The Young Chronicle, on 24 August 1915 highlighted the fate of cousins William Sydney McCarthy and Frederick Prothero on Gallipoli and Thomas Leslie Debnam on Malta. Their story is recounted below:
Three Cousins. TWO DEAD, ONE WOUNDED.
Soon after the war started three cousins, all fine stamps of hardy Australian manhood, left Young to do duty for their country. They left with the first contingent, trained in Egypt and then went on to the Dardanelles, where there is no reason to doubt they fought with the bravest. These cousins were Privates Fred Prothero, Tom Debnam and W. McCarthy, all natives of Young. We very much regret to say that two of these young men now fill heroes graves on foreign soil, but their names are not last on the scroll of fame, for they are amongst those who made Australia and her noble sons which will last throughout the ages after peace is restored.
Private W. S. McCarthy, whose photograph appears in the “Telegraph” which came to hand this morning was first of all reported missing. A brother in Sydney, however, received from a friend of the brave young soldier at the front a message to say that he had been killed, and also enclosed a letter for him which he stated he had taken from the dead man’s tunic pocket. The letter was written by the soldier in the trenches for his brother, but he had not had time to post it before he fell a victim to the Turkish bullets. The receipt of the letter and the fact that the military authorities had reported Private McCarthy as missing only, led to investigations, with the result that he has now been officially reported as killed.
Private Debnam, whose death was recorded early this month, died from a wound to the skull, whilst Private Prothero was returned with the first batch of sick and wounded and subsequently spent several days in this, his home town. Happily he still very much alive, and is so imbued with the fighting spirit that he is anxious to get back amongst his fellows as soon as he can manage it. He has gone back to Sydney with that object in view.
But Young must feel proud of these three gallant cousins. Two we shall not see again, but we have hopes that Private Prothero will come through safely after revenging the deaths of his relative’s and comrades, and also after taking part in the great triumphant march to Constantinople, the ancient city which is ere long to be returned into the hands of the Christians.
Trace Genealogy 