100 years of anzac

THE EXAMINER, Friday, April 24, 2015 — A1

1915-2015 GALLIPOLI CENTENARY SOUVENIR

100 YEARS OF ANZACCOMMEMORATING ANZAC DAYSaturday, April 25, 2015

A2 — THE EXAMINER, Friday, April 24, 2015

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BANK CLERK FACES DO-OR-DIE ENEMY

Private Dudley Anderson

BY RAY SPARVELL

“I DO not order you to fight. Iorder you to die.”

This is perhaps one of the mostfamous military orders ever givenand is attributed to Turkishcommander Mustafa Kemel.

It was given at Gallipoli asAustralian and New Zealandsoldiers began to gain groundafter the beach landings on April25, 1915.

It was against these newlydetermined Turkish defendersthat Western Australia’s 11thBattalion was pitched, landing at4.30am around Ari Burnu Knoll.

The battalion stormed the cliffsand in the thick of the fiercefirefights that followed, formerBusselton bank clerk and nowmachine-gunner Private DudleyAnderson was wounded.

Dudley was born in 1895 inTalbot, Victoria, to Alfred andJane Anderson, who soon movedto Busselton in south-westWestern Australia.

He enlisted on September 2,1914, at Blackboy Hill andembarked with the 11th Battalionon November 2. It was the firsttroop convoy to leave Albany.

Because of their ability todecimate an enemy, machine-

gun operators were prizedtargets. At some point in thefighting on April 25, PrivateAnderson was struck, at least

once in the shoulder and waslater evacuated. He died just overa month later, on May 31, ofsepticemia from gunshot woundsand is buried at the Chatby WarMemorial Cemetery in Egypt.

The young bank clerk’s deathdid not go unnoticed back home.

The South Western Timeson June 11, 1915, reported:“Quite a gloom was cast over

Busselton on Tuesday, wheninformation was received thatPrivate Dudley M. Anderson haddied in Egypt from woundsreceived at the Dardanelles.

“Dud as he was known toeveryone in Busselton, and to

hundreds in the outlying districts,was born at Talbot, Victoria, andwas nearly 21 years of age, beingbrought to Busselton as an infantin arms.

“He was a fine manly youngfellow, a good sport and a dutifulson. Much sympathy has beenexpressed with Mr and MrsAnderson and family in theirbereavement.”

Dudley’s brothers – TalbotReginald Anderson, VictorRudolph Busselton Anderson,Alfred Ernest Anderson andRaymond Charles Anderson – allsaw duty in World War I and allsurvived.

STORIES OFLOVE ANDMATESHIPBY BRENDAN NELSONDirector, Australian War Memorial

CHARLES Bean wasAustralia’s official FirstWorld War historian.Having spent a couple ofyears on the “wool track”,

he finally landed with the Australiantroops at Gallipoli on April 25.

He stayed with them at the frontthrough the entire war, despite beingwounded at Gallipoli.

At its end, Bean would write andedit the 12 volumes of the officialhistory over a quarter of a century.

Of all to which he was witness, it isan incident just before the assault onLone Pine that perhaps says it best.

At the end of the epic Gallipolibattle would be 2300 Australiancasualties. Seven Australians wouldbe awarded the Victoria Cross.

An Australian soldier approachedthe front trench. Leaning over it andto the men in it, he asked: “Jim here?”

A voice rose from the fire step:“Yeah, right here Bill.”

“Do you chaps mind movin’ up apiece?” asked the first voice.

“Him and me are mates – and we’regoin’ over together.”

Australia’s population at theoutbreak of the First World War was4.5 million. One million men were ofan age that could volunteer from anation that twice rejectedconscription. Of the 413,000 that didvolunteer, 330,000 were sent overseasin an Australian uniform with anAustralian flag.

Four years later almost 62,000 weredead and 60,000 more would diewithin a decade of returning home.

In all those far-flung communities,cenotaphs and memorials were builtto honour them. The further theywere from the capital cities, the tallerthey seemed to be.

Private Ian Donald Hart was fromBallarat. He died on November 27,1916. He was 30 years old. He isburied at the Guards Cemetery justoff the Somme.

His mother penned the words forhis epitaph at her kitchen table for agrave she would never see:

I GAVE MY SONHE GAVE HIS ALL

HIS LIFEFOR AUSTRALIA AND EMPIRE

It is tempting from the comfortabledistance of our modern lives to settlefor the broad brushstrokes of history.

It is easy to forget individualsacrifices made in our name.

We owe it not only to those grievingmothers and to a generation thatgave its all, emerging from thiscataclysm proud of what wasachieved – we owe it to ourselves.

These stories are about who wewere, but also the people we wish tobecome. Our destiny will be shapedmost by our values and beliefs, theway we relate to one another and seeour place in the world.

In the end, these are stories not somuch of war, but of love andfriendship. We are free and confidentheirs to a legacy born of idealism andforged in self-sacrifice. The lessonand legacy is that a life of value is onespent in the service of others. We callit “mateship”. Every nation has itsstory. Within these pages is ours.

EYE FOR DETAIL: Artist Jim Kaucz and the head of military heraldry and technology at the Australian War Memorial,Nick Fletcher, study Mr Kaucz’s illustration, Anzac 100: Australia and the Great War. Picture: Matt Bedford.

ANZAC LEGEND IN ART

PLANES dogfight overthe black devastation ofthe Western Front.Below the chaos, the

heavily defended ridges ofGallipoli and the peace andorder of homes left behind.

Australia’s experiences inWorld War I have been distilledinto a richly detailed artwork tomark the 100th anniversary ofthe Gallipoli landings.Commissioned by FairfaxMedia, Anzac 100: Australiaand the Great War is by artistJim Kaucz and features on thefront cover of this specialsouvenir publication.

Mr Kaucz took inspirationfor the work from theAustralian War Memorial,whose head of militaryheraldry and technology, Nick

Fletcher, praised the intricatedetail of the work and itsoverview of the nation’s warexperiences.

‘‘There is a lot of complexdetail and a huge variety ofimages examining the war in asmall area . . . every time youlook at it you can spot a newdetail,’’ Mr Fletcher said.

Mr Kaucz, a retired townplanner, started work on theproject in November.

The vast bulk of the effortinvolved was the research andthe creation of a montage ofimages that served as the planfor the finished work.

‘‘The final drawing is done inpen and Indian ink,’’ he said.‘‘It is a very unforgivingmedium; there is no room formistakes.’’

Mr Kaucz said his Great Warmonolith took the viewer on ajourney from the tranquillity ofsuburban life (at the bottomright hand side of the picture)through the various theatres ofthe war to a world laid waste.❚ There are 100 distinctreferences to WWI in theartwork. Can you spot themall? Here are 10 to set yousearching: Simpson and hisdonkey, the Red Baron, aZeppelin airship, a British tank,Lone Pine, a Digger withperiscope rifle, a messengerpigeon, the Cooee recruitmentposter, the Turkish flag andpoppies. To see the full list anddiscover the key to findingthem in the artwork, go to ourwebsite and click on the 100Years of Anzac link.

HOW TO ORDER LIMITED-EDITION PRINTS

LIMITED edition prints of Anzac 100: Australia and theGreat War are available for purchase atfairfaxmedia.com.au/anzac100.

Reproduced on fine-art paper, framed or unframed,each print is hand signed by the artist.

There are 500 large sized prints, numbered 1-500, and500 standard sized prints numbered 501-1000. Costs rangefrom $249 to $439. Fairfax Media will donate $25 from thepurchase of each print to veterans support charity SoldierOn (soldieron.org.au).


MEN OF GREAT INFLUENCE

John Simpson Kirkpatrick

Major General William Throsby Bridges

Kemal Ataturk

GENERAL SIR IAN HAMILTON(1853-1947): British officer inoverall command of the Gallipolioperation. With the campaignfailing, he was recalled in October1915.

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAMBIRDWOOD (1865-1951): Britishofficer appointed to command theAustralian and New Zealand ArmyCorps on Gallipoli and later inFrance.

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAMTHROSBY BRIDGES (1861-1915):Founder of the Royal MilitaryCollege in Canberra and seniorAustralian officer on Gallipoli. Hewas mortally wounded by aTurkish sniper on May 15 and diedtwo days later. He is one of just twoAustralians killed in WWI whosebody was returned to Australia.The other is the unknown soldier.

ALBERT JACKA (1893-1932):Australia’s first Victoria Crossrecipient of WWI and one of nineVCs awarded on Gallipoli. On theWestern Front, he was awarded theMilitary Cross twice. Many believehis feats deserved a second VC.

KEMAL ATATURK (1881-1938):Born Mustafa Kemal, this Turkishofficer’s resolute defence onGallipoli was primarily responsiblefor the failure of the campaign. Hebecame Turkey’s first president.

JOHN SIMPSON KIRKPATRICK(19892-1915): British-bornAustralian soldier who served as astretcher bearer, using a donkey totransport wounded soldiers fortreatment. He was shot and killedon May 15, 1915. Simpson’s famegrew after his death and heremains the best known of any ofthe 50,000 ANZACs who served onGallipoli.

GENERAL CYRIL BRUDENELL

WHITE (1876-1940): Responsiblefor planning the successfulevacuation of Anzac forces fromGallipoli. He would havecommanded all Australian forcesin WWII had he not died in a planecrash outside Canberra in August1940.

GENERAL JOHN MONASH(1865-1931): Commander of theAustralian 4th Brigade on Gallipoliwho went on to command theAustralian Corps on the WesternFront in 1918. Although a civilengineer by trade and not aprofessional soldier, he was an

exceptional commander whopresided over a succession ofvictories which helped pushGermany to capitulate.

KEY DATES OF THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN

WAR FRONT: Front line trenches in World War I. Picturethought to be taken at Gallipoli or in France.

RARE BREAK: Diggers rest at Anzac.Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial PS1609

1914November1 - First convoy of Australian andNew Zealand troops depart forEurope from Albany, WesternAustralia.5 - The United Kingdom declareswar on Turkey.1915January13 - British War Council approvesnaval operation to force theDardanelles.March18 - French and British navaloperation fails.22 - Britain decide to launch landcampaign on the GallipoliPeninsula.April25 - Australian and New ZealandArmy Corps (Anzacs) land atAnzac Cove, more than 1700casualties evacuated in first 24hours.26 - Australian submarine HMASAE2 is first Allied vessel to sneak

through the Dardanelles.27-29 - Anzac troops surviveTurkish attempts to drive theminto the sea.May5 - Turkish shell Anzac Cove inwhat’s known as ‘‘Beachy Bill’’,resulting in more than 1000casualties.8 - Anzac troops join British attackat Helles, losing 1000 men out of

2000.15 - Major-General W. T. Bridge,commander of the Australian 1stDivision is mortally wounded,later dies on May 18, 1915.19 - Australian legend JohnSimpson Kirkpatrick, famed forrescuing fallen troops with hisdonkey, is killed.24 - Armistice declared for ninehours to bury dead soldiers in no

man’s land.August6 - The major battle of theGallipoli campaign, the AugustOffensive begins.6 - The six-day Lone Pinediversion starts.7 - Four waves of men inAustralia’s 3rd Light Horse Brigadewiped out at the Battle of the Nek.8 - New Zealand and English

forces gain foothold at vitaloutpost Chunuk Bair.10 - Turkish troops force Alliedservicemen off Chunuk Bair.21-29 - The Battle for Hill 60 endswith major casualties, AugustOffensive fails.November22 - English Secretary of State forWar Horatio Kitchenerrecommends evacuation of AnzacCove and Suvla.27 - Blizzard hits GallipoliPeninsula, reinforcing the need toevacuate.December9-18 - More than 16,000 troopsevacuated from Anzac Covemostly at night.18-20 - Remaining 20,000Australia and New Zealandsoldiers withdrawn.20 - Evacuation of Anzac Cove andSuvla completed before dawn.Source: Department of Veterans’Affairs, Monash UniversityProfessor Bruce Scates.

THE CASUALTIES

AUSTRALIA: 50,000 served inGallipoli campaign, 5482 killedin action, 2012 died of wounds,665 died of disease, total deaths8159, 17,924 wounded, 70prisoners of war.New Zealand: 8556 served, 2721killed, 4752 wounded, totalcasualties 7473.Britain: 410,000 served, 41,148killed, 78,000 wounded, totalcasualties 119,148.India: 5000 served, 1350 killed,2700 wounded, total casualties4050.Newfoundland: 1000 served, 49killed, 300 wounded, 349 totalcasualties.France: 79,000 served, 9789killed, 17,371 wounded, totalcasualties 27,160.Turkey: estimated 85,000 dead,250,000 casualties.Source: Australian WarMemorial, Bully Beef andBalderdash by GrahamWilson.


GERMAN SHIP SEIZEDPRISONERS OF WAR: Some of the crew of the German ship Oberhausen at the Claremont Military camp. Image courtesy of the Army Museum Tasmania.

‘‘On arrival of his detachment at Port Huon it wasfound that the naval party had taken possessionof the Oberhausenwithout opposition

BY REG WASON

ON August 5, 1914, HisExcellency the StateGovernor, Sir WilliamEllison-Macartney,notified the District

Commander of Tasmania that warhad broken out with Germany.

This message was followed at2.10pm by a telegram from theDefence Department Melbourneand arrangements wereimmediately made to adopt warmeasures.

The first overt act of warperformed in Tasmania and,indeed, one of the first in Australia,was on August 5 when steps weretaken to seize the German shipOberhausen, considered a hostilevessel, which was loading coal and70,000 feet of timber at Port Huon,produced by the Huon TimberCompany.

A cable had been intercepted bythe General Post Office in Hobartby telegraphist, John WilliamMinchin.

