the children of Heinrich and Marie Dalitz fulfilled their patriotic duty for king and country and enlisted in the AIF.
Friedrich Wilhelm (Will) Dalitz was born in 1887 at Robertstown, SA.
He enlisted along with his brother Alwin at Dimboola on June 12, 1915.
His occupation was listed as a blacksmith.
Both brothers were assigned to the 14th Infantry Battalion, and in September 1915, they embarked from Melbourne aboard the SS Makarini bound for Egypt.
Shortly after arriving, Friedrich became dangerously ill in hospital with dysentery.
He rejoined his unit on and off in Egypt until he was transferred to France in June 1916.
Friedrich was unable to regain his physical strength to remain with his unit, and on numerous occasions, he was in and out of hospitals and at times in a ‘dangerously ill condition’.
On April 11, 1917, Friedrich (who had now been promoted to Sergeant) had rejoined his unit and was part of an operation near Noreuil, France, and during this battle he was recommended and awarded the Military Medal.
‘For consistent good work under fire. He assisted in forming ammunition dumps in the area forward of the Brigade Headquarters and guided wagons under fire to safety.
He performed this duty continuously for 72 hours.’
Friedrich’s health was still a major concern, with ongoing hospital stays and rejoining his unit when he had regained strength and was classified fit to return to duty.
On May 17, 1918, he was once again back with his unit on the battlefield near Le Havre in France.
Friedrich was regrettably again admitted to hospital, but this time he was classified as wounded in action, with the reason being ‘gassed’.
He was invalided back to England, and because of his disability he eventually returned to Australia, arriving back on May 22, 1919.
After returning to Dimboola, he married Hazel Blanche Drummond in 1924.
The family moved to Melbourne in 1927, where Friedrich was employed as a Government Clerk.
Friedrich lived to the age of 72 and died at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital on November 14, 1959.
He was cremated and interred in the niche wall at the Springvale Cemetery, Victoria.
Interesting to note, Friedrich’s eldest son, Richard Henry Dalitz, went on to become a world-renowned scientist after moving to England.
He studied at Oxford University before becoming a Teaching Professor and Scientist in the field of Particle Physics and Quantum Mechanics.
Alwin Clarence (Clarrie) Dalitz was born in April, 1894 and enlisted at Dimboola (along with his brother Friedrich) on June 12, 1915, and was a carpenter.
He was also assigned to the 14th Infantry Battalion.
He joined his unit at Gallipoli and was relocated to Alexandra, Egypt.
In June 1916, he left Egypt and was transferred to France, where he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
In August 1916, the Battalion was moving to Mouquet Farm in France, and on August 28, Alwin was wounded in action.
He suffered a gunshot wound to the groin and pelvic area and was transferred to England, where he moved between various hospitals for treatment and recuperation.
In January 1917, he returned to duty in France, rejoining his unit, and in April he was involved in the First Battle of Bullecourt.
To assist other operations, an attack was launched on Bullecourt on April 11, 1917, by the 4th Australian and 62nd British Divisions.
The attack was hastily planned and resulted in disaster.
Tanks which were supposed to support the attacking Australian infantry either broke down or were quickly destroyed.
Nevertheless, the infantry managed to break into the German defences.
Due to uncertainty as to how far they had advanced, supporting artillery fire was withheld, and eventually the Australians were hemmed in and forced to retreat.
The two brigades of the 4th Division that carried out the attack suffered over 3,300 casualties; 1,170 Australians were taken prisoner - the largest number captured in a single engagement during the war.
Alwin was captured by the Germans and became a Prisoner of War, interred at Limburg.
The following is taken from AIF records and written by Alwin about his internment:
‘My battalion took part in a Brigade attack at Riencourt (northern France) on the ‘Hindenburg Line’ on the morning of the 11th of April, 1917.
About 6am the enemy started to bomb in on us from all sides.
Our ammunition was all used up.
I was captured about 12 midday, and there were about 20 of us taken.
I was taken to the rear and sent on various working parties behind the line, before being sent further to the rear.
From France, I was sent to Friedrichsfeld Lager POW Camp and 14 days later sent to Gustrow Lager POW Camp, both in Germany.
I remained there for the next 12 months working in the Post Office, until the Armistice was signed.’
Along with other POW's, he was repatriated and arrived back in England on Christmas Day 1918, and in March 1919, embarked back to Australia, arriving in Melbourne on May 12.
In July 1919, Alwin was discharged and moved back to the Wimmera, where he married Constance Annie Holland in July 1924 at Dimboola.
Alwin enlisted again in WWII with the Australian Military Forces on July 7, 1940, at Dandenong.
He was assigned to the 3rd Engineer Training Depot at Dandenong.
Due to his age (now 46) and medical fitness, Alwin was given a medical classification of B2, meaning he was medically fit but, by reason of disabilities of a permanent nature, employable only on certain duties requiring restricted medical fitness, or not employable in certain climates.
During World War II, engineer training depots played a vital role in preparing Australian and American military personnel for various engineering tasks, both in combat and support roles.
These depots trained recruits in a range of skills, from basic soldiering to specialised engineering tasks like construction, water supply, and even operating boats and ships.
During his almost four years of service, Alwin was transferred to different units and places in Victoria, including Dandenong, Hamilton, Geelong, Caulfield and Royal Park.
He was discharged on March 20, 1944, and returned to Nhill.
He died at the age of 74 in January 1969 and is buried in the Nhill Cemetery.