STEPHEN DeAraugo was born on  December 26, 1894, to Manuel and Catherine DeAraugo of Quarry Hill, a then quiet rural suburb of Bendigo. 

He was one of five Catholic boys in the family and would later be one of the many heroes of Australia for his service in the 14th Battalion of the AIF. 

In 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, and as a loyal country of the Empire, Australia joined the "Mother Country" in the campaign on  August 4, 1914.

The prospect of an adventure was on the horizon for the boys of the bush, and this opportunity was too good to be true for Steve DeAraugo. On September 16 of that year he beat everyone to the post and enlisted in his home town of Bendigo.

DeAraugo was the 49th man to become a part of the Australia Imperial Force for World War I and was only 19 years of age.

On December 22 he was aboard the HMAS Ulysses, leaving Australia with his two mates William Howard and Frank Poliness. The three men had made a deal after enlisting in Bendigo that they would leave together and come back together.

There they were, about to embark on an adventure the world would never forget.

The first stop was Albany on December 28 and next was Colombo on January 12. The last stop was the Suez Canal on January 28. 

From there, they made their way to Cairo for gruelling training among the sand dunes that was supposed to hold them in good stead for what they were about to face.

From the sand of Egypt they travelled to the rugged landscape of Gallipoli, Turkey, the first scene of fighting for the Australian troops in WWI.

At 9.30am on April 25, 1915, the HMAS Ulysses left the shore of Lemnos heading for the now famous landing spot on Gallipoli. Gunfire could be heard in the distance as the men waited for their first taste of war. 

DeAraugo quickly found that this was not going to be the adventure he first thought. 

The first telegram DeAraugo sent home to his father perfectly depicted how much not only he, but every other young Australian, had been misled: "Tell the boys not to come."

Early in the morning of May 19, 1915, DeAraugo, Howard and Poliness were preparing for the stunt that would put Albert Jacka in the history books.

Being fellow soldiers of his battalion, they volunteered to attack and try to take back a trench overrun with Turkish soldiers.

In the first attempt, Howard was hit three times, leaving Jacka and DeAraugo to pull his body back to their trench. In a second attempt DeAraugo and Poliness showered the Turkish with artillery fire while Jacka snuck around and outflanked the Turkish; he held the trench for 15 minutes under heavy fire, killed seven Turkish soldiers and took three prisoners. 

For this, Jacka was awarded a Victoria Cross for gallantry in the face of the enemy, showing the boys from Bendigo were a force to be reckoned with.

The soldiers continued to stand their ground, suffering heavy casualties due to attacks on Hill 971 and Hill 60 during the August Offensive. Despite all efforts, the 14th Battalion was evacuated during the night of December 19.

After resting in Egypt, by June 1916 they were on their way to the Western Front. The night of July 2 was the first action the 14th battalion faced in France.  A raid was staged on the German trenches about 11.35pm.

Upon retreating, the now Sergeant DeAraugo and two others spent their time in No-Man’s Land providing cover for the retreating soldiers and retrieving others who had been buried under the churned-up earth. 

The results of the raid were visible in every soldier DeAraugo collected; Sgt. G Wilson, whose body was littered with bullet holes; Pte. A Davis, who had to be dragged back by DeAraugo’s belt buckle because he couldn't be lifted; and a few who were too far gone to be saved.

Sgt DeAraugo and his mates risked their lives to save others as the bullets flew past their heads.  

The soil near the town of Armentieres is sown with the first drops of blood from the 14th Battalion on France, but the bloodshed there will be nothing compared to what is to come. Days later DeAraugo and his battalion marched out to Naours and awaited training. The next battle would be the hardest yet.

On August 6, the 14th and 15th battalion marched into Pozieres Ridge, the sight of one of the most gruelling and bloodiest battles experienced during WWI. 

The artillery barrage from both sides was so intense, not one blade of grass remained untouched. Limbs and decaying bodies could be seen across the soil; some half buried, some fully, and splintered stumps that were once trees protruded from the ground.

The 26th and 28th battalions looked like they’d been through hell and back to take that ground. And now it would be the job of the 14th Battalion to defend it.

After seven weeks of fighting Australia had suffered 23,000 casualties. In comparison, 26,000 casualties were sustained at Gallipoli over eight months. 