The cable was addressed to theCaptain of the Oberhausen.

The young telegraphist handedit to the manager, Frank Bowden,

who immediately contactedCaptain A.A. Dunn, the DistrictNaval Officer.

At 4.30pm, he requestedassistance of troops to support anaval party that he haddespatched an hour earlier to seizethe Oberhausen.

A detachment of the 93rdInfantry, under the command ofLieutenant E.I. Linnell, wasimmediately detailed for this duty.

On arrival of his detachment atPort Huon it was found that thenaval party had taken possessionof the Oberhausen withoutopposition.

The services of the detachmentwere, therefore, not required.

Captain A.C. Dunne, who hadcalled out the Naval Reserve on theprevious day, detailed a party of 11men under Sub-Lieutenant RussellYoung, a lawyer, armed withregular service rifles to proceed in

two motor cars to Port Huon totake possession of theOberhausen.

Under The Hague Conventionthe Oberhausen was to bedetained under guard, along withthe crew, for a period of three dayspending the receipt of officialadvice as to German treatment ofBritish vessels detained in Germanport.

This party started at 3pm, butwere delayed about half-way by atree which had fallen across theroad.

Fortunately the Huon motor buseventually arrived from the otherend and was promptlycommandeered to transport theparty to the Huon.

On arrival at 7.30pm, theGerman captain was found ashorein the act of getting his clearancepapers and apparently inignorance that war had been

declared.Possession was promptly taken

and the ship was brought up toHobart, under the direction of PilotHarris, and anchored off RosnyPoint and near the Naval Pier,Queen’s Domain.

By noon on August 6, it wasunder naval guard.

It was placed under thecommand of Harbour Master,Commander Milford McArthur.

The single screw steamshipOberhausen was familiar withTasmania having been here beforeloading apples for England, whereshe was actually built.

If she had left Port Huon as wasplanned, she would have sailed toSouth Africa.

The vessel was under thecommand of Captain JohannKenrich Meir and had sailed fromHamburg.

It was subsequently renamedBooral and used as a cargo vesselfor the duration of the war.

She had been taken over by theCommonwealth line in 1915. Ithad a long life. It was built in 1905and was of the German-AustralianLine.

In 1926 she had another name

change to Atlas and, two yearslater, sold to Greek owners andrenamed the Elpidophoros.

She was broken up in 1930. Nota pretty-looking ship.

Many German vessels wereseized after the declaration of warthroughout Australia.

Those interned (45) from theOberhausen, were firstly send towork at an orchard in Glenorchy,but later sent to Bruny Island for aperiod of nine months to the siteof the Bruny Island Quarantinestation.

There was an incident therewhen the internees endeavouredto escape, after not being not beingpaid for work done on a nearbyorchard.

Two shots were fired by themilitary, who were despatchedfrom Claremont with fixedbayonets.

No one was injured andeverything became secured,although six of the internees weresent to the Hobart Gaol.

The internees later were sent toHolsworthy Internment campnear Liverpool, Sydney.

In 1919 they were all released.


IN TOO DEEP: The Australiansubmarine AE2.

A FATAL LANDINGBY ALAN HARDIE

Albert “Bunts” Thomson

IT WAS one of the mostvital messages sent tothe British Admiraltyduring World War I –and an East Maitland

woman remembers her dadas the man who wasinstructed to send it.

Ruby Edwards’ father,Leading Signalman Albert“Bunts” Thomson, wassailing on the Australiansubmarine AE2.

It had been assigned oneof the most momentousmissions of the war – divingunderneath a Turkishminefield in theDardanelles.

The sub broke throughthe minefield on April 25,1915, shortly after the firstwave of Anzac troopsstormed the beaches atGallipoli.

Things were not goingwell for the Allies on land

when Leading SignalmanThomson was instructed byhis captain, the famousLieutenant CommanderDacre Stoker, to send newsof their achievement.

The message swayed theBritish Commander tocontinue the Gallipolilandings as planned.

The AE2 then disabled aTurkish gunboat with atorpedo and thoroughlydisrupted enemy coastaltraffic before it encountereda torpedo boat, theSultanhisar.

The submarine dived towell below its maximum33-metre depth, then beganto rise uncontrollably.

As it broke the surface,Sultanhisar fired into thesubmarine’s pressure hulland engine room.

The boat was holed threetimes and, without deckguns, it could not fight back.

Lieutenant Commander

Stoker ensured all the codebooks were destroyed andall the crew dived into thesea unhurt before thesubmarine was scuttled.

Signalman Thomson wascaptured by the Turks andheld as a prisoner of war fornearly four years, returningto Australia after 1918.

He worked as a bus driver,tragically dying after anaccident.

For decades, the historicAE2 submarine laysomewhere on the seabeduntil Turkish maritimehistorian Selcuk Kolay foundit in 1998, lying upright onthe bottom and wreathed inold fishing nets.

Mrs Edwards, now 95,barely knew her dad, but shedid know he had sent afamous signal from hissubmarine.

“On April 25, I will bethinking of my dad and of allthe other Australians who

have fought in our variouswars,” Mrs Edwards said.

“As for the submarine, Iam pleased the latest news isthat it will remain where it is,as a memorial to all thosewho sailed in her.”

The AE2 is not a wargrave, but it is Turkishproperty in Turkish watersand is being well protected.

It is rumoured to havemore than one live torpedostill in its tubes.

John Thomson, 70, fromGeelong, is the grandson ofSignalman Thomson and hehas been part of anAustralian-Turkish team thatrecently dived on thesubmarine.

“I am also on the subcommittee dealing with thesubmarine’s condition and Iam very happy withmeasures being taken toprotect it,” Mr Thomsonsaid.

“It would have cost toomuch money to raise it inany case.

“But an Australian-designed concept ofattaching anodes to thesubmarine is stoppingcorrosion under water.

“It is a highlysophisticated operationdeveloped by Australianscientists.’’

HOW ITUNFOLDEDTHE drama that followed thesending of the signal from AE2to the British Admiralty wasportrayed by author TomFrame in his book First In, LastOut.

“At about 8.30pm, AE2surfaced in the Sea ofMarmara just east of the townof Gallipoli,” Frame wrote.

“Captain Dacre Stoker senta signal to his bossCommodore Roger Keyes inHMS Queen Elizabeth, to sayhe had been successful in thetransit of the Dardanelles.”

Frame said the sceneaboard the battleship was nota happy one.

“General Sir Ian Hamiltonwas getting nothing but badnews,” Frame wrote.

“It was recommended thattroops on the Gallipoli beach atAnzac Cove be taken off thepeninsula.

“AE2’s signal to say it hadbeen successful in enteringthe Sea of Marmara was takenby a junior submarine officer,”he wrote.

General Hamilton wasreported to have read thesignal then sent another one,saying the Anzacs should notbe withdrawn because theAustralian submarine hadpenetrated the Dardanellesand the worst was over.

Stoker wrote in his bookStraws in the Wind that had heknown General Hamiltonwould base his decision toleave the Anzacs on thepeninsula on his signal, thesubmarine commander wouldnot have sent it.

In his book, released for theGallipoli centenary year,historian and writer PeterFitzSimons wrote of theAdmiralty’s response onreceiving Stoker’s message.

“It is an omen,’’ theresponse said.

‘‘An Australian submarinehas done the finest feat insubmarine history.”

And thus was history made.


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LESTWE FORGETLESTWE FORGET

A HERO AND HIS BRAVERYBY MIKE HEDGE

BRAVERY RECOGNISED: AlbertJacka was the first Australian tobe awarded the Victoria Cross inWorld War I.

‘‘Great battle on at3am . . . LieutHamilton shotdead. I led a sectionofmen andwe tookthe lost trenches

THE citationaccompanyingthe first VictoriaCross awarded toan Australian in

World War I records how‘‘graciously pleased’’ wasH M The King to confer theEmpire’s greatest gallantryaward on one the‘‘undermentioned soldier’’.

With regal impersonality,it goes on to explain howPrivate Albert Jacka of DCompany, 14th Battalion,AIF, displayed ‘‘mostconspicuous bravery’’ insingle-handedly killingseven enemy soldiers whohad dared to capture anAustralian trench atGallipoli.

In his official history of theFirst World War, CharlesBean went a bit further,decreeing Jacka’s effort ‘‘themost dramatic and effectiveact of individual audacity inthe history of the AIF’’.

A third version of theevents of May 19, 1915, iscontained in 15 crampedlines in Jacka’s diary.

‘‘Great battle on at 3am.Turks captured a largeportion of our trenches. DCoy [Company] called intotrench. Lieut Hamilton shotdead. I led a section of menand we took the losttrenches. I killed seven Turksand also held a trenchagainst the enemy for15 minutes. Lieut Crabbinformed me that I would berecommended either a VCor DS [DistinguishedService] medal.’’

The son of a farm labourerfrom Wedderburn inVictoria, Jacka rose from therank of private to captain,earning along the way areputation as Australia’sfinest front-line soldier.

He later became mayor ofthe Melbourne municipality

of St Kilda, had one of thetown’s finest boulevardsnamed after him, wentbroke and was reduced toselling soap on the citystreets.

But in the trenches ofGallipoli, and later on theWestern Front, Jacka wasrevered.

Along with the VC he wonat Gallipoli, Jacka was twiceawarded the next highestdecoration for gallantry, theMilitary Cross.

Bean had no doubt itshould have been threeVictoria Crosses.

‘‘Everyone who knows thefacts, knows that Jackaearned the Victoria Crossthree times,’’ Bean wrote.

Jacka earned his firstMilitary Cross at Pozieres,France, on August 7, 1916,when his position wasoverrun by Germans.

Jacka charged a largenumber of enemy who were

rounding up prisoners andwas wounded three times,once through the neck.

Inspired by Jacka, his menturned on their Germancaptors, taking many ofthem prisoner.

The second Military Crossin April, 1917, was whenJacka, then an intelligenceofficer, was spotted aloneand unarmed behindenemy lines by two Germansoldiers.

He returned to his ownlines with the Germans ashis prisoner.

Jacka chronicled almostevery day of his war, hisGallipoli diary reflecting thechanges of mood andtemperament wrought byeight months of atrocity.

On the first Anzac Day,April 25, 1915, as Jacka, then22, waited for his turn to beput ashore at Gallipoli, hewrote with optimism andadmiration of the sort ofcourage he would soondisplay.

‘‘4pm . . . Troops can beseen landing on the beach.Our boys in heavyengagement this afternoon.Eight boatloads of woundedcame to our boat. They arebrave men the way they aretaking their wounds.’’

Eight months later, in ascratchy hand on a pagedated December 15, Jackadescribes with dramaticsimplicity his evacuationfrom Gallipoli: ‘‘We hopewith luck to reach the beachsafely’’.

And three days later:‘‘Evacuated Gallipoli at11pm’’.

The wounds he suffered atGallipoli and in France,where he was also badlygassed, took their toll onJacka.

He died in 1932, aged 39,carried to his rest by eightother Victoria Crossrecipients.


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WAR’S TOLL CARRIES ON

RESILIENT: Bernard ThomasBarry was part of the 10thBattery during World War I.Image courtesy of theAustralian War Memorial.

‘‘For thosementhat did comeback, likemy dad,they probablysuffered themost

BY JAYNE RICHARDSON

WHEN we thinkof the Anzacs,we think of themen that diedon the beaches

of Gallipoli or the muddy fields ofthe Western Front – not of thedamaged soldiers that made ithome.

Jillian Kuys’ father was an Anzac.At 65 years of age, she is used to

the looks of disbelief when she tellspeople this fact.

Her father, Bernard ThomasBarry, or BT as he was known to hisfriends, was in his late 50s whenshe was born and Mrs Kuys was inher early 20s when he died.

She said it was the physical

trauma of the injuries sustainedduring the war that eventuallykilled him.

Like many tales of returnedsoldiers, she said the war and herfather’s experiences were notspoken about but his recordsfound through the NationalArchives of Australia paint adevastating picture.

Barry enlisted at Ulverstone onApril 16, 1915.

It records his age as being 20years and four months, but MrsKuys said she thinks he may havebeen closer to 16.

He left Australia on June 1, 1915,and by August 2, he was on theblood-stained beaches of Gallipoli.

On August 9, Barry’s records sayhe suffered a bullet wound to the

chest and was sent to hospital inMalta before being sent back toGallipoli.

His records show he was in andout of military hospitals inLondon, Greece and France for anumber of wounds and sicknessesthroughout his service, whichfinally ended on September 1,1919.

After each recovery he was re-stationed with various battalionsas a gunner and ambulance driverfrom Gallipoli to the WesternFront.

‘‘I can remember going in whenthe doctor was there and whenyou saw him without his pyjamatop on it was just disgusting, hisstomach was like potholes,’’ MrsKuys reminisced.

‘‘And he had everything takenout of him that you could livewithout, he had had surgery oneverything.

‘‘He just kept getting shot andgetting repaired and it went on andon.’’

Just like thousands of othersoldiers who ended up on theWestern Front, Barry was gassedand the effects remained long afterthe war.

‘‘I can just remember he wasconnected to oxygen and he wasbasically in bed and an oxygentruck would come and fill themevery week,’’ she said.

‘‘It was war injuries in the endthat caught up with him becauseno one knows how he struggled onfrom the war.’’

Mrs Kuys said after watching herfather’s struggle with health, insome ways she felt the soldiers thatdied during the war were better off.

‘‘For those men that did comeback, like my dad, they probablysuffered the most, and I know thatsounds awful to say, but for thosethat died on the battlefield it wasover, but for those that came backthey had many many years of illhealth and not having a properlife,’’ she said.

‘‘They fought to give us freedomand they sacrificed so much.

