Royal New South Wales Lancers visit hometown Crookwell

The 1/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers is an Army Reserves unit based out of Parramatta.

The unit provides a light cavalry role, maintaining and improving their skills in this exciting element of modern warfare that encompasses surveillance, counter-surveillance, movement, and dismounted infantry operations.

The unit supports the full-time Army when required, both by providing individual soldiers for rotations, and groups of soldiers for operations both overseas and inside Australia; operations that can range from providing assistance to the civil community (such as for bushfires and flood) or high-end warfighting operations.

A small cadre of Australian Regular Army provide a core group in the headquarters, and the rest of the unit comprises of part-time soldiers like Lieutenant Thomas Zouch. See profile below.

These soldiers and officers work a range of jobs, full-time, part-time, professional, white collar or blue collar. Some have families, some do not.  And they all commit themselves to this part-time job with the Army Reserves, giving up weekends and time outside of work to train and maintain a series of valuable skill-sets, skills that can be as specific as field-stripping a weapon, or as general as leadership and planning.

SAPPER Shan Addo Chevalier, is fairly new to the Army Reserves, and become interested in this career after watching the light armour vehicles used by the unit.

Now, after his application and training, he gets to learn to use the machines he so admired.

Sapper Chevalier is from Crookwell.

He completed High School in Crookwell in 2012 and worked at Pine Bluff for a gap year.

He worked with a mate,Josh Hunter teaching sport and rec whilst studying their certificate III.

Shan was accepted at University in Canberra to study sport science.

He also completed an online certificate III in fitness and a diploma of leadership and management.

He worked part time with a Goulburn handyman and gardening service to pay for uni.

In February he was finally accepted into the army reserves.

Shan trained as soldier for 35 days at Kapooka with the Army Reserve.

He graduated HMAS Harman in Canberra and is assigned to the light Cavalry unit 1/15th Royal NSW Lancers.

“I am looking to join the Army in a full time role in the future but will take it one day at a time.”

Shan is enjoying the training of navigation and radio along with the first aid.

“We parade for three hours every tuesday night.

“That can be a little exhausting,” he commented.

Shan lives in Crookwell and travels to Canberra for his training.

He works part time as kitchen assistant at Crown Theatre Cafe.

Shan’s father had an interest in the army and Addo wants to carry on his passion hoping to become involved in disaster relief and peacekeeping missions for the Army.

Addo’s mother Effy Chevalier and his step-father Adolf live in Crookwell.

Army service runs through the blood of the Zouch family

Lieutenant Thomas Zouch (30) was born at Crookwell and attended St Mary’s Primary School and then secondary education at Crookwell High School.

He played soccer with Crookwell Soccer Club from juniors through to the men’s divisions.

He lived on his parents property, ‘Salisbury’ Bigga around 50 kms from Crookwell.

The property was a soldier settlement block given to his grandfather after service with the 2/17th Battalion in the second world war.

Lieutenant Zouch was asked by his grandfather to graduate from the Royal Military College, so he has a deep personal family connection to his service and finds it a great honour to be an officer with the 1/15 RNSWL who supported the Crookwell Anzac day service.

Lieutenant Zouch moved to Canberra after high school in order to undertake tertiary studies.

He currently resides in Canberra, but his family still live in Bigga and Crookwell and marched on Anzac Day at both locations. Tom’s parents are David and Kathy Zouch of Bigga

Richard Essington Zouch - Thomas’ Great great Grandfather

Born at Goulburn 1848. The Anglo-Boer War erupted in 1899. Richard was 51-years-old and to old for military service, however three months after the war has started, the NSW Citizen Busman contingent could be raised by public subscription.

They left Sydney on 28/2/1900 for Cape Town, South Africa, He was 2nd Lieutenant, one of 4 Lieutenants in “A Squadron”.

A Squadron was part of a garrison that took part in the celebrated defence of Eland’s River that was attacked by the Boer Commandant De La Rey at daybreak on 4/8/1900.

The garrison camp consisted of 505 men against two - three thousand Boers.

On 15/8/1900 the siege ended with a victorious garrison.

It was at this time Mr Zouch raised the Union Jack Flag that he always carried, on a hill that became known as Zouch’s Hill.

Lord Kitchener marched into the fortified camp of the garrison on 16/8/1900 and personally congratulated the men and officers.

He was mentioned in dispatches in the London Gazette on 14/4/1901.

He returned to Australia when bushmans contingent had completed their tour of duty.

He re-enlisted for a second tour of duty with the First Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse and held rank of Captain and command A Squadron.

They left Sydney on 18/2/1902 and arrived in Durban on 19/3/1902.

The war had almost ended upon their arrival and they were employed to clar the district north of Klerksdrop.

They remained there until peace was declared on 31/5/1902.

He arrived back in Sydney 11/8/1902.

During his service Captain Zouch had received a piece of shrapnel from a shell that lodged within his body.

It caused him pain for the rest of his life and was the cause of his death in 1917 aged 69.

Captain Henry Zouch (born 18/8/1811) commenced his military career on 8/8/1826, he was admitted as a cadet at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Henry completed his officer training in 1828 and was commissioned ensign by purchase in the 4th Regiment of Foot (King's Own) on the 10 Nov 1829.  

The King’s Own Regiment were occupied in garrison duties in England and Ireland until late 1830. Ensign Zouch was part of a detachment of soldiers of the 4th Regiment that acted as guards on a convict ship called 'ASIA' to Australia.

It left Cork on 6/8/1831 and arrived 2/12/1831.

On the 1/7/1833 he was promoted as Lieutenant, being attached to headquarters of his regiment in Sydney.

From the 1/10/1834, Lieutenant Zouch assumed command of the 1st Division of the Mounted Police at Bathurst.

On 7/8/1835 he was appointed as Magistrate of the Territory.

On 29/12/1836 he married Maria Brooks at Trinity Church, Kelso.

In 1837 the King’s Own Regiment was ordered to go to India, not wishing to leave the colony, Zouch sold his commission and retired from the Mounted Police.

Only to return to public service in 1851 upon the rise in population and disputes that arose from the gold rush in Sofala and Tuena.

In 1862 he became the Superintendent of F Division, headquarters based in Goulburn NSW.

Where bushrangers such as Ben Hall and mad Dan Morgan occupied much of his time.

Henry’s second eldest son was Richard Essington Zouch.

Essington Lowther Zouch - Tom's Great Uncle

Fought in World War I, buried in Palestine.

Essington was Richard Essington Zouchs’ second eldest son. He enlisted at Goulburn at the age of 24 into the 7th Australian Light Horse Regiment as a trooper.

Trooper Zouch saw action in Gallipoli in 1915.

After the evacuation of Gallipoli, he went to Egypt and was given the opportunity to enter School of Instruction and become an officer and also awarded mention of despatches.

During November 1917, Essington Zouch suffered a head wound after retrieving injured comrades on the battlefields. He would succumb to these injuries a few days later on 17/11/1917.

Henry Essington Zouch - Thomas’ Grandfather

Fought and survived World War II. Enlisted at 17. Served in 2/17th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Division. Trained in Libya. He was part of the force that conquered Tobruk after 36-hours of fighting on 22/1/1941. The siege lifted at Tobruk on 8/12/1941. After the Middle East Campaign the 2/17th Battalion saw action in New Guinea and Borneo.