Ralph Neville Cohen was born on 7 November 1885 in Kensington, England, to Australian-born ‘Rossi’ (née Roselind Levy) and ‘Nathan’ Neville David Cohen, whilst the family sojourned there. Educated at Sydney Grammar School, Ralph was “a keen sportsman and a good shot” and served in the NSW Lancers. He returned to England c. 1913, but: “on doctor’s advice, in the hope that the open-air life would restore his [‘delicate’] health,” moved to New Zealand, and was a ‘squatter’ on a station north of Auckland, when WW1 began.

He changed his surname before enlisting (‘Unitarian’) in December 1914 as No. 11/985 Trooper Ralph Neville Cullen, age 29, in the Wellington Mounted Rifles, NZEF. He embarked, Sergeant, in February 1915 and transferred to the Auckland Mounted Rifles on arrival in Egypt (see attached). Most of them sailed for Gallipoli to fight as dismounted infantry, but he remained with the rear party, promoted to Sergeant-Major. Perhaps frustrated not being selected to join them, Ralph transferred to the British Army on 26 July: commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers. It is not known if he was with them whilst they served at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, during August.

Ralph went with their 5th Battalion to Salonika, Greece, in October 1915, for service on the Macedonian Front, where Serbia had been under attack by the Austrians, who were now joined by the Bulgarians. On 20 November, a party of the Fusiliers went forward to occupy a craggy knoll, ‘Rocky Peak’, which was essential to the defence of Kosturino Ridge. Blizzards and heavy rain stopped any activity till 3 December, when over 1000 men were evacuated to Salonika with frostbite and exhaustion, depleting the 10th Irish Division. A break in the weather the next day allowed the Bulgarians to commence an artillery barrage, which continued into 6 December 1915. “Rocky Peak was briefly overrun by the Bulgarians, [then] the Royal Irish Fusiliers drove them back in hand-to-hand fighting … Before the [following] dawn, the Bulgarians utilised the heavy fog … sneaking up to Rocky Peak and engaging their adversaries with bayonets.” Lt. Ralph Cullen was killed that morning, near the Serbian-Bulgarian border.

The Jewish Chronicle later reported that his CO and another officer wrote to Nathan Cohen: “Your son was very brave indeed. / He was immensely popular with all the officers and men … He died the most noble death a soldier can die, hanging on / despite already having received three wounds / whilst most of the people around him were making for safety, and even though his courage failed to save the situation, it cannot be said by any of us that he died in vain.”

Age 30, Lt. Ralph Neville Cullen* has no known grave, and his name is inscribed on the Doiran Memorial, Lake Doiran, Greece - the first Australian to die in this relatively minor, yet disastrous, forgotten Macedonian campaign.

* Ralph’s nephew, born 1917, became RAF Flt Lt Richard Nigel Cullen DFC, who was killed in action in WW2, 1941 (see separate entry). A cousin, Maj Gen Paul Cullen DSO & Bar was an outstanding Jewish soldier in WW2 and subsequently.

Ralph Neville Cohen was born on 7 November 1885 in Kensington, England, to Australian-born Roselind (Rossi) (née Levy) and Neville (Nathan) David Cohen, whilst the family sojourned there. Nathan’s father was David Cohen, one of eight brothers who came free to Australia and set up businesses in Maitland, Tamworth and Sydney, where Neville also became involved in Jewish and non-Jewish community affairs. Rossi was the daughter of Lewis Wolfe Levy - NSW MLA (1871-74) and MLC (1880-85) - who held many directorships and community roles, was a first cousin to the Cohen brothers.

Ralph was educated at Sydney Grammar School, was “a keen sportsman and a good shot,” served in the NSW Lancers and went back to England, via Canada in 1913. However: “On doctor’s advice, in the hope that the open-air life would restore his [‘delicate’] health,” he moved to New Zealand, where he was a ‘squatter’ on a station at the Northern Club, Auckland, when WW1 began. He changed his surname before enlisting (‘Unitarian’) in December 1914 as No. 11/985 Trooper Ralph Neville Cullen, age 28 (cf. 29 - incorrectly recalling his birth year as 1886) in the 3rd Reinforcement of the Wellington Mounted Rifles, NZEF. Twelve days later, his ability was recognised, and he was promoted to Sergeant.