‘‘For the things that happened tothem, to go back and keep fightingthey just had to be that resilient, Ijust don’t know what they weremade of.’’


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ONE FAMILY’S SACRIFICEBY REG WATSON

FRONT LINE: Australian soldiers in a trench on the Western Front similar to the one two of the Grundys lost their lives in.

‘‘Reported that attempted raid had been frustratedand that the enemyhad not succeeded in enteringour trenches

THREE of the Grundyfamily paid thesupreme sacrificeduring World War I.All enlisted the same

day and two were killed on thesame day, January 3, 1917, theother, injured, only to later die in amilitary hospital from pneumonia.

Sadly he, Thomas Grundy, diedjust two days after theannouncement of the Armistice onNovember 11, 1918, thus dyingafter hostilities had ceased.

The two brothers and nephewenlisted together on April 3, 1916,with the war already raging for twolong years.

It is obvious they had cometogether, discussed their optionsand united in motive, enlistingwith the 40th Battalion, theirservice numbers 393, 394 and 395.

Joseph William Grundy wasbrother to Thomas Clifton, whileHedley Thomas was their nephew.

Records state they were born atDeloraine, with the brothersmoving to Ulverstone whileHedley moved to Dunorlan.

The brothers’ parents wereJoseph and Sarah Jane (neeMorgan).

Hedley’s mother was FlorenceAmelia who had died by the timeof his enlistment.

The brothers came from a largefamily and on enlistment, Josephwas quite mature at 34, whilebrother Thomas was 10 years’younger and Hedley aged 22.

Their battalion, the 40th was apurely Tasmanian one, primarilyrecruited from the North of thestate under the command ofLieutenant-Colonel J.E.C. Lord.

The 40th arrived in France onthe morning of November 24,1916, disembarking at Le Havreand spent a few days in billets nearBailleul.

On December 2 they marched toand occupied the city ofArmentieres.

It was here that the Grundyswere to experience their saddemise.

On December 9, 1916, the 40threlieved the 38th in the trenchesimmediately south of Lys.

This was to be their first tour ofduty in the front line.

Winter conditions prevailed andthe trenches became very wet andboggy.

Tasmanian diarist ArchieBarwick wrote (January 3): ‘‘It isdifficult to imagine more dreadfulweather than that in which wehave settled down for the wintercampaign.’’

However, the sector wascomparatively quiet, the fewcasualties during the first few days

coming mostly from enemysniping.

Lieutenant General Monash saidof the 40th: ‘‘It was a Battalion thatis every way an embodiment of thebest that was in the AIF. It had anotable career and a proud recordof achievement.’’

It was at Armentieres that thethree Grundy men were killed orwounded.

Over the years there werenumerous attacks by the Germansand counter-attacks by the Britishand by 1916, Australians.

On January 3, 1917, the 40thtook over the front line trenches

from the 38th.It had arrived on December 28

to do so, and from the 40thBattalion records kept at the exacttime, it is recorded for January 3,‘‘came under heavy fire. Firedirected at our front line.Retaliation asked for and given.’’

Later, ‘‘5:50pm, Enemy raid –under cover – his barrage reachedproximity of our trenches. 6:15pm,Reported that attempted raid hadbeen frustrated and that theenemy had not succeeded inentering our trenches . . . later mencheerful and good.’’

Be that as it may, there werecasualties, which included thedeaths of Hedley and Joseph.

Thomas was wounded. Hesurvived the onslaught, but musthave been badly wounded as heundertook duties of a non-combatant nature.

Nonetheless, he became ill anddied of pneumonia on November13, 1918.

A moving tribute was placed inthe press: ‘‘In sad and lovingmemory for my dear son andbrother Private Joseph W. Grundywho was killed in France 3rd Jan1917 also my dear grandson andnephew Private Hedley Grundy.They gave their lives for theEmpire.’’ (23 Feb 1917).

Another: ‘‘Son Thomas died ofpneumonia received injurieswhich necessitated hisemployment behind the firingline.’’ (November 28, 1918)

The Grundy men made a greatcontribution.

Their loss was a tragedy as wasthe lives of more than 2500 youngTasmanian men, some not muchmore than boys.

Let silentcontemplation

be youroffering.

Senator PeterWhish-Wilson

Photo (CC BY 2.0) courtesy Mark Shirley

authorised by Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT 2600

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Commemorates 100 Years of ANZAC

TRAGIC BROTHERS IN ARMSFAMILY TRAGEDY: The Butler brotherspose with two unknown young men afterenlisting to fight in World War I.

Charles Henry Butler Herbert Butler Morton Linthorne Butler

‘‘Some of the Red Crossletters say theyweretogether, some don’t, soyou can’t be 100 percent sure

BY JAYNE RICHARDSON

ON SEPTEMBER 4,1916, the Butlerfamily of Gawler losttwo sons with a third,never to be the same

again.The bonds of the Butler brothers

from Chudleigh were close.They enlisted together and they

were tragically stationed togetherduring the battle of Moquet Farmin September 1916.

The two eldest, Morton andCharles enlisted on July 22, 1915and their younger brother Herbertdecided to follow suit, enlistingthree weeks later on August 17.

They were all aged in their mid-20s.

The three brothers were all partof C company in the 52ndbattalion and on September 4,1916, it appears they were all in thesame trench on the front line whenit was hit by an enemy shell.

The shell killed the two youngestCharles and Herbert and leftMorton a broken man.

Morton’s great-grandson JasonButler has been researching hisgreat grandfather and great unclesand said according to officialreports he believes they were alltogether when tragedy struck.

‘‘Some of the Red Cross letterssay they were together, some don’t,so you can’t be 100 per cent surethey were together, but I believethey were,’’ Mr Butler said.

One piece of evidence thatsupports this theory is a medicalreport for Morton dated March 12,1917.

It appears two doctors havegiven the soldier a medical to see ifhe is still fit for duty or discharge.

One of the doctors recommendsMorton for discharge and theother recommends six moremonths service.

The first doctor recorded in hisnotes that Morton ‘‘lost twobrothers alongside him’’.

Both doctors diagnosed Mortonwith ‘‘D A Heart’’ or dilated actionof the heart. These days thisdiagnosis would be called post

traumatic stress disorder.Morton’s medical records also

show he had recurring bronchitiswhich was often the result of gasattacks.

‘‘I think he suffered from thatbattle (at Moquet Farm) as welland from what I can gather theywere gassed at some stage,’’ MrButler said.

The following is an extract froma letter Morton sent to his parents

Mr and Mrs J. T. Butler, in which herefers to the loss of his twobrothers:

‘‘Just a few lines, hoping you arekeeping well I am in the best ofhealth myself at present, but I havesome terrible news for you thistime, but you must both be brave tohear it.

I have lost poor old ‘‘Chummy’’(Charlie) and Bert. They are bothmissing.

It is just a week since ithappened. The battle was a terribleone and lasted three days.

The roar and the flash of the bigguns was terrible, but in theexcitement one forgets, everythingbut the enemy in front and is onlyanxious to be up and doing.

I have not seen Bert or Charliesince we went into action.

I have waited a week to try andfind them, but so far have not

heard one word.I am afraid they are both gone.I know it will be a terrible shock

to you, but you must bear up andnot grieve too much.

They have both played their partin this Great War. They were braveand went into that battle lighthearted and singing.

I cannot say any more about it.God knows best. He will makethings right.

Goodbye in the meantime andGod be with you till we meet again.Sad, but not yet down hearted.’’

Morton was discharged fromservice on September 18, 1917.

Mr Butler said it was hisunderstanding that Morton wasnever able to work, which was ofgreat shame to him.

Despite this, he was a wellrespected man of the communityof Penguin and went on to docommunity work.

Mr Butler said Morton died of amassive heart attack in 1940 aged52.

‘‘In some ways I think the loss ofhis two younger brothers literallybroke his heart,’’ Mr Butler said.

COURAGE ENDURANCE MATESHIP SACRIFICE

AS A PROUDreturned Borneo/Malay veteran and a peacekeeper in Cyprus,

I join with Northern Tasmania in commemorating

100 YEARS OF THE ANZAC.100 years ago it is unlikely that there would have been a family that did not havea family member or friend who had enlisted to sail away to fight for the Empire.As Australians we are all extremely proud of their bravery and of the ultimate

sacrifices made, making Australia the great country that it is.

WE REMEMBER THEM ALLLEST WE FORGET Ivan Dean MLC

WHAT GALLIPOLIMEANS TO ME?

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LETTERS DETAIL WAR LIFEWilliam Johnston Penfoldwas 25whenhe enlisted forWorldWar I onSeptember 19, 1914. In a letter sent tohis sister, Jackie Beanie Jones (Beanie)he tells of his experiences on theGallipoli Peninsula.

CORRESPONDENT: Soldier William Johnston Penfold wrote to his sister and kept her informedof army life during his time at Gallipoli.

MOUSPAPHAOctober 19th, 1915

D ear Beanie,I received your letter ofJuly 14th a few days ago

at our base post office. I also gota card from Beck of July 7th,these have been following meabout and there must be about20 more about somewhere thatI will get them in due time.

They have my address at thebase post office now so whenthey come back into theirhands they will send themstraight on then.

You asked me to give you adescription of our landing but Isuspect you have read more inthe papers than I can tell youbut I will try and tell you a little.

Very much that was in theAustralian papers is not true.We leave Helipolis on April 12thand at Rhodes that night andsail midday for Lemnos Islandand arrive there on the 16thand have landing practice (westay at Madras Bay) Lemnos tilthe 24th and then pull out tosea and cruise about forsometime and leave that nightfor the Peninsula.

We arrive at Cape Hellis justbefore daybreak, just when thenavy began to bombard whichwas a sight well worth seeingand I don’t suppose I will eversee anything like it again.

It was deafening just acontinuous roar. It was a coolmorning and I had been onguard all night and when theystarted bombarding we shooklike a leaf everyone of us. It wasimpossible to stop it.

The English troops thenbegan to land and the ship

lengthened, the Russian boatswere bombarding hard on theAsiatic side brandishing, sixguns at a time as fast as everthey could fire, first from oneside and then the other.

Then the Elizabeth wasputting in some fifteen . . . andall the other boats firing for allthey were worth. Anyone wouldthink it would be impossible tolive near Cape Hellis as it was amass of bursting highexplosions and shrapnel shelland yet when the torpedoeslanded there was stillthousands of Turks there.

We then put off on a platformthat we had on board and sailedforward at 10am. XX is about 12miles north of Cape Helliswhere in the morning only theAustralian division and the NewZealanders had landed.

We then put off the platoonsthat we had on board and sailedtoward Gaba at 10am. Gaba isabout sixteen miles north ofCape Hellis where in themorning only the 1st Australiandivision and the NewZealanders had landed wepulled in between the war shipand lay there until about 4o’clock and then the captain ofthe boat had orders to put outtwo miles further to seabecause the Turks shells werefalling so close.

We began to disembarkabout 9 o’clock, first on theDestroyer Torpedo boats andthe spent bullets were hittingthe water and the ship allaround us but not one in ourboat was hit. Then we gotwithin a few yards of the shorewe got in to small boats and gotashore.

We had a five minute spatethen off we go to the firing lineto support a place that was hardpressed and we each had tocarry a box of 1000 roundsammunition between twobesides 200 rounds ofequipment, rifle three daysrations, and all our clothes inour pack. Then we had to climba precipice with all this and Ican tell you when I got to thetop I was fit to drop which wasover a mile from where welanded.

We then went straight intothe firing line over dead menand passing wounded groaningmen calling for help but wecould not help them, we wereneeded too much elsewhere.

We get to our position andreinforce the front line and startto dig in with our portabletrenching tools and we barelygot dug in enough to coverourselves before daylight, thenthe snipers started and we gotenfolded the left by a machinegun which was not a mile and ahalf away, all morning and thebullets were hitting all roundmy head. Several got woundedalongside me, then in theafternoon the shrapnel startedand it was awful In many placesyou would get shot at from SariBahre height 971.

On August 6th at 9pm we leftour reserve gully and attackedthe Turks round the left flankand drove them back two milesand on the morning of the 7thwe were digging in to secureour position on a ridge and thatis when I got hit. I gave you afair idea of what we wentthrough but it is impossible todescribe. I will be going to thefront soon, I would have wentyesterday but I am getting myteeth fixed (broken from eatingone of the dreaded Anzac tile,biscuits).

I’m quite well and will writeoften, I will get your mailsometime.

Your affectionate brotherbest love to you all WJ Penfold.

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FITTER DEVOTED TO DUTYRECOGNISED: Warrant Officer EdgarGeorge Thompson used his skills as afitter to keep guns operating and wasdecorated for his efforts.

General Birdwood in Royal Park February 1920 giving Thompson his Military Cross.

‘‘I feel close to him forthe simple reason thatnan helped bring himup and she broughtmeup

BY JAYNE RICHARDSON

LAUNCESTON bornsoldier, Edgar GeorgeThompson was part ofthe first landing atGallipoli and one of the

last 20 to leave the bloodstainedbeaches.

Thompson lived at the HydroElectric power station inLaunceston and enlisted onAugust 27, 1914, aged 20 years and10 months.

He returned to Launceston afterthe war and was killed as a result ofinjuries sustained in a car accidenton High Street on October 5, 1931.

By any account, Thompson wasa World War I hero and as a youngboy, Lee Graham listened to hisgrandmother, Gladys, tell storiesabout her younger brother EdgarGeorge Thompson.

Thompson regularly wrote to hissister from the battlefield referringto her as Dearest Glad.

Most of these postcards are justa few lines to let her know he wassafe and well.

The escapades of Thompsonstayed with Mr Grahamthroughout his life and promptedhis large collection of militaryparaphernalia includingThompson’s letters, trinkets andeven items of uniform.

