The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)(about) |
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Wednesday 19 January 1916
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3 corrections, most recently by Lenore - Show corrections
THE LIGHTER SIDE.
How the "Anzacs" Saw It.
IN A WOUNDED "RETURNED."
Late, in August a fresh draft of troops left camp at Heliopolis en route for the
front. As Ihcy passed the Luna Park hos
pital they greeted their wounded comrades with rounds of cheers. One man swathed in bandages leaned from a window and called out, "Are you mugs off at last?" The reply went back, "Yes, we are going to dish the Turks who gave yon blokes a hiding." "Are you downhearted?" yelled the man from the window. The warriors to be were taken in completely. "No," they cried in chorus. The bandaged man grinned with triumph
At the top of his voice he shouted, "Well, you soon will be." Anzac humour is ironic and poignant, but purely Austra lian.
It was men from that same brigade who had good reason to be downhearted a few days later. They were aboard the tor- pedoed transport Southland. This is how they showed it. When the rescuing ships arrived they found men facing death to the strains of "Tipperary" and ''Australia will be There." One boat party at least was thinking of home. The cries from old Broadmeadows were not forgotten. They were shouting "Cab, cab, right into Bruns- wick, right into Brunswick," and '"ot pie or
a pastie."
Having transhipped to a light, fast vessel the men of one unit left Mudros a few evenings later for the front. A submarine guard was posted around the vessel to the
extreme disgust of the unfortunate few. One man took mild vengeance. Waiting until a certain nervous subaltern was be- hind him he raised his rifle and took meti- culous aim apparently at some object in the water. The officer became excited, and anxiously asked the man what he was aim- ing at. The reproachful look he gave the man when he learned that it was only a piece of seaweed spoke volumes.
The battalion landed that night, and the next day saw a fatigue party going to the beach for stores. An observer on Gaba Tepe saw them, and Beachy Bill opened out with shrapnel. This was their first taste of shell fire. The strategic retreat back to the shel- ter of a communication trench was one of the quickest movements seen on the penin- sula. One man who was noted for his "good oil" about racehorses shook his head sorrow- fully at the sky where the shells were burst- ing! "This is no place for a parson's son," he declared solemnly. "They'll miss me in the old home," he ruminated a little later. They'll see me name on the roll of honour, and be sorry they ever cut me off."
It was a hot, broiling day when the bat- talion wound its way wearily up Bridges road, to the head of the gully, each man was in full marching order - 200 rounds of ammunition, four days' rations, and fire- wood. How each man longed for the time when he could strip himself of impeding habiliments and stand half naked in the sun like the grinning veterans from the landing standing by. A well-preserved new arrival raised the first laugh. "How far to the next pub?" he asked plaintively as the perspiration rolled down his face. A brown, bearded boy answered him, "Yer'll get a ration of rum before yer go out on a charge,
cobber."
It was General McCay who said that the keenest soldier possible was the Australia during his first week at Anzac. He will watch like a hawk, and snipe continuously. All fatigue work is done by eager volun- teers. Then he becomes at home in the
trenches, and is a little wily. Men need to be detailed. One night a new arrival was observing from his post when he heard a rattling among the empty bully beef tins just in front of the sandbags. Crack, bang, crack went his rifle as he emptied his maga- zine into the spot, and the tins strewn in front rattled like castanets. Then there was silence. "Yell out Allah, yer cow," he cried as he let loose another fusillade.
Patrolling officers rushed to the spot, and being unable to see anything warned the man against hallucinations. A careful scru- tiny next morning, however, revealed the body of the midnight marauder. There was a mutilated rat 6ft. in front of the para-
pet.
The schemes to lighten work were many. Carrying ammunition up to the firing line was a job which would make, a coal lumper grunt. There were thousands of rounds of captured Turkish ammunition, and seve- ral Turkish rifles about the trenches. These were quickly commandeered, and made to serve a double purpose. They saved the holders the need of going down the gully for cartridges, and enabled them to keep their own rifles clean. Owing to the broken hours of duty sleep was naturally not hard to woo. During the bombardments men hid- ing in dug-outs and saps waited anxiously to sec the destructive effect of the shells on the trenches. It was they who had to do the rebuilding. While a heavy bombard- ment was on one day a shell was heard to burst with a roar in the trenches. Sitting at the mouth of a sap one man was heard to say sorrowfully to himself, "There goes my bit of shut-eye."