They embarked 14 February 1915 on HMNZT 19 Aparima to arrive in Egypt on 27 March. He transferred to the main body of the Auckland Mounted Rifles as No. 13/985A on 5 April (see attached), when he reverted to Private, then Acting Corporal. It seems from his record that he remained with the rear party of the NZ Mounted Rifle Brigade - to look after the horses at their training camp, on the edge of the desert in the Cairo suburb of Zeitoun - as he was promoted to Temporary Squadron Sergeant-Major there on 9 May 1915, whilst the majority of the men sailed for Gallipoli to strengthen the ANZACs, fighting as dismounted infantry.

After distinguishing themselves at ‘Walker's Top’ and ‘The Nek’, the regiment’s casualties were regularly replaced. Perhaps frustrated by not being selected amongst them - possibly due to his “delicate health” yet apparently gaining “a first-class pass as a machine gunner” - Ralph transferred to the Imperial (British) Army on 26 July 1915 and was posted to Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers: commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the 5th or 6th Battalion. It is not known if Lt. Ralph Cullen was with them when they landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, in early August. After an unsuccessful attempt to drive the Ottomans inland, they were withdrawn a month later, before the remainder of the British troops left in December.

Ralph went with his battalion to Salonika, Greece, in October 1915, for service on the Macedonian Front, where Serbia (the site of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, that had sparked the war) had been under attack by the Austrians, who were now joined by the Bulgarians. The French and British sent troops to help Serbia, including the 10th Division which had been at Gallipoli. Thus some Australian soldiers served along with the Irish. On 20 November, the Irish regiments took over from the French on the Kosturino Ridge, where the ground was very rocky and afforded little protection as it limited the depth of trenches. A party of the Royal Irish Fusiliers was sent forward to occupy a craggy knoll, named by the British ‘Rocky Peak,’ which was essential to the defence of the ridge. Blizzards and heavy rain stopped any activity till 3 December, when over 1000 men were evacuated to Salonika with “frostbite and exhaustion, depleting the 10th Irish Division.” A break in the weather the next day, allowed the Bulgarians to commence “an artillery barrage on British positions along the Kosturino Ridge” which continued into 6 December, reaching its peak at 2.30 pm. “Rocky Peak was briefly overrun by the Bulgarians before the Royal Irish Fusiliers drove them back in hand-to-hand fighting … Before the [following] dawn, the Bulgarians utilised the heavy fog … sneaking up to Rocky Peak and engaging their adversaries with bayonets.”

The UK Jewish Chronicle later reported that: “[Ralph] was killed on the morning of 6 December 1915, during fierce fighting on the Kosturino Ridge on the Serbian-Bulgarian border.” His CO and another fellow officer wrote to Nathan Cohen: “He was very brave indeed. / I am very proud [to] claim … to be a great friend of your son, because he was one of the straightest, kindest, biggest-hearted men I have met. He was immensely popular with all [the officers and men] and made a first-class officer, being both able and possessed of the gift of leading men. He was always a delightfully cheery soul, and I know he spent a thoroughly happy life, that suited him down to the ground, in the army. He died, as I gather from all the men’s stories I have heard since, the most noble death a soldier can die, hanging on / despite already having received three wounds / whilst most of the people around him were making for safety, and even though his courage failed to save the situation, it cannot be said by any of us that he died in vain. There are not too many of his kind in the world.” The report reflected that: “Lt. Cullen was of a most cheerful disposition, and his letters home read like descriptions of a picnic.”

Age 30, Lt. Ralph Neville Cullen, who was Killed in Action on 6 December 1915 with 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers, was the first Australian to die in this, relatively minor yet disastrous, forgotten Macedonian campaign. It had no clear objective other than a show of solidarity with Serbia. And once again, as in Gallipoli, the military capability of the enemy was underestimated.

As he has no known grave, Lt. Ralph Neville Cullen’s name is inscribed on the Doiran Memorial, Lake Doiran, Greece.
Subsequently, the Jewish Chronicle noted that: “Many Colonials attended a service in his memory at the New West End Synagogue, London, where his father was Warden.”

* One of Ralph’s brothers, Horace David Cohen (1880-1969), who also changed his name to Cullen, is reported to have served in WW1 as a Captain in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derby Regt).

Horace’s son (Ralph Neville’s nephew), born 1917 in Newcastle, NSW, and likely named in his memory, was later RAF Flt Lt Richard Nigel Cullen DFC, killed in action in WW2, 1941 (see separate entry).

Ralph was also a cousin of Major General Paul Cullen DSO & Bar (1909-2007) - who also changed his birth-name from Cohen - an outstanding Jewish Australian soldier in WW2 and subsequently.