‘‘I feel close to him for the simplereason that nan helped bring himup and she brought me up and Ilistened to the stories of UncleEdgar,’’ Mr Graham said.

‘‘And I never throw anythingaway.’’

Thompson was mentioned inSir Douglas Haig’s despatchestwice, once on November 13, 1916,and November 4, 1917.

He was awarded the MilitaryCross and was one of only 12

Tasmanians to receive the BelgianCroix de Guerre.

Thompson was presented withhis Military Cross in Royal Park in

February 1920 when GeneralBirdwood came to Launceston.

The Weekly Courier February 26,1920 recorded the event and

comments on how Birdwood wastreated like a hero by crowds ofonlookers.

The Weekly Courier attributesthe following quote to Birdwood.

‘‘I think it is probably impossiblefor people who have not been inthe field to realise what thesedecorations mean.’’

After Gallipoli, Thompson wenton to fight on the Western Frontand it was his efforts here that saw

him promoted to a warrant officerfirst class and become a decoratedsoldier. It appears that it was hisexpertise as a fitter that may havecontributed to his decoration.

Correspondence on September30, 1917, headed Action for WhichCommended from a LieutenantColonel states:

‘‘For conspicuous good workand marked ability this warrantofficer has done excellent workamong batteries of the brigadewhen in action.

‘‘Owing to his expert knowledgeand devotion to duty he has oftenkept guns in action whenotherwise it would have beennecessary to withdraw them forrepair.

‘‘This has been done repeatedly,often under very heavy shell-fire.’’

TWIN BROTHERS TREAD DIFFERENT PATHS

Alfred Phillips

‘‘I wish I could’ve trodwater,because therewas somuchblood and somany bodies

WHEN Alfred Phillips returned toTasmania after World War I, he broughthome with him a German fob watchinscribed ‘‘Alfred Fischer, Mirsdorf’’.

His daughter, Shirley Burgess, said sheliked to think that her father ‘‘borrowed’’ thewatch from a German soldier, but how itcame into his possession is unknown andcan only be guessed. It is coincidental,however, that the watch is inscribed with thename Alfred.

Like most returned soldiers, Alfred did notspeak about his war experiences but didkeep photos of his twin brother Albert, whowas killed in action, at his home.

Mrs Burgess’s father was 59 when she wasborn and she said her father did once makemention of his experiences at Gallipoli to herbrother-in-law.

‘‘I wish I could’ve trod water, because therewas so much blood and so many bodies inthe water when we landed at Gallipoli,’’ hesaid.

Interestingly, Alfred’s enlistment papers,dated January 17, 1915, record him as 24years of age, whereas his twin brother

Albert’s, dated November 19, 1914, say hewas 27 years old.

It was not unusual during the war for menenlisting to be a little loose with their age.

Mrs Burgess said both brothers landed atGallipoli but only Alfred survived to move onto the Western Front.

Albert died on the peninsula on May 3,1915, and is commemorated at Quinns Post.

‘‘From what I have read about it, it appearsthose that went into Quinns Post never cameout,’’ Mrs Burgess said.

The brothers were stationed with differentbattalions – Albert with the 15th and Alfredwith the 12th – and it is unknown whetherthey saw each other during the war andwhen Alfred learned of his brother’s death.

Mrs Burgess said that Alfred was barelyliterate and did not write home.

Nevertheless, Mrs Burgess said it was clearthat her father missed and honoured his twinbrother.

Letters dated 1967 show that Alfredapplied to have Albert’s Anzaccommemorative medal sent to him as hisnext of kin, and even went so far as to go tohis local federal member for Wilmot, G.W.A.Duthie, to write to then prime ministerMalcolm Fraser.

A returned letter from the prime ministersays:

‘‘I will pass on your request to my CentralArmy Records Office who, in turn, willforward to Mr Phillips a pro formadeclaration to obtain the necessary detailsfor assessment of this application. I will keepyou informed of the outcome.’’

Mrs Burgess now has her father’s andAlbert’s medals in her possession, along witha pay book and other war memorabilia.

She and her husband will be attending the100 year commemorative service at Gallipolito honour Albert and Alfred Phillips.


TACTICAL ANDCOURAGEOUSBY JAYNE RICHARDSON

Corporal Leslie Dadson, from theWeekly Courier, July 29, 1915.

RISING THROUGH THE RANKS: A photograph of Leslie Dadson from the WeeklyCourier, November 9, 1916, shows he had been promoted to lieutenant.

‘‘Lieutenant Dadsondirected the attackwithcool skill

ON the muddy fields ofthe Western Front,Lieutenant LeslieDadson proved his

courage and prowess more thanonce, and is remembered as a truehero of the 12th Battalion.

Unlike many soldiers whoenlisted, Dadson - service number222, had some experience with themilitary.

Born in Sidmouth, Dadson hadspent seven years with theAustralian Infantry Regiment andtwo years with the 92nd Infantrybefore he enlisted for World War Ion August 25, 1914, aged 30.

Just a year later, Dadson hadrisen through the ranks to SecondLieutenant of the 12th battalion -two years later his courage andaplomb in the field saw himdecorated with the Military Cross,for which he received two bars.

The Military Cross was awardedto Dadson when he was fightingon the Western Front, Boursies,France on April 9, 1917.

The official recommendation forhis decoration reads:

‘‘Lieutenant Dadson led twoplatoons of his company in anattack under heavy fire on theenemy’s trenches with such dashthat the position was taken withslight loss, two machine gunsbeing captured and a number ofthe enemy slain. The personal

bravery of this officer was largelyresponsible for his success of thisminor operation.’’

Two weeks later on April 24,1917, another officialrecommendation for his bravery atLagnicourt was dispatched, thistime for a bar to the Military Cross.

The report for recommendationpaints a powerful image of theman Dadson was, and tells of hisexploits when a Company on hisleft became overcome by theenemy.

A determined Dadson did notwant to see the Company fail, andin so doing have the picquet linefall into German hands, so hepersonally rallied 20 men and led areturn attack.

According to the reports, at onepoint Dadson finds himself underpersonal attack:

‘‘... Dadson when seized by aGerman soldier drew his revolverand shot him.

‘‘The picquet stood its groundand drove the enemy back owingto his pluck, tenacity and personalexample.’’

In August 1918, Dadson wasrecommended for a second bar,this time due to his tacticalcommand and prowess at AugerWood.

An unsuccessful attempt attaking the wood had already beenattempted two days earlier byanother battalion, which was fullof German machine guns and alarge number of riflemen.

Dadson appreciated the perils ofthe wood and he planned a fierceand rapid attack that saw his mencapture 15 machine guns andthree field guns.

The recommendation datedAugust 19, 1918 states:

‘‘...Lieutenant Dadson directedthe attack with cool skill and toosuch good effect that this strongposition was carried with a rushand prevented impeding theadvance of other parts of the line.’’

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TURKS’ CHARGE REPELLED

‘‘Thereweremore troopsmanning the trenchesthan therewereloopholes

LINE OF DEFENCE: On May 20, 1915, thetrenches at ‘‘Tasmania Post’’ were putto the test. Image of trenches at Gallipolicourtesy of the Australian WarMemorial.

BY REG WATSON

ONE hundred years agoon the GallipoliPeninsula the order ofthe day was ‘‘Dig!’’only broken by

further orders of ‘‘Stand-to’’ or‘‘Stand-down’’.

The Tasmanian trench systemwas considered the most effectiveand best-devised.

This was put to the test on May20, 1915, when Turkish soldiersrushed what had become know asthe ‘‘Tasmanian Post’’.

Three hundred Tasmanians ofthe 12th Battalion withstood thisonslaught, leaving 500 Turks deadwith only 12 Tasmanians lost in theprocess.

The attack took place at night.The air was warm.

The days had been hot but notunbearable.

When the Turks came up towithin 250 metres of the trenches,the order was given to fire.

A great deal of preparation hadgone in to the Tasmanian trenches.

Work began on this establishedline of defence immediately aftersecuring the area.

It was fully manned day andnight. Sniper posts wereestablished, ammunition recessesprepared and freshcommunication trenchescommenced.

The Tasmanians were subject toa heavy Turkish artillery barrage.Every firing recess and loophole ofthe trench was manned by the

anticipated Tasmanians.Each man’s rifle was at the ready,

waiting for the call, ‘‘Here theycome!’’

There were more troopsmanning the trenches than therewere loopholes.

Eager troops had dug step-holeson both sides of the trench,enabling the trooper to deliver hisfire from that precarious position.

After an inspection over theparapet by the companycommander, the order was given,‘‘Commence firing’’ and bedlam

broke loose.So enthusiastic were the

Tasmanians that a number leapton to the parapet and wereinstantly ordered down whileothers sat pick-a-back on acomrade’s shoulder and shot somerounds.

Very few Turks reached thetrench.

Regardless of the fact that theenemy never made it, members ofthe 12th Battalion marvelled attheir gallantry.

The other major factor of the

Tasmanian success was they werevery good shots.

Afterwards the air was pungentwith the odours of the dead andthere was no escape from theoppressive stench.

On the May 21 an effort wasmade by parties under the RedCross and Red Crescent flags tobury the dead and search for anywounded still lying on the field,but hostile fire caused the attemptto be aborted.

It was not until the 24th anarmistice from 7.30am to 4pm was

arranged for the burial of the dead.Over the next few days the scene

was one of the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting and bomb duels ofthe campaign.

There is no doubt the system oftrenches developed by theTasmanians enabled them towithstand the tenacious Turkishattacks.

The trenches were wellstructured and well manned withfiring loopholes and steppingindents used to a great advantage.

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Place a special commemorative Remembrance messageon our ANZAC Day Honour Roll for $5. (5 lines)


DIGGERSKITTEDOUT FORACTION

WAR UNIFORM: The uniform of the Anzacs is typically characterised by the slouch hat and the rising sun badge but therewas a lot more in their kit bags.

‘‘Soldiers disliked theputtees, probablywithgood reason: the tightbinding restrictedcirculation andmighteven have contributedto the high incidence oftrench foot

BY JENNY TABAKOFF

AUSTRALIA’S WorldWar I soldiers went towar weighed down byalmost 30 kilogramsof clothes, weapons,

tools and kit.The initial contingent of 20,000

Australian soldiers who sailed outon November 1, 1914, and wholanded in Egypt (and later went toGallipoli), were dressed inuniforms that were, in general,designed to be comfortable andserviceable, from their famousslouch hats right down to theirlace-up boots.

The uniform varied betweenmounted troops and othersoldiers, and between officers andother ranks. (The Light Horse, forinstance, wore leather leggingsrather than puttees – long strips offabric wrapped around each leg).

Here’s how a typical soldier inthe infantry was kitted out –although, as time passed onGallipoli, the men played a bit fastand loose with the uniform.

Slouch hat: The iconic fur-felthat, with chinstrap and brimturned up on the left side, had akhaki hatband and a large RisingSun badge (the latter’s propername was the Australian ArmyGeneral Service Badge).

Cap: Soldiers were also issuedwith the felt British Service cap,onto which would be pinned asmall Rising Sun badge. Many ofthe Australians who landed onAnzac were wearing this ratherthan a slouch hat.

Tunic: This loose-fitting khakiwoollen jacket, with buttons, fourbaggy pockets on the front (plus aninside pocket to carry a fielddressing), had a double-pleat onthe back for warmth.

Badges: A King’s Crown rising-sun badge went on the end of eachcollar on the tunic. Two ‘‘Australia’’shoulder titles were pinned at theend of the epaulettes.

At the start of the war, a metalbadge spelling out the soldier’sunit would go just above the‘‘Australia’’ badge, but shortlybefore Anzac these were replacedby a cloth patch denoting thesoldier’s unit that was sewn ontothe upper sleeve. (Each battalionhad a different colour patch.)

Badges indicating rank wereworn on the tunic: officers wouldwear them on their shoulders,while warrant officers and NCOs

wore theirs on their right sleeve.Breeches: made from khaki

woollen cord fabric, with sidepockets and button flies. Soldierswere issued with two pairs ofbreeches, plus a pair of dungarees.The breeches ended above theankles and the gap was filled withputtees.

Braces: worn with breeches.Puttees: The men wound these

strips of woollen cloth, almostthree metres long, upwards fromthe ankle to just below the knee.Soldiers disliked the puttees,probably with good reason: thetight binding restricted circulationand might even have contributedto the high incidence of trenchfoot. Mounted troops wore leatherleggings.

Shirt: Soldiers were given twogrey, collarless, flannel shirt, plus amilitary shirt.

Ankle boots: brown and lace-up.Socks: Made from wool or

cotton. Soldiers were issued withthree pairs.

Greatcoat: The khaki woollencoat (which weighed about threekilograms) often doubled as asoldier’s bedding and was his chiefprotection against the cold andwet. The coat came into its ownwhen snow hit Gallipoli inNovember 1915 and also on theWestern Front.

Singlets: Soldiers were issuedwith two woollen singlets.

Cotton ‘‘drawers’’ (underpants):Soldiers were issued with twopairs.

Abdominal belts: A sort ofcummerbund that was issued tokeep soldiers warm andsupposedly ward off disease.

Backpacks and webbing: Themain backpack was a rectangularsack measuring about 38cm x33cm, closed at the top by a foldingcover secured by two straps. Thewebbing included a webbelt,cartridge pouches, smallhaversack, bayonet frog, an

entrenching tool holder (plusanother holder for its handle), anda water-bottle holder.

Identity disc: Soldiers wereinitially issued with one metal ‘‘dogtag’’ on a cord, but later in the warthey were given two tags, made ofcompressed fibre.

Soldiers were also issued with a‘‘housewife’’ – a sewing kitcontaining such items as needles,thimble, thread, wool and buttonso they could carry out runningrepairs.

