Felix Gordon Giles, DSO (23 November 1885—22 June 1950) was an Australian engineer who served as an officer in

ANZAC The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comma ...

's 10th Battalion during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life and education

Giles was born in Darwin on 23 November 1885 to

Alfred Giles Alfred Giles may refer to: * Alfred Giles (architect) (1853–1920), Texas architect * Alfred Giles (civil engineer) (1816–1895), British civil engineer and politician * Alfred Giles (explorer) (1846–1931), South Australian bushman, drover and ...

and Mary Augusta Giles (née Sprigg). He was educated at St Peter's College,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and passed a three-year course at the

School of Mines A school of mines (or mining school) is an engineering school, often established in the 18th and 19th centuries, that originally focused on mining engineering and applied science. Most have been integrated within larger constructs such as minera ...

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. Giles married Elsie Kilpack on 24 July 24, 1909. He worked for the electrical branch of the General Post Office and later the Adelaide Electric Lighting and Traction Company.

Military career

Giles enlisted in the South Australian Scottish Infantry in May 1908 and rose through the ranks. He was promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

in March 1910, to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in September 1910 and to

2nd lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 21 August 1911. After the outbreak of

Giles was transferred to the Australian Imperial Force and assigned command of the 10th Battalion's G Company. In January 1915, when his company was merged with D Company, Giles became second-in-command of the company. Giles was promoted to captain in September 1914. He participated in the Gallipoli Campaign, assuming command of D Company when the company commander was wounded. He was one of only four officers within the 3rd Brigade to serve continuously from the first landing to the evacuation. In March 1916 Giles was promoted to major. At the

Battle of Pozières The Battle of Pozières (23 July – 3 September 1916) took place in northern France around the village of Pozières, during the Battle of the Somme. The costly fighting ended with the British in possession of the plateau north and east of the v ...

he was gassed and suffered multiple concussions from near misses of high explosive shells. He persisted and led his men into defensive positions, conduct that brought him the second recommendation for the DSO. His coolness under fire was praised by his fellow officers. In January 1917 Giles suffered from

shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

after being wounded during a reconnaissance. His conduct at the capture of Le Barque, where he harassed the German rearguard during their withdrawal, earned him a mention in

Alexander Haig Alexander Meigs Haig Jr. (; December 2, 1924February 20, 2010) was United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior to and in between these c ...

's dispatches on 9 April 2017, and later that year he was awarded the DSO for "services rendered in the prosecution of the war". After the war Giles resumed his civilian work as an electrical engineer. He became a meter superintendent with the

Adelaide Electric Supply Company The Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA) was the Government of South Australia, South Australian Government-owned monopoly vertically integrated electrical power industry, electricity provider from 1946 until its privatisation in 1999. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giles, Felix Gordon 1885 births 1950 deaths Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order People from Darwin, Northern Territory Military personnel from the Northern Territory