BY 1896, Kempsey surveyor William Henry Nalder and his wife Elizabeth had a family of 11 children, all but the two eldest having been born on the Macleay.
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Three of their sons enlisted in World War I, however only one would return.
William Henry Nalder was born in Somersetshire, England, around 1854 and came to Australia at the age of 15. He took up surveying in Victoria and from around 1882 he spent the remainder of his career in Kempsey as a surveyor in the Lands Department.
He was required to do surveys in other areas as well, and was away from home for long periods.
By 1896, the family and their 11 children - Robert, Frederick, Beth, Gordon, Leslie, Arthur, Violet, William, Frank, Lily and May - required the hiring of additional help in the form of an Aboriginal housekeeper.
The housekeeper, and one of her sons Laddie, became very well regarded by the Nalder family. Laddie often wrote to the family after his own enlistment in 1916 and there is one surviving postcard which he sent to Violet Nalder.
Tragically, William Nalder died suddenly in 1909 just after he had been named as District Surveyor in charge of the recently established Lands Office in Elbow St, West Kempsey.
His widow, Elizabeth Mary Nalder, left Kempsey in 1911 for Sydney so the children could find work there to support the family.
In 1915 Gordon was living in Mosman with his mother and two sisters, Violet (28) and Beth (22), both of whom had found work in the city. Gordon enlisted in the First AIF that year, along with his brothers Leslie Arnold and Robert Austin.
Robert Austin Nalder was the first of three Nalder brothers to enlist on March 12, 1915, aged 19. He had joined the 18th Battalion and was on his way to the Dardanelles in a troop ship when he died from pneumonia on July 16, 1915.
Gordon Frederick Nalder enlisted on July 11, 1915, at the age of 24. Later that year he received his Commission as a Second Lieutenant. He sailed for France via Egypt with the 17th Battalion on January 20, 1916.
In early May 1917, the Australian 2nd Division including Gordon's 17th Battalion, was to make a fresh attempt to seize a portion of the Hindenburg line at Bullecourt in the battle which became known as Second Bullecourt.
On May 3, Gordon wrote a letter to his mother to be posted in the event of his death. He wrote that he had been placed in charge of 'A' Company for the attack that morning, and that if his mother received the letter she would know that he had died for the "greatest cause of all".
During the initial stages of the attack Gordon was wounded by machine gun fire. On starting back to the dressing station, he was with his batman when they were caught in an enemy barrage.
Gordon was mortally wounded and died shortly afterwards.
Earlier, the Nalders' former housekeeper's son Laddie had enlisted, went to France and possibly became Lt Nalder's batman.
Gordon kept a diary which was brought back to Australia by Laddie and is now in the Australian War Memorial.
Our research has failed to find Laddie's real name or the name he enlisted under.
Leslie Arnold Nalder, one year Gordon's junior, enlisted in September 1915 in the 1st Light Horse Regiment. After one month's active service, Leslie suffered from chronic illness for some time and was finally invalided back to Australia late in 1916.
The Macleay River Historical Society gratefully acknowledges the extensive research of Gordon Nalder's nephew, William Holland, in the preparation of this article.