Also in their kit were a short-magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle,a rifle sling, a bayonet andscabbard, and an ‘‘entrenching

tool’’ (they were ‘‘diggers’’ after all).This came in two parts, with thehelve (handle) separate from thespade part.

Soldiers were issued with eatingequipment (knife, fork, spoon, anenamel mug, water bottle (withtwo-point capacity), and a messtin with carrier.

They also had a clasp knife (withmarlin spike, tin-opener andlanyard), razor, shaving kit, soap,comb, two towels, field dressing(carried in the tunic’s insidepocket), and a hold-all, in whichthey could pack their privatepossessions.

No item was probably looked

after more carefully than theirservice pay book: privates werepaid six shillings a week.

Later in the war soldiers wereissued with other items, especiallyas fighting on the Western Frontdragged on and gas became aserious threat.

The men on Gallipoli had littlehead protection, but from 1916 to1918 Australian troops got thestandard British-issue steel helmet.

Gas masks of various types werealso issued on the Western Front aswere gas/rain capes from late 1917,to keep off the damp and toprotect from the corrosive effectsof gas attacks.


NATION AT WAR: Crowds gather outside The Argus newspaper office in Melbourne on August 5, 1914, after thedelcaration of war against Germany by Britain.

NEXT STOP, WESTERN FRONT: Australian Artillery reinforcements set to join the 5th AustralianDivisional Artillery, engaged in the battle for the Hindenberg line on the Western Front.

FROM FIRST SHOTS

FRIENDLY FACE: AnAustralian soldier inEgypt with theDiggers’ mascot.

❚ Pictures, unlessotherwise stated,are courtesy of theAustralian WarMemorial, Canberra.

VANTAGE POINT:Turkish soldiersoverlook Australianpositions at Gallipoli.Picture: Supplied.

MAKING CAMP: A viewof Anzac Cove soonafter the landing.

LANDED: Australiansoldiers on the beach atAnzac Cove.

AUGUST 4, 1914World War I commences: Britain declareswar on Germany and Australia is quick topledge support. By the end of 1914, 52,561volunteers have passed medicals to serveoverseas. Enlistment remains voluntary forthe duration of WWI in Australia.

SEPTEMBER 11, 1914First Australians die: A skirmish in theGerman colony of New Guinea, Bitapaka,with Melanesian and German troopsresults in six Australians killed – the first of60,000 Australian troops to fall in WWI.

NOVEMBER 26, 1914Australians in Egypt: Australian and NewZealand troops are diverted to Egypt toprotect the Suez Canal against theOttoman Turks. Many troops aredisheartened by this stopover, keen asthey are to take on Germany.

APRIL 25, 1915Gallipoli begins: Australian and NewZealand troops land at Anzac Cove nearthe Gallipoli Peninsula. Overlooked bycraggy terrain, this cove is easily defendedby the Turks. Nevertheless, the Anzacs areable to gain a toehold, but make littleprogress over the next eight months.

MAY 2, 1915Anzac losses at Baby 700: A big day oflosses for the Anzacs with 1000 casualtiesrecorded after they attack the Turkish-

occupied feature known as Baby 700.Relentless Turkish fire decimates the leftflank of the attacking infantry, stopping it inits tracks.

MAY 24, 1915Burial truce: In a strange turn of events atemporary truce is agreed to betweenAustralian and Turkish troops so that thedead can be recovered from no-man’s landfor burial. This is due to the stench ofcorpses being so bad after an attack onMay 19.

AUGUST 6, 1915Lone Pine: The 1st Division launches anassault on the Turkish positions at LonePine, which they ultimately capture, andspends the next three days defending itagainst repeated counter-attacks. Sofierce is the fighting at Lone Pine that the1st and 3rd brigades suffer 2277 casualtiesbetween them.

AUGUST 7, 1915A futile charge: On foot, Australian LightHorsemen charge the Turkish trenches atthe Nek. This proves to be a futile chargeagainst machine guns and rifle fire and 234of the 8th and 10th Light Horse regimentare killed and 140 wounded.A series of British attacks are launchedalong the Gallipoli Peninsula throughoutAugust to capture high ground around thebeach heads. Offensives take place at SariBair, Lone Pine and the Nek.

DECEMBER 19, 1915Evacuation of Gallipoli: The evacuation ofGallipoli proves to be the most successfuloperation of the campaign. The AnzacCove campaign led to 26,000 Australiancasualties, including 8000 killed in action ordying of wounds or disease.

JULY 1, 1916The Somme: Anzacs arrive in France in thebuild-up to the battle of the Somme, amajor British-French offensive. The plan isto tie down the German army on theSomme to relieve pressure on the Frencharmy, which is locked in a savagecampaign with the Germans at Verdun.

JULY 19, 1916Battle of Fromelles: The British 61stDivision and the Australian 5th Divisionattack German positions near Fromelles.For the Australians this is costly, with the5th Division suffering 5533 casualties inless than 24 hours.

JULY 23, 1916Pozieres: Official historian Charles Beanfamously says that Pozieres Ridge “is moredensely sown with Australian sacrificethan any other place on earth”. The 1stDivision is assigned the task of capturingPozieres village and moving the linenorthwards towards Mouquet Farm. Itcaptures the village but suffers heavilyunder bombardment from multiple sides,incurring 5285 casualties over five days.


WATCHFUL: Machine gunners cover The Nek at Gallipoli. OVER THE TOP: Diggers mount a charge. Picture: Supplied.

TO ARMISTICE JOY

DISMAL: The Somme is adismal scene during theautumn of 1916.

❚ Pictures, unlessotherwise stated, arecourtesy of the AustralianWar Memorial, Canberra.

AT BARRACKS: Membersof the 2nd AustralianInfantry Battalion outsidetheir billets in the cavalrybarracks at Ypres.

QUAGMIRE: Troops of the 1st AustralianDivision walking on a duckboard track at Ypres.

OVERJOYED: A group of women andchildren rejoicing in a street in Sydneyat the signing of the Armistice.

AUGUST 4, 1916Battle of Romani: After several months oflong-range patrolling east of the SuezCanal, the Anzac Mounted Division fightsits first major action at Romani.The mounted troops are able to turn theflank of the attacking enemy, who areforced to withdraw.The Anzac mounted troops take the bruntof the Turkish assault at a cost of 900casualties.

NOVEMBER 18, 1916Battle of the Somme ends: The battle ofthe Somme comes to an end before theonset of winter.

APRIL 1, 1917US declares war on Germany: The UnitedStates declares war on the German empireafter a special joint session of Congress.It will still take six months for Americantroops to be present on the Western Frontin big enough numbers to have any effecton the outcome of the war.

APRIL 1917Western Front: A further 76,836 Australiancasualties result from battles, such asBullecourt (1 and 2), Messines, MeninRoad, Broodseinde and the four-monthcampaign around Ypres, known as thebattle of Passchendaele.OCTOBER 31, 1917Battle of Beersheba: The most famousmounted charge involving the Australian

Light Horse against fixed Turkish defencesat Beersheba in Palestine. It involves400-500 troops of the 4th Light HorseBrigade. Beersheba falls to the AustralianLight Horse with fewer than 70 casualtiesleading to the fall of Gaza on November 6.

MARCH 21, 1918Spring Offensive: By 1918 the Germanarmy launches its final offensive of thewar, with a staggering 63 divisions over a110-kilometre front, hoping for a decisivevictory before the military and industrialstrength of the US can be fully mobilisedfor the Allies.

APRIL 24, 1918Villers-Bretonneux: German troopssuccessfully capture Villers-Bretonneux –the last major village before Amiens andan important railhead to Paris. Australia’s13th Brigade of the 4th Division and 15thBrigade of the 5th Division launch acounter-attack and are able to wrestcontrol of the village from the Germans.

AUGUST 8, 1918Battle of Amiens: In response to theGerman Spring Offensive, 20 Allieddivisions launch a massive counter-offensive against the German army. TheAustralians advance 11 kilometres and theCanadians almost 13. So successful is theattack it is called the black day of theGerman army, but it comes at the cost of6000 Australian casualties.

SEPTEMBER 29, 1918Breaking the Hindenburg Line: Australianand American troops spearhead theBritish attack on the Hindenburg Line.Eventually they succeed in breakingthrough at Bellicourt with extremely heavycasualties.

OCTOBER 5, 1918Battle of Montbrehain: The AustralianCorps fight their last action on the WesternFront at Montbrehain.The Australian Corps have been fightingfor six months without rest, resulting in 11of the 60 battalions being disbanded due toheavy casualties and low numbers ofreinforcements.

NOVEMBER 11, 1918War is over:Australian divisions withdraw from thefront for rest and refitting. While preparingto return, Germany surrenders onNovember 11 and the war is officially over.By the war’s end 61,512 Australians havebeen killed or die from wounds or disease,and another 152,000 are wounded.

JUNE 28, 1919Treaty of Versailles: Although the armisticeended the actual fighting, it took sixmonths of negotiations at the Paris PeaceConference to conclude the accord, theTreaty of Versailles, which forced Germanyto disarm, make substantial territorialconcessions and pay reparations.


LONG ROAD BACK HOME

NEAR FRICOURT, FRANCE:After Gallipoli, Anzacs weresent to the Western Front andSinai.

A Victorian brigade straight out of Pozieres passes another Victorian brigade onits way in.

BY JENNY TABAKOFF

WHAT happenedto the men afterGallipoli?About 16,000Australians

landed at Gallipoli on Sunday,April 25, and some 60,000 foughtthere over the following eightmonths.

The Gallipoli campaign resultedin about 130,000 deaths from allthe nations involved.

That included some 8700Australians and 2700 NewZealanders.

Those numbers were dwarfedby the Turkish casualties,estimated at 86,692 dead.

At least the evacuation of theAnzacs in December 1915 was asuccess: there were remarkablyfew casualties during theirwithdrawal and voyage back toEgypt.

In the wake of Gallipoli, theAustralian Imperial Force (AIF)formed the 4th and 5th Divisionsin Egypt, and the 3rd Division inEngland.

Cadres of men from eachveteran battalion were split off toform the nucleus of the newbattalions which, along with theoriginal unit, were brought up tostrength with reinforcements.

The Australian divisions begansailing for France in March 1916.

Meanwhile the Light Horse, whohad been sent to Gallipoliequipped as infantry, werereunited with their horses.

With the New Zealand MountedRifles, they became part of the newAnzac Mounted Division and wenton to take part in the Sinai andPalestine campaign.

By the time the Australians

began arriving at the WesternFront in significant numbers, thewar there was a stalemate of mudand barbed wire, with trenchesstretching for hundreds ofkilometres along the French-Belgian border.

But the Anzac veterans, sick ofTurkey and Egypt, were initiallyenchanted by the Frenchlandscape they glimpsed from thetrain.

Private Henry Morgan Davillfrom Broken Hill, who had foughtwith the 10th Battalion at Gallipoli,wrote to his mother: ‘‘It is a treat tobe in a civilised country again afterspending so long at Gallipoli.’’

The three-day train journeynorth from Marseilles was‘‘somewhat tiresome, but thescenery along the track wasmagnificent and an eye-opener tomost of us’’.

Soon the Gallipoli veterans, andthe rest of the Australians, werebeing blooded in Western Frontwarfare. The 5th Division was thefirst to see serious action, at theBattle of Fromelles on July 19-20,1916.

‘‘We thought we knewsomething of the horrors of war,but we were mere recruits, and

have had our full education in oneday,’’ Gallipoli veteran LieutenantRonald McInnis, of the 53rdBattalion, wrote in his diary.(McInnis, a Queenslander, was oneof the lucky ones: he made it homein 1919, and went on to be a townplanner.)

Fromelles was just the start ofthe horrors. Western Front battleswere marked by frenzied artilleryand shelling.

A man could be blown to bits, ordie from the sheer percussiveeffects of a bombardment.

The 5th Division was so badlymauled at Fromelles – 2000 werekilled in action or died of wounds– that it did not take part in furtheroffences until 1917, on the follow-up of the German forces toBapaume when they fell back tothe Hindenburg Line.

Many Gallipoli veterans foughton through a series of notoriousWestern Front battles.

The 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisionsall took part in the fighting aroundPozieres from July 23 and intoAugust, 1916. The 3rd Division,which arrived in France in lateNovember 1916, saw its first majoraction at Messines in 1917.

In October 1916, when shells

landed near Ronald McInnis, hehad a common experience: atrench wall collapsed on him. ‘‘Itwas as though an iron band weretightening round my chest andpreventing any movement,’’ hewrote.

McInnis was saved by the swiftaction of those around him.

Small wonder that time in thefront line turned many intoquivering wrecks of shellshock.

Trenches were rat-infested, andpunctuated by unburied or half-buried bodies.

Trench foot was rampant – andrisk of gas attacks ever-present.

The men were issued with gasmasks and capes to protect themfrom its corrosive effects.

The misery increased as winterclosed in.

Australian newspapers printedadverts for sheepskin vests andjackets to ‘‘keep your soldierwarm’’.

Things were not relentlesslygrim.

Troops were cycled through thelines of trenches and, when awayfrom the front, could enjoy thepleasures of nearby French townsor even, when on leave, cross theChannel to ‘‘Old Blighty’’ andsight-see or take in a West Endshow.

But sooner or later they wouldbe back in the firing line.

The long Western Frontstalemate broke when theGermans launched a hugeoffensive in March 1918.

Though the Germans wereinitially successful, things began togo the Allies’ way from April aswaves of American forces arrivedand the Germans were pushedback.

The Australians captured Hamel

Spur on July 4, 1918 and went on tofurther successes at Mont StQuentin and Peronne.

