Colum Whalley

Male

Birth date: 5.7.1890 y.

Cabin: General Duties Medical Officers-83

Biography:

Born on 25 January 1890 in Sydney, New South Wales, Colum Thomas Whalley was the eldest son of Arthur Whalley, a mid-ranking colonial administrator, and Margaret Whalley, an Irish schoolteacher. The Whalleys were lower-middle-class and ambitious, adopting the belief that education would be key in the social ladder they needed to climb, with Colum as their instrument of ascent. His schooling was carefully planned from the beginning. He first attended St Aloysius' College, a Catholic day school in Surry Hills and at fourteen, he transferred to the prestigious, Anglican-affiliated Sydney Grammar School, a move that, despite going against their Catholic convictions, was deemed invaluable for Colum's future. At SGS, Colum excelled academically, being recognised as one of the best students of his class, much to the delight of his parents.

In 1908, he was awarded a small colonial exhibition scholarship and travelled to England to read Modern History at Hertford College, Oxford. Though competent in his studies, Whalley was introspective by temperament and initially found the social codes of Edwardian university life stifling compared with Australian etiquette. Nevertheless, he navigated his circles with relative ease, devoting much of his time to debate clubs. He graduated in 1912 with respectable second-class honours and, despite briefly considering remaining in Britain, returned to Sydney. Back home, Whalley entered the colonial civil service, following his father's example, in an administrative post with the Department of Public Works, a job that offered everything by excitement. In 1913, he met Eleanor Baker, daughter of a prosperous Sydney merchant. They married the following year and settled in a modest house near Neutral Bay, thus fulfilling his parents' desire of marrying into a well-off family and securing a good job at the colonial government. Their married life was unremarkable at most, but deeply affectionate, both sharing the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits despite Eleanor’s delicate health.

The happiness ended in May 1915 when Eleanor, after several prior miscarriages, died giving birth to their first child, Hamish. Whalley was deeply affected and became, as many described as "stricken and restless." He returned to work within weeks, but his former composure was absent. Later that year, amid the patriotic fervour of the time and his personal grief, Whalley volunteered for service in the Australian Imperial Force, leaving his infant son in the care of his parents. Accepted as a private, he underwent basic training before embarking for Egypt, joining the 13th Battalion for the Gallipoli campaign, where he was a witness to the horrors and pain of the war. By late 1915, after illness and exhaustion, he was withdrawn from front-line duties and assigned to administrative and medical support roles, where his experience in administrative work from his colonial post proved invaluable.

By mid-1916, he was seconded to the Royal Army Medical Corps and appointed General Duties Medical Officer aboard the hospital ship HMHS Britannic.

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