Archibald Monk

Archibald Monk was 29 years old when he enlisted with the AIF in Brooklyn, New South Wales, in March 1915. Born on the Scottish island of Benbecula, near Inverness, he served three years in the Cameron Highlanders, an infantry regiment of the British Army, before immigrating to Australia.

At the time Archibald was recruited he was working as a hospital attendant in Sydney. He joined No. 3 Australian General Hospital (3AGH), which was formed soon after his enlistment, and he sailed for England with the unit in May 1915.

Being a Scotsman, Archibald led the nurses in a march to the strains of his bagpipes when they arrived at West Mudros in August 1915. The idea to ‘pipe’ the women from North Pier to the 3AGH site on Turks Head Peninsula in something like a military formation was the brainchild of Colonel Fiaschi, commander of 3AGH. Apparently, onlookers clapped and cheered the nurses and piper, but judging by some of the nurses’ responses, the performance was bemusing at best.

Archibald saw out the war, though he was twice hospitalised with dysentery during his months on Lemnos with 3AGH.