Meanwhile, the men of the LightHorse were doing good work in theMiddle East.

In September 1918 they brokethrough Turkish lines on thePalestine coast and led an advancethat took the Allies all the way toDamascus. Before long the Turkssurrendered.

The Germans followed suit. TheAustralians were enjoying a breakfrom the front when the guns fellsilent for good on November 11,1918.

The 4th Battalion, which stillhad Gallipoli veterans among itsranks, was being billeted in theFrench village of Bazuel when theArmistice was signed.

The battalion’s official entry forNovember 11, 1918 reads:‘‘Company parade in the morning.Afternoon 4th Battalion v 3rdBattalion at Tug of War. 4thBattalion won in 2 straight pulls.Armistice signed by Germany.’’

The process of bringing theAustralian soldiers home tookmany months.

It’s impossible to find concretefigures on how many of theoriginal contingent of 20,000Australians who had set sail fromAlbany, Western Australia onNovember 1, 1914 ever camehome.

However, according to theAustralian War Memorial, of the416,809 Australians who enlistedfor service in the AIF (about330,000 of whom served overseas)in World War I, some 65 per centbecame casualties.

More than 60,000 Australianswere killed, and more than 220,000were wounded or fell ill.

THE EXAMINER, Friday, April 24, 2015 — A19PA019Newshole1


SOLDIERS BATTLE ACROSS THREE WAR FRONTSTHE Anzacs fought in three

theatres of war during World War Istarting with the GallipoliPeninsula and thensimultaneously in Europe on theWestern Front and in Egypt andPalestine.

Gallipoli PeninsulaAnzac involvment on the

Peninsula started with the landingat Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915. Acouple of weeks later on May 15the commander of the AIF, GeneralBridges, was shot by a Turkishsniper and died en route tohospital.

In May and June the Anzacs tookpart in the Battles of Krithia on theCape Helles front. This is where theTurks met with Lance Corporal

Albert Jacka, the first Australian tobe awarded a Victoria Cross inWorld War I. In August the Anzacstook part in a simultaneousoffensive at Sulva Bay and LonePine. The battle at Lone Pine was arare victory that cost 2000 Anzaclives and 7000 Turks. The Anzacswere evacuated from the Peninsulain December 1915.

Considered the most successfulpart of the campaign, theevacuation took eight months tocomplete with zero casualties.

Egypt and PalestineDuring March 1916 the AIF

moved its infantry to France andthe Light Horse regiments weredeployed to Palestine. Whilefighting in this area, the Australian

Light Horse units wereinstrumental in a number ofbattles at Romani, Magdhba andRafa.

The Battle of Romani took placebetween August 3 and 5, 1916when the Ottoman Empiredecided it would either capture ordestroy the Suez Canal.

The Anzac mounted divisionand the 52nd Infantry weresuccessful in forcing the retreat ofthe enemy back across the Sinaidesert.

Western FrontIn July 1916, the Anzacs fought

in the Battle of the Somme and lost12,000 men.

In August they fought atMouquet Farm and lost 6300 men.

April 1917 saw the Battle ofBullecourt, with 3000 Anzaccasualties and 1170 POWs taken bythe Germans.

During this time, the Australiansdid have some success in the 2ndbattle of the Hindenburg line butat a cost of 7482 men.

In June 1917, south of Belgium,Australian troops and tunnellerswere instrumental in the explosionof 450,000kg of explosives alongthe Messines Ridge, including Hill60.

From September to NovemberAIF soldiers were involved in the3rd Battle of Ypres atPolygonwood, Broodseinde,Poelcappelle and Passchendale.This saw 38,000 casualties. March

1918 saw the German SpringOffensive with fighting takingplace at Dernacourt, Morlancourt,Villers Bretonneux, Hangardwood,Hazebrouck and Hamel.

Last of all was the Allies’ 100-dayoffensive that began on August 8,1918, and saw victory for the AIF atAmiens.

Following Amiens was theSecond Battle of the Somme withAnzacs fighting at Lihors,Etinehem, Proyart, Chuignes andMont St Quentin.

The AIF by now was stretched toits limit and its last engagementwas on October 5, 1918, atMontbrehain where it captured400 prisoners of war, with 430Australian casualties.


BARNEY HINES: THE SOUVENIR KINGBY VERNON GRAHAM

BOWER BIRD: Barney Hines surrounded by German souvenirs.

AUSTRALIAN travellers who like tocollect souvenirs would have lovedJohn “Barney” Hines.

Hines was dubbed “the SouvenirKing” on the Western Front because ofhis passion for looting the belongings,badges, weapons and helmets fromdead and captured Germans.

Hines gave his occupation asshearer and lied about his age (he wasmuch older than 28) when he firstenlisted in the Australian ImperialForce in August 1915.

He was classified medically unfit afew months later because ofhaemorrhoids but successfully

rejoined the AIF in June 1916, this timegiving his age as 36 years and hisoccupation as engineer.

In fact Hines, who was born inLiverpool, England, had been driftingaround Australia working at differentjobs before he was posted to the 45thBattalion and sent to France andBelgium.

Hines was an unruly soldier awayfrom the frontline trenches, frequentlyin trouble with his superiors and themilitary police, but in battle he was aferocious fighter who once captured 63dazed Germans, including a general,after throwing several Mills bombsinside a pillbox during the Battle ofMessines.

Later that day he destroyed anotherGerman machine-gun post afterventuring out alone but was woundedand while convalescing, stole a horsewhich he sold for a bottle of whisky.

Reports claim he collected morethan 4000 francs, a bottle of whisky, apair of earrings, a diamond brooch, agold ring, about one million Germanmarks, a variety of watches andsufficient iron crosses to fill a sandbag.

After the war he lived in a humpynear Mount Druitt on Sydney’swestern fringe and was forced to selloff some of his collection of warsouvenirs to raise much-needed cashto bolster his war pension. He died in1958.

ALL EQUALSIN UNIFORM

WAR HERO: WilliamJoseph “Siggs” Punchsurvived a massacre ofhis family to be killedfighting for the Empire.

BY DAVID ELLERY

‘‘Punch . . . stuck his heels in the horse’s ribs andgave the company an exhibition of buck-jumpridingwhich showed he had not been amonghorses all his life for nothing.

WILLIAM JosephPunch paid no heedto the prohibitionon Aborigines

enlisting in the army during WWI.When signed up in Goulburn on

New Year’s Eve, 1915, he insistedthat the recruiting officer write theword “Aboriginal” in the spacereserved for citizenship.

Punch, then 36, was a well-known figure in the city. He hadsurvived a massacre on the BlandRiver to the north as an infant in1880 and had been brought up bya white family.

According to the Australians atWar website, drovers massacred asmall Aboriginal community aftersome of them killed and ate a cow.

John Siggs, who had not been inon the raid, went to the site thenext day and discovered a babyboy trying to feed from his deadmother’s breast.

Robert Speer, MBE, the authorof two articles on Punch in theGoulburn Historical Society’snewsletter in 1992 and 1993, learntthe truth from a woman who wasthen in her early 90s.

“[She said] Siggs uttered thesewords, ‘Oh, this is bloody murder,I will have no part of this’.”

Siggs took the boy home to Pejat,where his father and mother ranthe inn.

The story was put out thatPunch had been brought downfrom Queensland. Speer said thewhite lie was meant to dissuadehim from searching for his familywhen he got older.

While Punch’s Aboriginality wasnever in doubt, contemporaryaccounts indicate he was broughtup as a loved and respectedmember of the family, sharing the

same opportunities for educationand music lessons as the otherchildren.

The fact that he gave his place ofbirth on the enlistment form asNew South Wales indicated Punchwas aware that the Queenslandtale was a furphy.

His genial nature and highspirits were remarked upon in anewspaper report on a Boxing Daysocial at Woodhouselee nearGoulburn in 1908.

“Just as some of the guests weredeparting, Punch bounded out the

door, no boots on, took a flyingleap onto one of the horses behindthe rider and the saddle, stuck hisheels in the horse’s ribs and gavethe company an exhibition ofbuck-jump riding which showedhe had not been among horses allhis life for nothing.”

Seven years later the world wasa much darker place.

Punch was in his mid-30s andmany of his friends would havealready left for the war.

By mid-1916 he was in France,serving with the 1st and then the53rd Battalion.

When Punch was wounded (forthe first time) on September 9,1916, it made the news in his hometown.

“Mr Oswald Gallagher, of BourkeSt, Goulburn, on Wednesdayreceived a telegram from Base

Records stating that PrivateWm. J. Punch had been wounded.Private Punch is Aboriginal, andwas better known as ‘Siggs’sPunch’, he having been reared bythe late Miss Siggs and the late MrJohn Siggs, of Pejar.

‘‘Punch was trained in theGoulburn Camp and was afavourite.

‘‘He was looked upon as amascot. He was very adaptable,and was a good rifle shot. He waswith the Australian Forces inFrance.”

In a letter home, written six daysbefore he was wounded, Punchsaid he had spent nine days inEngland and was returning toFrance, from where he wasexpecting to be sent to the frontline in Belgium.

Punch was wounded for thesecond time on April 5, 1917, andsent to England to recuperate at ahospital in Bournemouth.

He apparently never returned tothe front, dying of pneumonia onAugust 29, 1917.

An article on the IndigenousHistories website, published in2013 by Philippa Scarlett,described Punch’s story as “tragic”,saying “the communityacceptance he did have ultimatelydid him no service as it facilitatedhis entry into the AIF, which, inturn, led to his premature death”.

Punch, who had been one of 300soldiers honoured at an early Massand breakfast in Goulburn onFebruary 27, 1916, beforedeparting for Sydney, and who wasburied with full military honours,including a firing party supplied bythe New Zealand Engineers,Christchurch, might not have seenit that way.

He had volunteered to serve,despite having an easy out, andwas wounded twice fightingalongside his mates.

Wreaths from his Australianfriends, his fellow patients fromthe hospital and the nursing staffwere laid on his grave at Boscombein Bournemouth.

Chaplain Ivan Grant, anIndigenous soldier serving as astaff chaplain with the AustralianArmy in Canberra, said Punch wasa pioneer and an inspiration.

“There is a desire to tell theuntold story of black Diggers, ofAboriginal men and women whohave served,’’ he said.


MATES: Lance Corporal Jenny Duffy and Corporal Bradley Maynard of the Royal TasmanianRegiment.

MATESHIPUNCHANGED

‘‘It’s not just thetrenches and up overthe top anymore. itcan be in themountains, thevillages, the city, itcould be anywhere

BY JAYNE RICHARDSON

SINCE the blood-stained sands ofGallipoli and themuddy trenches ofthe western front,

the face of war has changed -but, according to twoReservists, one thing hasremained the same.

Royal Tasmania Regiment(12/40 RTR) Lance CorporalJenny Duffy and CorporalBradley Maynard said, despiteleaps in technology and thechanging face of the enemy,the idea of mateship was stilljust as important now as itwas 100 years ago.

Corporal Duffy has been inthe Reserves for 28 years andis a driver.

By day she is a clericalassistant at the LauncestonGeneral Hospital.

‘‘I joined because I thoughtit would be somethingdifferent and exciting,’’Corporal Duffy said.

Cpl Maynard has been withthe Reserves for 12 years and,in 2007, deployed to theSolomon Islands on aPeacekeeping Mission. By dayhe is a boiler maker .

‘‘Since I was a kid I wantedto be a soldier,’’ he said.

‘‘I always saw it in thelimelight and having cousinswho served and relatives whowere in the great wars, it wasjust something I wanted todo.’’

Both said they felt thelogistics of war had changedover the years, particularlywith the introduction of newtechnology but, most of all,the face of the enemy hadchanged.

‘‘War is urbanised now, andit evolves all the time,’’ CplMaynard said.

‘‘It’s not just the trenchesand up over the top any more.It can be in the mountains,the villages, the city.

‘‘It could be anywhere andit could be anyone.’’

Corporal Duffy said soldiersalso knew a lot more aboutwar these days and were moreprepared.

‘‘Back then, some of the

guys were enlisting with notraining, where our guys havebeen training for years andthey train for war,’’ she said.

‘‘These young men reallyhad no idea what they weregetting themselves into.

‘‘The people who fight nowwant to be there and theyhave trained for years andyears and years. They knowwhat to expect.’’

Despite being moreprepared for the challengesthat are waiting for them,both said it was mateship thatstill holds the defence forcestogether.

Cpl Maynard explained thateven peace-keeping Missionscould be emotionally taxingand being able to talk about itwith others who haveexperienced it is a bond noteasily broken.

‘‘It doesn’t matter how oldyou get or where you are, ifyou are in the uniform or outof uniform, most peopleknow each other,’’ CplMaynard said.

‘‘It is an Australian thing,mateship,’’ Corporal Duffyadded.

‘‘We all trust each other andwe are all there to watch eachother’s back. We are really likea big family.’’


CENSORSHIP LED TO ANXIETY

SECRET: Information about the war published in newspapers and in letters senthome were heavily censored.

BY DAN HUON

NEWSPAPERS werethe main source ofnews about the GreatWar, but thisinformation was

heavily censored.The Commonwealth War

Precautions Act of October 1914established censorship ofnewspapers to prevent militaryinformation reaching the enemy.

A triple layer of censorshipstifled the war news.

First, British Army HQcontrolled the release of allmilitary news in the French andMiddle Eastern theatres.

Second, the Official PressBureau in London imposedcensorship on all cables leavingthe UK.

Finally, a systematic militarycensorship flourished in Australia.

Lieutenant Colonel, GeorgeEdward Harrap was theLaunceston censor; andLieutenant G. Roberts at Hobart.

Military reasons justifiedcensorship, however, as theexpected short war dragged into1915, the censorship became morestringent.

