Ancestor Details
Acsestor's Name: Arnold Wienholt
Ancestor's date of birth: 25/11/1877
Ancestor's date of death: 10/09/1940
Cause of Death: Ambushed in Abyssinia [Ethiopia] and died of wounds
Service and Life Before the Boer War: Born in Goomburra Queensland
Service Number: 9
Colony or State of enlistment: QLD, Place of Enlistment: Goomburra
Unit: 4th Queensland Imperial Bushmen
Rank attained in Boer War: SGT, Date Effective: 01/06/1900
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): CAPT, Date Effective: 1918
Murray Page: 479
Contingent: Fourth Queensland
Ship: Manchester Port, Date of Sailing: 18/05/1900
Memorial details: Comemorated at Khartoum Memorial Cemetery Sudan. Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Orange Free State and Transvaal clasps. Distinguished Service Order (DSO), Military Cross (MC), British War Medal and Victory Medal. 1935-45 Star, Africa Star
Personal Characteristics: Brave, Resourceful, Taciturn
Reasons to go and fight: Not provided.
Details of service in war: 1900 - June 1901 in Free State, Transvaal, and battle of Rhenoster Kop (29 November 1900), great De Wet hunt and advance on Pietersburg and into east Transvaal.
Service and life after the Boer War: In WW1 he was a Rhodesian Border Scout, he then enlisted in the East African Mounted Rifles and transfered in to East African Intelligence Dept. It was here that he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for: "For continuous gallant conduct and endurance under most tryiong circumstances during a period of six months in the bush. He performed a most arduous march,during which his party were more than once attacked by superior enemy forces, through the unknown country which he had to reconnoite and report on; and finally succeeded in gaining touch with a column as ordered. He performed many other successful reconnaissances during which he had several encounters with the enemy, and furnished valuable information with regard to their movements. Throughout he showed great courage and endurance,and rendered most valuable srevice." And the Military Cross for "For conspicuous gallantry and endurance as a leader of a patrol. The patrol covered some 200 odd miles of the most difficult country and obtained valuable information. He was subsequently separated from his patrol,severely wounded and captured by the enemy. He ultimately escaped,and made his way back to our lines across 100 miles of unknown bush."
In the 1930's he was reporting on the Italian invasion of Abyssinia as a war correspondent.
In WW2 he volunteered again with Mission 101, where in late 1940 a group of five Australian soldiers set out on a secret mission: one of the second world war's most daring operations. Leading a small force of Ethiopian freedom fighters on an epic trek across the harsh African bush from the Sudan, the small incursion force entered Italian-occupied Ethiopia and began waging a guerilla war against the 250,000-strong Italian army. He was killed in action at age 62.
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Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Judith Borrett, Ballidu WA
Relationship to Ancestor: Great NieceName of Descendant: Frank Pinder, West Perth WA
Relationship to Ancestor: Great Great NephewName of Descendant: Sandy Cooke, Koorda WA
Relationship to Ancestor: Great Great Niece
