General News
14 November, 2026
Veterans Voices: Dalitz family part.2: Wally, Henry, Ossie and Bert
Carl Walter 'Wally' Dalitz was born in Dimboola in October 1896 and was the twin brother of Gustav Edwin Dalitz. He enlisted in the AIF at Horsham on February 19 1916 and his occupation was listed as grocer.
Carl Walter 'Wally' Dalitz was born in Dimboola in October 1896 and was the twin brother of Gustav Edwin Dalitz.
He enlisted in the AIF at Horsham on February 19 1916 and his occupation was listed as grocer.
Carl was immediately assigned to 6th Machine Gun Company, 3rd Reinforcements.
On May 4 1916 he sailed from Melbourne on board HMAT A17 Port Lincoln, along with his brother Heinrich Charles, also in 6th MGC.
Carl was in France by March 1917 and was killed in action at the second Battle of Bullecourt on May 3 1917.
Carl is honoured at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France.
Heinrich 'Henry' Charles Dalitz was born in Horsham in August 1891.
On April 3 1916 he enlisted in the AIF at Horsham.
His occupation was listed as bricklayer.
He was also assigned to 6th Machine Gun Company, along with his brother Carl.
On May 4 1916 the brothers left Melbourne bound for Egypt.
His unit moved to various locations, including Tel el Kebir, before being sent to France in early July 1916, where he spent time around Étaples and Amiens.
Henry had developed influenza in Egypt and once he was stationed in France his condition worsened and he was in and out of hospitals.
While on furlough in Scotland in October 1917, Henry was admitted to hospital in Glasgow with trench fever and kidney trouble.
After convalescence, in April 1918 he rejoined his unit in France, but unfortunately on August 8 1918 Henry received a gunshot wound to the right forearm and was also gassed in the Battle of Amiens.
Due to his medical condition, Henry was classified as medically unfit for duty and returned to Australia in late October 1918.
After being discharged in February 1919 he returned to Dimboola, where he married Alice Mabel Ruby Hirth in September 1920.
Henry also enlisted with the AIF in July 1941 for World War II.
He was assigned to 5th Works and Parks Company, Royal Australian Engineers, stationed at Royal Park.
Due to his age – he was now 49 – and medical fitness, Henry was given a medical classification as unfit for overseas duty.
Henry’s health deteriorated and he was admitted to the Royal General Hospital, Caulfield, in May 1942, suffering from cholecystitis.
His condition did not improve and he was discharged from the AIF in September 1942.
Henry lived to the age of 81, dying in November 1972, and is buried in Dimboola Cemetery.
Ernest Oswald 'Ossie' Dalitz was born in Dimboola in January 1899.
On May 22 1918 he enlisted in the AIF at Horsham, his occupation being listed as postal assistant.
He was sent to the Recruiting Depot Battalion at Broadmeadows Camp, Melbourne.
From there he was assigned to 8th General Reinforcements and sailed from Melbourne on July 23 1918 aboard the ship Marathon.
Arriving in England, he was sent to 7th Training Battalion until early February 1919, when he was attached for duty with the Australian Army Postal Corps at Sutton Veny and Heytesbury, England.
The Postal Corps was a crucial, though often overlooked, unit of the AIF during World War I.
It was responsible for managing and distributing mail to and from Australian soldiers serving overseas, playing a vital role in maintaining troop morale.
This service, run by the Australian Army Postal Corps, involved a complex system of sorting, transportation (including sea, rail, and truck) and delivery.
Mail was censored and then either transported to field post offices near the fighting or sent to Australia.
In addition to sending regular letters and parcels to and from the front, another important consideration was that when soldiers were killed or reported missing in the course of their service, there needed to be well-established procedures for how families back in Australia were informed.
During World War I, when a soldier was killed, the usual practice was to send a pink telegram to their indicated next of kin, but occasionally a message would be sent to the local reverend or pastor of the deceased soldier, who would then visit and inform their parents.
The Australian Red Cross would also conduct investigations into the cause of death or the missing personnel, interviewing those who were close to them or were witnesses to find out what had happened.
These reports were often sent to the soldier’s family to provide greater context about the last known movements of their family member.
After the Armistice Ernest was still involved with duties in England before he returned to Australia.
He disembarked at Melbourne in September 1919 before moving back to the Wimmera.
In June 1924 he married Margery Winifred Harries at Stawell.
They moved to Jeparit and Melbourne while he was still employed by the postal service.
When World War II broke out, Ernest was the postmaster at Mortlake and once more he enlisted with the AIF.
Like his other brothers who served in WWII, Ernest was deemed unfit for overseas service due to his age and medical fitness.
He was assigned to the Australian Line of Communications, Signals, stationed in Melbourne, where he served in a part-time capacity.
His discharge papers indicate that he was not called on for continuous full-time duty and acted as a reserve.
His discharge was granted in January 1947.
In April 1985 Ernest died.
He was cremated and interred in the niche wall at Springvale Cemetery in Melbourne.
Berthold Louis Dalitz was born at Dimboola in August 1901 and enlisted in WWII in March 1942 at Caulfield.
Bert was transferred into and out of various training battalions in Victoria before going north to Queensland and then on to Milne Bay, New Guinea, in late 1942.
In just over a month in early 1943 his health deteriorated and he was transferred back to Australia in March 1943.
He was admitted to various hospitals, suffering from dyspepsia and malaria.
In February 1944 the Medical Board reviewed his health and gave him a medical classification as "medically fit to carry out certain duties which require only restricted medical fitness".
When his health recovered enough for him to rejoin his unit, Bert was transferred to various training units in Warwick, Queensland, as a clerk.
Warwick was a major defence centre for the Australian Army and Air Force.
It was also where the Echelon and Records Office was housed, holding personnel records and casualty reporting and statistics and maintaining close ties with Army headquarters.
Bert was transferred from Queensland to Royal Park, Melbourne, and discharged in November 1945.
He died in August 1985 and is buried in Dimboola Cemetery.