In a democracy many militaryissues could have political import,but the War Precautions Act hadmany sections like ‘‘likely toprejudice recruiting’’ used toprohibit discussion.

In particular the heavyAustralian casualties at Gallipoli,and even more so in July andAugust of 1916 shocked

Australians, but censored warnews created uncertainty, anxietyand fostered rumours.

As one senior journalist put it,

the army policy seemed to be ‘‘toexaggerate successes andminimise reverses’’.

Similarly the act enabled allsoldiers’ letters to be read by theirofficers, and where necessarycensored.

Curiously many AIF soldiers andthe official war correspondentCaptain Charles E. W. Bean hadcameras and photography wascheap. They escaped the censors:Egypt and soon also Gallipoli werewell photographed – they existtoday as part of the Australian WarMemorial collection.

But court martials and disgraceawaited any who dared tophotograph in France.

The result? Civilians in Australia

knew very little about the real warduring and after it.

Civilians after 1918 could notgrasp what the surviving youngsoldiers had endured.

Censorship helped to establishtwo contrasting experiences: oneof death and injury; the other ofoften embellished battles.

And thus was created anotherlevel of difficulty for soldiers to talkto families about their experiences.

The official British War historiescontinued their censorship post-war to salvage the reputations ofgenerals.

Not so Australia’s official warhistorian, Captain Bean, whosevolumes revealed so much of theface of battle.

WAR PRECAUTIONSACT 1914

THE War Precautions Act allowedthe Government to make lawsabout anything that affected thewar effort.

It allowed the FederalGovernment to circumnavigateparliament in order to make newlaws which only had to beprepared by the responsibleminister and signed by theGovernor General.

Some of the uses of the actwere controversial and includebanning of statements likely toprejudice recruitment in the leadup to conscription.

This included anti-conscription speeches andprominent anti conscriptionistswere charged under the law,including 14th Prime Minister ofAustralia John Curtin.

The Government also used theact to settle labour disputeswhich was not well received byunions. Continued operation ofthe act after the war lead toviolent demonstrations known asthe Red Flag Riots.

CHARLES BEAN

CHARLES Edwin Woodrow Beanwas a journalist with the SydneyMorning Herald when he wasasked to be the official historianduring World War I.

Bean was part of the 16thBattalion from 1915 to 1918 andit is estimated that he wrote morethan six million words on theAnzacs and World War I.

He was instrumental in theestablishment of the AustralianWar Memorial and can becredited with what Australianscall the Anzac legend.

You can choose a framed or unframed poster,each artwork hand signed by the artist.

There are 500 large prints and 500 standard sized prints available toorder with cost ranging from $249-$489. Fairfax Media will donate$25 from the purchase of each print to veterans support charitySoldier On (solideron.org.au)

LIMITED EDITIONPRINTS OFANZAC 100:Australia and the GreatWars areavailable for purchase atfairfaxmedia.com.au/anzac100.

TA16

2975

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FOOD LEAVES BAD TASTEBY JENNY TABAKOFF

HARDSHIPS: Life in the trenches was anightmare and no comfort was found inthe food provided to the Anzacs, inparticular the dreaded Anzac Tile.

MUCH has beenwritten about theshrapnel andbullets that flew onGallipoli, but

something in the Anzacs’ rationpacks was almost as hard: thedreaded ‘‘Anzac tile’’.

The food on Gallipoli was awful,but the men felt particular hatredfor the ‘‘tile’’, a square hard-tackbiscuit made from flour, sugar,milk powder, salt and water.

The biscuits kept for years, butwere hard enough to break teeth.The men usually ground them upand ate them as porridge.

Added to that were theinevitable ‘‘bully beef’’ (saltedtinned beef), the bit of rice orbread, jam, cocoa and tea. Gallonsof tea.

The Anzac Book, written by themen of Anzac and published in1916 to raise funds for warcharities, included heartfeltdescriptions of army food.

O. E. Burton, of the New ZealandMedical Corps, wondered whetherarmy biscuits had ‘‘the delicioussucculency of ground granite orthe savoury toothsomeness ofpowdered marble’’.

He added: ‘‘We eat our meat, notwith thankfulness, but withbiscuits. We lengthen out the tasteof the jam – with biscuits. Wepound them to powder. We boilthem with bully. We stew them instews. We fry them as fritters. Wecurse them with many and bittercursings ...’’

As for their hardness, he wrote:‘‘Call to mind how your finest goldcrown weakened, wobbled, andfinally shrivelled under the terriblestrain of masticating Puntley andChalmers No. 5s.’’

A comic poem, How I Won TheVC, by ‘‘Crosscut’’ of the 16thBattalion AIF, details how thenarrator supposedly sallied into abattle with two tins of Fray Bentosbully beef, plus an army biscuit inhis breast pocket. He threw the

tinned meat into a Turkish trenchand heard the enemy pounceupon it. The biscuit, meanwhile,saved him from taking a bullet inthe chest.

Sergeant F.C. Brinkley wrote tohis mother in South Australia: ‘‘Youhave to break the biscuits withyour rifle butt.’’

Burton wrote that ‘‘well glazed’’,the biscuits ‘‘would make excellenttiles or fine flagstones’’. Hepredicted that, after the war, theywould become ‘‘souvenirs whichone can pass on from generationto generation, souvenirs which will

endure while the Empire stands’’.In November 27, 1925, the

Albury Banner And WodongaExpress reported the WarMemorial Museum was gatheringwartime artefacts made from ‘‘allvarieties of substances – metal,wood, fabrics, foodstuffs, andrubber, to mention only a few’’.

‘‘Of them all the one which isbest preserved and promises tolast the longest is a biscuit fromAnzac, a fact which will notsurprise Australian soldiers whobroke their teeth on these ‘iron’rations in 1915.’’

News of the future exhibitreminded one returned soldierthat he had once used a biscuit asa postcard.

Former shearing-shed cookswere prized on Gallipoli, workingdaily miracles with supplies asthey slaved over kerosine-tin pans.

The Anzacs were dogged by ashortage of fresh water. The AnzacBook quotes a cook about thechallenges: ‘‘How the emememcan I cook 70 beef teas, 40puddings, and 200 milk diets withthe bloomin’ quarter issue of waterI get? Love me, when I was cookingfor shearing sheds out on thebarcoo, where it never rained, Iwould get as much water as Iwanted.’’

For the soldiers, who spent mostof the eight months on Gallipolidigging or improving trenches,food was a preoccupation.

Sergeant Gordon Macrae, of the6th Light Horse, was initiallyenthusiastic, noting in his May 22diary entry: ‘‘We get a good issue ofrations, including biscuits, bacon,tea and sugar, beef, cheese andjam, cigarettes, tobacco and

matches.’’But in July, after bouts of

diarrhoea and ‘‘not feeling toogood’’, he noted: ‘‘A change intucker would be very acceptable.The menu is not sufficient to standmuch pick and shovel work on.’’

The Geelong Advertiser ofFebruary 24, 1916, reported onmeeting between Britain’s LordKitchener and an Australian diggeron Gallipoli.

Kitchener had asked: ‘‘Well, lad,what did you have for dinnertoday?’’

According to the report: ‘‘Thecasual-looking Australian, withouttroubling to salute, shifted a pieceof chewing gum from one cheek tothe other, and muttereddisagreeably, ‘‘Just the emememsame, only ememem tinned stuffagain’’.

Mealtime may have lacked taste,but it was action-packed.

Warrant Officer F H Phillips, aQueenslander from the 2nd A L HField Ambulance, told his parents(in a letter published in theBrisbane Courier on August 26,1915) he would ‘‘sit on boxesoutside the dugout with a plate onour lap. A shell or two would comewhizzing over and burst. Platesand everything would go when weducked and jumped into the hole.Sometimes we would beat it, andsometimes the shell would get infirst’’.

He also pleaded: ‘‘If you want tosend any parcel along, send somechocolates.’’

MEDAL HONOURS NURSE’S LIFETIME OF SERVICE

DEVOTED: This photograph is from apostcard Estelle Lee-Archer sent tofamily. It is dated October 26, 1914.

BY JAYNE RICHARDSON

FROM the dry, heat andpervasive sands of Egypt, to themud, ice and snow of France,Australian nurses often worked 18hours a day in wretchedconditions during World War I.

Their efforts are often forgottenand few nurses were formallyrecognised for their efforts, butTasmanian nurse Estelle Lee-Archer was decorated by KingGeorge V at Buckingham Palaceon June 27, 1916.

The esteemed nurse is one ofsix nurses who was awarded theAssociate of the Royal Red Cross –a medal awarded to nurses that

have ‘‘shown exceptional devotionor competency in performance ofnursing duties with the Army inthe field, or Naval and military orAir Force hospitals or in anauxiliary war hospital over acontinuous period’’.

One of four children, Estelle wasthe only member of her family toenlist and did so at the age of 32on November 28, 1914, just twoyears after she had completed herexaminations.

During her service, Lee-Archerwas stationed with seven medicalunits from 1914 to 1919 and afterthe war, worked in a RepatriationHospital in Victoria.

She arrived in Egypt on January

14, 1915, with the 1st AustralianGeneral Hospital and begansetting up the Heliopolis Hospitalat the Heliopolis Palace Hotel.

The hospital opened on January24 and it wasn’t long before thewounded began filling the bedsand auxiliary hospitals were set upin nearby buildings and tents.

One 1000-bed hospital made oftents in Cairo had no floorcovering and was attended by onematron, 15 sisters and 30 nurses.

In September 1915, Estelle wastransferred to the BagthorpeMilitary Hospital in NottinghamEngland and in December shewas promoted to Nursing Sister.

She also spent time with the

2nd Auxilary Hospital in SouthallEngland, which specialised in thefitting of prosthetic limbs fromOctober to April 1917. InSeptember she returned to theWestern Front with the CasualtyClearing Stations before beingsent on to Dartford and Harefield.

Lee-Archer returned toAustralia on March 29, 1919. Shenever married, instead dedicatingher life to looking after the sick orwounded.

When she died at the age of 81,she was buried in an unmarkedgrave. In May 2013, proudrelatives of Lee-Archer erected atombstone so she could behonoured as she so deserved.

HOW I WON THE VC BY ‘CROSSCUT’

‘‘... not a Turk, sir,was left of that legion accurst -For they’d whacked the FrayBentos among them,And each man had perished ofthirst.The biscuit, too, proved alifesaver:Then a fifteen-inch shell camestraight at me- I hadn’t a moment to shirk -

And it struck on that hard armybiscuitAnd rebounded - and blew up aTurk!You doubt it? Well, if you wantproof, sir,The truth of this tale to endorse,Here’s the biscuit - that dent inthe middleIs where the shell struck it, ofcourse.’’


HEROES BELOW HILL 60

Messines Ridge, secured in the June 7, 1917, attack.

WIPED OUT: All that wasleft of the German frontline at Messines. Pictures:From The Australian Front

BY JAYNE RICHARDSON

ON June 7, 1917, at3.10am there was anexplosion on theWestern Front so loud it

was said to be heard as far away asLondon.

The sound came from a blast ofmore than 420,000 kilograms ofexplosives planted under Hill 60 bythe First Australian TunnellingCompany.

The explosion was aculmination of nearly two years’work and planning by the Allies,and successful in a matter of hoursin securing Messines Ridge.

During World War I, Hill 60 wasa desired vantage point and a mainobjective of the Allies, who neededthis upper ground to progress thestalled, bloody battle of theWestern Front.

Although a quick takeover, theplans to claim Hill 60 were

complex and risky.Thirty metres below the German

trenches, miners, not infantry,painstakingly dug an estimatedeight kilometres of tunnels andgalleries that were filled withexplosives.

More than 4500 Australianminers were involved in thissubterranean battle and many ofthe shafts were named after

Australian places – Brisbane,Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide andeven Hobart.

The tunnelling under Hill 60 wasstarted by the British in early 1915and taken over by the 1stAustralian Tunnelling Companyon November 9, 1916, withCaptain Oliver Woodwardoverseeing events.

‘‘It was on the 15th of May that

my commanding officer advisedme that I had been detailed to takecontrol of the firing of the mines.While it was natural that I shouldfeel proud at being selected to fillthis honour, it would be wrong toconsider the position as a personaltriumph. To do so would havewronged some 600 comrades ofmy own company, to say nothingof the thousands of tunnellers whohad worked toward thecompletion of the Hill 60 MiningSystem,’’ Captain Woodward said.

Despite the secretive nature ofthe underground mission, theGermans were suspicious of theirenemy’s tactics and sought touncover the work of the miners bydigging exploratory shafts atvarious depths.

Just two weeks before theexplosion on May 25, the Germansalmost succeeded in ruining theentire plan.

A diary entry of the First

Australian Tunnelling Companyon May 26 reads:

‘‘At 8.45 am on May 25, 1917, theenemy blew a heavy mine whichcratered in no man’s land betweenAnzac shaft and cutting, didconsiderable damage to ourmining system in A, B, Beta and CGalleries and broke some leads...no attempt was made by theenemy to occupy the crater. Threemen wounded.’’

The night before the explosionof Hill 60, codenamed MagnumOpus, the Germans launched amajor gas attack on the Australian3rd Division who were involved inprotecting the tunnels andlaunching an attack after theexplosion.

This gas attack is estimated tohave killed between 500 and 2000men. Finally at ‘‘zero hours’’, a totalof 19 mines were blown, killingabout 10,000 Germans with morethan 7000 taken as prisoner.

Since 1854City Mission has been therecaring for the lost,the lonely and the broken.Never forget their plight,never under estimate their strength.Always caring, always sharingin Jesus' name

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DIGGINGIN FORKING ANDCOUNTRY

Sapper Harold Dadd

Sapper William Birch

BY JAYNE RICHARDSON

DURING World War I,tunnel warfare sawthousands of minersenlist from all over

Australia, eager to do their part forKing and country.