DeAraugo featured in the local newspaper back home because he was commended in the commander’s despatches for his "devotion to his duties" at Pozieres.

The next battle that would test the strength of the 14th battalion was the Battle of Bullecourt. On April 10, 1917, the battalion was given orders they would charge the German Hindenburg Line at 4.30am with a dozen tanks at their aid. 

The charge would have been pure madness - the freezing weather of France had demobilised the tanks, and the German trenches were too heavily guarded with thick wire and pillboxes, large concrete bunkers fortified by barbed wire and containing machine guns that targeted the approaching Australian troops.

The charge was called off at 5.20, but this would only postpone the advance. At 4.40am the next day, the charge was made. All tanks failed to reach the line and proved ineffective, with most being abandoned.

The 14th and 16th battalions broke through the wire to the German trenches and managed to take out two objectives, but because of heavy casualties they couldn’t hold the ground. Most of the 14th battalion remained in the wire, filled with bullet holes, left dead or dying.

After almost eight hours of fighting, what remained of the troops retreated. 

DeAraugo continued through the German spring offensive until he was placed in a field hospital suffering a severe case of pneumonia on April 8,1918.

The harsh French winter had taken its toll on the soldier, and he was transferred to England the next day. After just being promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st, Steve DeAraugo had found a ticket home. He endured four more months of different hospitals until he was transferred back to Australia.

The 14th battalion lost many men during The Great War, but just as they had promised, the three boys from Bendigo returned together.

Later DeAraugo would be awarded the Star Award, British War Medal and Victory Award for his efforts during the campaign.

After returning home, Steve DeAraugo married Emily Mckenna and together they had four children: Catherine (1920), Jack (1922), Vincent (1930) and Steve (1934).

Though the war was over, nothing was easy. DeAraugo, a leader of men, a saviour to so many on the battlefield, experienced hard times back home.

Like so many other returned soldiers, Steve found it hard to find work.

Each morning before the sun shone its light across the sky, he would be up and walking to the local Mayfair Park looking for a day’s work. Countless times he tried before managing to get work on the railways, later becoming a foreman for the good yards in Bendigo.

War records indicate Steve DeAraugo returned home without suffering a physical wound, other than the pneumonia. However, he clearly carried mental scars from his experiences. Steve did not like to talk of the war or what he had seen. 

He dedicated the remainder of his life to his family in Quarry Hill.  

During the later years, his health started deteriorating and on July 23, 1953 he succumbed to his illness at the age of 58.

DeAraugo still has family living in Bendigo, who look upon him with pride and the utmost gratitude for his contributions to this country. 

Author's note: I would like to acknowledge the contributions that Lieutenant Stephen DeAraugo and the many others that fought along side him made to Australian society during World War I.

These soldiers that put their lives on the line and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the mother country to ensure a future of peace will never be forgotten among Australians. They enlisted in The War To End All War to do exactly that; they wanted safety for their children, and other families all around the world. 

The young men who fought for Australia on April 25, 1915, had no idea what kind of devastating conditions and combat awaited them, but they continued with their unwavering bravery and mateship in the face of the enemy and defeat. 

Those Australian soldiers who wore brave faces were looked down upon by British commanders and the entirety of the world because of the tainted blood that rain through their veins; the tainted blood of convicts.

That very same blood now lies in foreign corners of the world as a symbol of the sacrifice made by these underestimated ANZACs.

They fought for peace, they fought for their mother country, but they also fought for their reputations. That reputation is today known as the Anzac legend and we, as a country, will always pride ourselves on the spirit and sacrifices made.

Without soldiers like Lieutenant DeAraugo, there could have been a very different outcome to this conflict and the world would not be as it is today. But the bloodshed, tears and destruction on those foreign lands were not in vain. 

For that, we are eternally grateful to the soldiers that served not only in World War I but every conflict before and after that.

I would also like to thank Chris DeAraugo and his wife for gathering so much information to assist me, letting me interview him and allowing me to conduct this biography about his grandfather.

I'm very grateful for being able to research such a soldier. 

To conclude; the Ode Of Remembrance from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For The Fallen’

‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.’

Faces Of Anzacs: Check out our great interactive at www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/news/faces-of-anzacs/