The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I: Egypt, Gallipoli, Lemnos Island, Sinai PeninsulaCollett, Herbert Brayley
History
The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I: Egypt, Gallipoli, Lemnos Island, Sinai Peninsula
Collett, Herbert Brayley
Australia. Australian Army. Battalion, 28th; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Australia
Speech, accent, and manner counted for a good deal when working in
conjunction with British troops. An incident which illustrates this
occurred in connection with a fatigue party which was required by the
British Army Service Corps for night work on the beach. This party was
commanded by an officer who possessed neither size in stature or feature
in voice. His second-in-command was a corporal with very marked
characteristics. With the N.C.O. in rear the two set out for the A.S.C.
dugout, at the entrance to which the officer announced his arrival. The
A.S.C. officer emerged into the night and asked the question "Where have
you got your men?" The corporal gave the answer in his deepest
stentorian tones and with faultless accent, "They are anchored just
abaft the stack of Fray Bentos." The "Tommy" officer immediately came
over towards him and remarked, "Oh! I'm sorry, Old Chappie, I didn't
know there was an officer here, I thought this little N.C.O. was in
charge of the party." The corporal wasn't quite clear as to what
followed, but had a distinct recollection of receiving an order in good
Australian, "Corporal! Go back and bring the men along to the cheese
stack, _at once_!"
From the Beach, where men of all units met, came the daily crop of
"furphies" or rumours. Some of these, it was suspected, were set going
by the Intelligence Section of the General Staff, but many of them were
the deliberate creation of a few people with a rather perverted sense of
humour. Others developed from the chance remark of some individual
speculating on what might be, or what he hoped would be. The "Anzac
Liar," as the unknown person was designated, dealt with many subjects,
from an advance to a retirement, from the landing of a Greek or Italian
Army Corps on the north to the forcing of the Straits by the Navy. This
last, it was said, was to be achieved by the 2nd November, and the
sailors were prepared to make handsome bets on it. With experience the
ordinary soldier came to regard this news as a topic for conversation
only, remaining incredulous and accepting actual facts with the best
grace possible in view of his rapidly developing fatalistic spirit.
The Beach was also the hunting ground of those who sought to improve
their lot. One night a well-known Signaller, a noted hunter with an
eagle eye, observed a case of rum--for the moment unattended. The
situation obviously required action and P----possessed the necessary
initiative. Five seconds later he was being pursued down the Beach.
After successfully losing his pursuers he humped the case to Russell's
Top and opened it before a crowd of thirsty and expectant Signallers--to
find that it was lime juice. In the opinion of the Section this incident
was the one black spot in P----'s long career of usefulness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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