The miners formed whatbecame the Australian MiningCorps which was broken into threedivisions, the 1st 2nd and 3rdAustralian Tunnelling Companies.

The 1st went to Ypres to relieveCanadian Tunnellers at Hill 60, the2nd and 3rd moved to support theAustralian and British Divisions atthe battle of Fromelle.

The 2nd later went to Nieport toconstruct subways for OperationHush, and the 3rd went toFauquissart to take over chalkworkings at Hill 70.

Kay Wagland had two relativesserve as Sappers in the TunnelingCorps, her great-grandfatherWilliam Birch and great-uncleHarold Dadd – sapper is the basemilitary term for engineer orconstruction worker.

Birch was a miner working onthe West Coast when war brokeout and was aged 51.

‘‘I understand when they werelooking for tunnellers that theyextended the age you could enlistto 50, so he said he was 49 and 8months. In reality he was 51,’’ MsWagland said with a laugh.

‘‘Enlistment papers indicate thathe had a dodgy ticker and heprobably shouldn’t have gone atall.’’ Birch was attached to the 3rdTunneling Company and official

reports show that he was in andout of hospital and medical camps.

On November 14, 1917, amedical report says: ‘‘He was inFrance 18 months, practically all ofthe time he was in the trenches.

‘‘Towards the last he began toexperience pains in shoulders andlegs, also shortness of breath onexertion ... he is 52 years old andclearly too old for active service inFrance.’’ He was sent home on the

hospital ship Port Darwin onJanuary 12, 1918, due to senilityand rheumatism and officiallydischarged in Tasmania on April 4,1918. Dadd, however, lists hisoccupation as a grocer and it isunclear how he ended up with theTunneling Corps.

After being part of the 1st AnzacEntrenching Battalion fromOctober 1916, he was transferredto the 2nd Tunnelling Company onJanuary 26, 1917. He wasdischarged on October 7, 1919.

Ms Wagland had four relativesserve in World War I, and all fourcame home.

HILL TURNS INTO VALLEY

AT 3am the infantry holding front lines were ordered to fall back400 yards to the rear and exactly 10 minutes past 3 the big minesabout which you have read in the papers were fired. The infantrywere ordered to fall back for fear that some of them would getembedded when the mines exploded.

I cannot describe in writing what the great mine in front of uslooked like when it was fired, or the feeling that pervaded us. Thehill in front of us would be 200 feet high and about 300 yards long,and looking at it in the grey light of morning, it seemed to growin size ’til it was twice its ordinary size, then the whole top brokeopen and countless thousands of tons of earth and rock wereflung skywards, the ground rocked and swayed like it would do ina great earthquake and when everything had settled, where hadat one time been a hill was now a valley.

– Letter extract from Gunner Wilfred Mervyn Stanley, 8 Field Artillery

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SERVICES25th April, 2015

Triabunna: 6.00 a.m. Service at the Cenotaph, Vicary Street, Triabunna, followed by breakfast.10.45 a.m. March commences at East Coast Hardware for 11.00 a.m. service at the Cenotaph,

followed by a barbecue at the RSL Rooms. Everyone welcome.

Swansea: 6.00 a.m. Service at the Cenotaph, Franklin Street, Swansea.10.45 a.m. March commences at Swansea Recreation Ground for 11.00 a.m. service at the Cenotaph.

Bicheno: 5.45 a.m. March commences at IGA Supermarket for 6.00 a.m.service at the Cenotaph, Burgess Street, Bicheno.

10.45 a.m. March leaving from IGA Supermarket for 11.00 a.m. service at the Cenotaph.

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A PEARL WITH NERVES OF STEEL

Pearl Corkhill

‘‘Her examplewas of thegreatest value in allaying thealarmof the patients.Nurse Corkhill’s bravery citation

NURSE Pearl Corkhill couldn’t understandwhat all the fuss was about. She had justbeen doing her job – tending to patients –while enemy planes attacked overhead.

Indeed, the young nurse was more worriedabout having to find a new dress to face “oldGeorge and Mary” - the King and Queen -and receive her bravery award.

Sister Corkhill, whose name is inscribed onthe Central Tilba war memorial, was one of2500 women who served in World War I asmembers of the Australian Army NursingService.

She enlisted as a staff nurse on June 4,1915, soon after she had completed hergeneral nurses’ training. Initially posted tothe 1st Australian General Hospital in Cairo,she treated soldiers wounded at Gallipoli.

It was on August 23, 1918, near the front

line at the 38th British Casualty ClearingStation, that Pearl showed her nerves of steel.

When the site was subjected to a heavyGerman air-raid, Pearl calmly kept working,tending to the wounded “without any regardto her own safety” according to the braverycitation.

“Her example was of the greatest value inallaying the alarm of the patients,” thecitation continues.

Pearl was awarded the Military Medal – justone of seven given to Australian nurses.

Pearl was surprised by the honour, writinghome to her mother: “I can’t see what I’vedone to deserve it but the part I don’t like ishaving to face old George and Mary [KingGeorge V and Queen Mary] to get the medal.

‘‘It will cost me a new mess dress, but Isuppose I should not grumble at that.

‘‘I’m still wearing the one I left Australia in.”As events would have it, Pearl never

received her medal from King George.The medal did not arrive until July 1923 and

was presented by then Australian Governor-General Lord Foster.

Many years later, in 1951, Sister Corkhillbecame senior sister at Bega District Hospital.

She died in 1985 and is buried in NaroomaCemetery.

A DUTY TO CARE

STOIC SERVICE: Pattie Blundell onboard a hospital train in Egypt.

BY DAVID ELLERY

EVACUATION: Australian soldiers on Lemnos after being evacuated from Gallipoli.Pattie Blundell’s brother, Martin, was among the men evacuated on December 11, 1915.

WHEN PatriciaBlundell arrived atDuntroon as theRoyal Military

College’s nurse in October 1914,the place was in turmoil.

War had been declared onAugust 4 and the 35 members ofthe first-year class were graduatedahead of time the next week.

Within days of her arrival, thecadets from the second year werealso graduated early. The last leftfrom Queanbeyan on November 2.

Miss Blundell, a 34-year-oldspinster from a good family inMelbourne, could not haveforeseen she would be treatingsome of the young officers she hadjust met during the Gallipolicampaign the following year.

“Pattie Blundell turned tonursing in her late 20s and trainedat the Children’s Hospital inMelbourne,” Melbourne historianJanet Scarfe said.

“Pattie, who never used her firstname of Madeline, completed thehospital’s requirements in 1912and those of the Victorian TrainedNurses Association in February1914.”

Duntroon in some respectsoffered the ideal job for a maturewoman of good breeding, with therequisite skill set and a desire tomake her own way. The pay was£100 a year and included food andfree quarters.

Miss Blundell did not stay inCanberra long. Her only brother,Martin, signed up in January 1915and sailed for Egypt, and fromthere on to Gallipoli, on May 28.

“Pattie resigned in April 1915 toenlist in the Australian ArmyNursing Service. She leftMelbourne on the SS Mooltan 10days ahead of her brother. Her unitcomprised medical officers andnurses being sent asreinforcements for the 3rdAustralian General Field Hospital.”

The 3rd set up a tent hospital at

Mudros on Lemnos, 100kilometres south-west of theDardanelles. It, and similarfacilities maintained by British andCanadian forces, were the closestlarge-scale medical facilities to thefront line.

They were far from perfect withconstant complaints of shortages,administrative incompetence,understaffing, poor food and evena lack of water to wash patients’wounds.

While Miss Blundell, and herpeers, stoically did their best withwhat was to hand, her brother,Martin, had arrived.

Peter Fielding, a foundingmember of Military History andHeritage Victoria Inc, said Private

Blundell had been 24 and workingin Rockhampton when he enlisted.

“Martin was taken on strengthwith B Squadron of the 4th LightHorse Regiment at Gallipoli onOctober 24, 1915,” he said.

“On December 11, 1915, theregiment was evacuated [toLemnos] and this is where thesiblings’ service intersects.”

In one letter, Private Blundellwrote: “This place assumes all thedelights of arcadia to us withplenty to eat and drink, oranges inabundance [and] chocolate andcoffee to drink.

“[I] got my clothes washed forthe first time in six weeks. Pattie isthinner but in good nick.”

Their hopes of Christmastogether were dashed when, onDecember 23, Private Blundell’sunit was withdrawn to Egypt.

The 3rd Australian General FieldHospital followed in the new year,redeploying to Abbassia on theoutskirts of Cairo.

The two had another shortreunion before Martin left forFrance, landing at Marseilles onMarch 27, 1916.

By September 1917, he was alance corporal. Martin’s luck finallyran out on April 18, 1918, sevenmonths before the Armistice.

“His casualty reports stated:‘Killed in action near the summitof Mont Kemmel whilst acting asliaison between regiment and the

French’,” Mr Fielding said.“The dugout was completely

demolished by shell fire. His bodywas never recovered.”

Miss Blundell, meanwhile, hadbeen serving in England andFrance. She contracted bronchitisand by early 1918 was very sick.

In April she was fit enough towork in the 1st Australian AuxiliaryHospital in Harefield, a specialisttreatment centre with a consultingradiologist, physiotherapy servicesand even reconstructive surgery ofa primitive type.

“Patricia was nursing therewhen Martin was killed,” Ms Scarfesaid.

By July 1918, the formerDuntroon nurse had had enough.Physically and mentally exhausted,she set sail for Australia aboard

HMAT Barunga, originally aGerman steamer called Sumatra,which was torpedoed on July 15 inthe Bay of Biscay.

All aboard, including MissBlundell and her nurses, wererescued by the destroyer escort.

Miss Blundell re-embarked onHMAT Boonah, reaching Australiain September 1918.

“A medical examination inNovember 1918 showed her to be‘very tired out’ and she wasdischarged in March 1919,” MsScarfe said.

Left comfortably off thanks to a£4000 inheritance from hermother, Miss Blundell spent therest of her life in Victoria.

She died on November 27, 1968,just over 50 years after she had losther brother on the battlefield.

CALL HEEDEDMORE than 3000 Australian civiliannurses volunteered during WorldWar I.Two thousand members of theAustralian Army Nursing Serviceserved overseas.During the Gallipoli campaign, nursesworked on hospital ships offshore andat the tent hospital on Lemnos.Nursing was not a safe job. Twenty-five nurses lost their lives during thewar. Eight nurses were awarded theMilitary Medal.


‘YOU CAN HEAR THE SHELLS SCREAMING’

Private Edward Beasley

THE Beasley family fromthe small town of Towambaon the New South Walessouth coast typified thespirit of sacrifice amongAustralian families in WorldWar I.

There were 11 in thefamily – nine boys and twogirls – and five of thebrothers enlisted.

The eldest, Ted, waskilled in action on July 27,1916, in Pozieres, France.

There is no known gravefor Private Edward Beasleybut his name is listed onthe Australian National

Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.

Here are some excerptsfrom a letter home to hiscousin written on June 17,1916, only a month beforehis death.Dear Cousin,

Just a few lines to you tolet you see I have notforgotten you.

Since I last saw you I havedone quite a lot of travellingand by Jove I have seensights which if I am luckyenough to go through thiswar I shall never forget.

Just at present as I write

you this letter the guns arebooming away for all theyare worth. The noise wouldnearly deafen you.

You can hear the shellsscreaming through the air

in dozens over our heads.The airoplanes are very

busy to, fritzy is shellingthem for all he is worth butI have never saw onebrought down yet.

Talk about brave its noname for our airman itslovely to see them up in theair. They have got fritzyproperly bluffed.

We have seen a fair bit ofexperience in the firing linebut I expect it will be a meretrifle to what we will seebefore long if we are spared.

It would do your eyesgood to see the lovely grass,

it looks beautiful after beingso long on the sands ofEgypt. I should reckon this avery pretty country in peacetime, it would make you cryto see the lovely homes thathave been destroyed wherethe fighting has been.

Some people are stillliving in old ruins althoughthe shells are falling roundabout almost daily. Theytake the risk of being killedsooner than leave the dearold home.

I have seen brotherArthur several times sincewe came to France. He has

got very fat but I have notseen Hampden since he leftTel-el Kebir, Egypt.

They wasn’t camped veryfar away either but then it’shard to find anyone becausethere are so many. I hope theother three brothers getacross safe.

Anyway I live in hopes ofbeing able to get back againsome day, you never knowyour luck, do you Elsie. Iwould of sent you a card butthere ain’t any to be got justhere.Well Elsie I will ring offfor this time, with love fromTed. XXX. (Beasley)

❚ THE colour images on thispage are reproducedcourtesy of Juan Mahony, ofNewcastle, one ofAustralia’s foremostcollectors of WWI diariesand photograph albums.They are taken from hisbook The Digger’s View,a joint project with KentRowe Digital Print.Hundreds of WWI imageshave been painstakinglyrestored and colourised byhand. Mr Mahony said theaim was to bring animmediacy to the WWIexperience and accuratelyportray how the Diggerssaw themselves. The bookwas published last year tomark the centenary of thestart of the war. Copies ofindividual photos andlimited copies of the bookare available atthediggersview.com.au.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, May 1, 1915

MOMENT OF RESPITE: Members of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment from Queensland and men from afield artillery battery at a gun placement at Gallipoli.

PREPARED: Four men from Maitland’s 34th Battalion pose fora photo in France with their gas masks.

HARD GOING: Anindication of thesteepness of theterrain, menstruggle to carrya casualty on astretcher fromSteele’s Post onthe front line atGallipoli.


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100 years of anzac

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