LEBANESE ANZACs

Below is a list of Australians of Lebanese heritage who served during World War One. They are represented in all Australian campaigns including Gallipoli. Some were killed in action, some wounded and some were prisoners of war.

RANK	FIRST NAME	SURNAME	ENLISTED	SERVED	RTA/Discharged	BIRTHPLACE
Private	Ambrose	Abdullah	13/11/15	Western Front	06/09/18	Tumut NSW
Private	Thomas	Abdullah	28/08/17	Western Front	09/12/18	Tumut NSW
Private	Charles	Abdullah	05/06/17	Middle East / Western Front	19/10/18	Mt Lebanon
Gunner	Herbert	Abotomey	26/09/16	France	28/09/19	Lebanon
Sapper	Alfred Alexander	Abotomey	15/02/17	Western Front	18/07/19	Petersburg SA
Sergeant	Walter	Abotomey	06/12/15	Middle East	01/10/20	Adelaide SA
Horse Driver	Stanton	Ayoub	06/05/15	Gallipoli/France	03/01/19	Dubbo NSW
Private	George Joseph	Beshewatie	28/03/17	Western Front	KIA 16/08/18	Orange NSW
Sergeant	William Norman	Bookallil	12/11/14	Middle East	–	Cooma NSW
Driver	Michael	Bracks	01/11/16	Western Front	23/09/18	Werris Creek
Private	Alexander	Bracks	26/10/17	12/08/18	Fremantle WA
Private	Joseph Romanus	Daniels	30/07/18	New Guinea	30/03/20	Mt Lebanon
Private	James Callel	Ferry	17/08/14	Gallipoli / France	12/05/19	Melbourne
Staff Sgt.	William	Gaha	24/10/17	Egypt	26/09/19	Werris Creek NSW
Private	Jack	Garnom	02/07/17	France	KIA 28/03/18	Mt Lebanon
Private	Arthur	Habib	25/04/18	Egypt	22/11/18	Mt Lebanon
Driver	Charles Rein	Hayek	04/10/16	France	10/12/18	Concord NSW
Private	Aneese J	aboor	20/12/15	Western Front	–	Lebanon
Driver	William Taseef	Keeami	20/07/15	Middle East	20/01/16	Launceston
Gunner	Elias	Keeami	18/06/15	Western Front	KIA 15/11/17	Lebanon
Private	Vincent	Lahood	06/01/16	Western Front	31/03/19	Redfern
Private	Vincent	Mahboub	15/06/17	Western Front	KIA 08/08/18	Lebanon
Trooper	Alfred	Malouf	7/10/15	Middle East	04/08/19
Private	John	Mansour	26/01/16	France	04/05/17	Mt Lebanon
2nd Air Mechanic	John	Mellick	27/11/16	Western Front	–	Melbourne
Private	Aziz	Michael	05/06/18	France depot	23/07/19	Toowoomba
Private	Najeeb Elias	Moses	11/05/15	Discharged in Australia	23/06/15	Lebanon
Sergeant	Faig	Nassoor	27/08/17	Middle East	–	Mt Lebanon
Driver	Richard George	Saleeba	20/11/15	Western Front	01/11/17	Melbourne
Lance Sgt.	Christopher Joseph	Saleeba	21/09/16	Western Front	9/06/20	Melbourne
Private	Joseph	Saleeba	30/07/17	Western Front	KIA	Mt Lebanon
Private	Alexander	Tartoosie	05/08/15	Middle East/Western Front	17/03/19	Mt Lebanon
Private	George	Keeami	8/11/18	Discharged in Australia	–	Launceston

As well, a number of other Australian Lebanese tried to enlist but were discharged for reasons such as being under age or medically unfit. Richard Lahood was discharged as an enemy alien, a Turkish subject.

FIRST NAME	SURNAME	ENLISTED	DISCHARGE	BIRTHPLACE	AGE	Reason for Discharge
William N	Ferris	18/09/16	15/10/16	Orange	19	Discharged Under Age – 19
Frances Paul	Hashem	02/07/17	04/07/17	Tripoli, Syrian	34	Medically unfit
Richard	Lahood	29/12/16	05/01/17	Mt Lebanon	21	Discharged – Enemy Alien
Frank Picone	Malouf	27/08/17	29/08/17	Sydney	16	Discharged as too young -16
Norman	Moses	14/05/18	17/05/18	Mt Lebanon	40	Invalided out – over age
Alfred	Tutungi	30/10/18	11/11/18	Lebanon	28	Discharged at Armistice

First to Join
Private James Callel Ferry, for instance, was one of the first Australians to enlist 17th August 1914. He saw active service at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. Luck was on his side because he survived to return to Australia in May 1919.

Vincent Mahboub – Killed in Action
Private Vincent Mahboub of the 35th Battalion AIF enlisted on 15th June 1917 but was killed in action on the 8th August 1918. He was the son of Michael and Rosie Mahboub, of Excelsior, New South Wales and was born in North Lebanon.

Sergeant Walter Abotomey
Sergeant Walter Abotomey embarked with the 1st Battalion, as a Private, aboard HMAT Orsova (A67) on 14 July 1915. He served at Gallipoli as a temporary corporal from October 1915 until evacuated with influenza a few weeks later. From August 1916 he served in France with the 61st Battalion and 1st Battalion. He was wounded in action in October 1917 and promoted to corporal. In December 1917 Cpl Abotomey was selected, along with other members of the AIF, to serve with ‘Dunster Force’; a special force established to reorganise resistance to enemy advances in Mesopotamia and Persia. In March 1918 he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. In May Sergeant Abotomey was diagnosed with severe tuberculosis. He returned to Australia in March 1919 where he died on 1 October 1920, aged 27.

Sgt. Walter Abotomey (Australian War Memorial)

Many Stories
Second Air Mechanic John Mellick from Rockhampton, served on the Western Front in the air corps. Private Vincent Lahood, while serving on the Western Front, was captured by the Germans and spent time as a Prisoner of War. Some, like Private John Mansour, completed their active service, in his case in France, and rather than return directly to Australia, took the opportunity of visiting their home villages in Lebanon.

The list is not exhaustive and the Society is anxious to hear of any other Australians of Lebanese heritage who served with the armed forces during World War One, and/or their photographs.

References
Australian War Memorial datbase (www.awm.gov.au)
Newsletter No. 49 2014 of the Australian Lebanese Historical Society Inc.
Collection of the Australian Lebanese Historical Society Inc.