The New Zealand Part of the ANZAC Forces

This year, I was chosen to be a Shrine of Remembrance Youth Ambassador. As a youth ambassador, I am expected to inform both my community and my school of the happenings of World War One and Two as well as continuing on the legacy of the ANZAC Forces.

This school holidays, I was asked to help run a program called ‘Dogs, Dolphins and Donkeys’ for children aged 4-10. This program is about learning what animals did in the theatres of war.

When I ran the first workshop, I got into conversation with a mum (who was from New Zealand) who had brought her two sons to the program. We got talking and she shared with me two amazing stories of her great-grandfather and her grandfather who fought in WW1 and WW2.

The first story she told me was about her great-grandfather who fought at Gallipoli. He was apart of the ANZACs and he had a donkey. He was a stretcher bearer who also used a donkey to transport wounded ANZAC’s to hospital ships. He worked alongside John Simpson Kirkpatrick and the most amazing thing is the famous painting of Simpson and his Donkey that she recalls being told that it is actually of her great-grandfather.

The other story was of her Grandad. He was deployed to Crete and after fighting there, was taken Prisoner of War by the Germans. This is where the story takes a surprising turn. For some reason, the German officials in charge of his group liked him and allowed him to set up a laundry business for the Germans. He was even paid! By the time he was liberated, he had earned quite a bit of money and went back home to New Zealand with cash in hand.

Information about the Battle of Crete: The battles were fought from the second week of May, where German airbourne troops attacked the allied divisions. By the end of May, hte resistance had broken down and the Germans took small groups of allied soldiers prisoner. (Info found at https://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/crete.asp )

These stories that were told to me were very facinating and being able to share stories of family members (especially her grandfather) must have being very hard and I thank her for sharing those stories with me.

For info about the Shrine of Remembrance: http://www.shrine.org.au/home

Important: I have recieved verbal permission for this to be posted.

 

15 Facts About Winston Churchill

1. Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on Monday 30th November, 1875, at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire
2. In his early years, Churchill was fiery and rebellious, which led to poor grades.
3. Winston Churchill had a stutter and a lateral lisp, and was also teased for his red hair. At Harrow School, he was given the cruel nickname of “Cobberknob”
4. Churchill applied to enter into the Royal Military College inSandhurst, but it took him 3 attempts before passing
5. When he went to fight in the Boer War, he took approximately 60 bottles of alcohol with him
6. Churchills political career lasted 64 years, from winning his first seat in 1900 to an elder member of parliament in June 1964
7. Winston Churchill was a supporter of eugenics. He originally said that the feeble-minded should be sterilised instead of confined in institutions.
8. When he was a reporter, he was captured as a Prisoner of War. The soldier that Churchill surrendered to was Louis Bothra, the future Prime Minister of South Africa who would work with Churchill later in life to help the country become ruled by the British
9. His political career lasted for over 60 years (1900-1964)
10. When he was a young politician, he was absolutely against womens voting rights.
11. He was personally involved with the development of the tank that was first used during the First World War.
12. The failed Gallipoli landings were a plan of Winston Churchill’s.
13. The failure of the landings would haunt him for the rest of his life. Many historians believe avoided invading France until he was assured he had a strong chance of success.
14. There is a Cuban cigar named in his honor. The Churchill is 7 inches long and 19mm wide.
15. Elizabeth II offered to create Churchill Duke of London, but he declined.

How did World War One contribute to Australia’s sense of Nationhood

World War One definitely did contribute to Australia’s sense of nationhood.The word nationhood can be defined as ‘the state of being a nation, or a large group of people united by a common language, culture or economic lifestyle’. Some of the things that assisted Australia’s sense of nationhood was the bravery shown at the Gallipoli landings, the sense of loyalty shown at Fromelles and the determination of the soldier in the First and Third Battles of Passchendaele.

At dawn on the 25th April 19115, the ANZAC’s landed just north of ANZAC Cove. Their mission was to take control of the Gallipoli Peninsula and clear the way so that the Royal Navy could capture the Turkish capital of Constinaple (now Istanbul). The ANZAC’s were met with a strong Turkish force and any hope of advance was shut down. During the first 5 days of the offensive, 643 men had been killed in action and another 213 more died from wounds or disease.

The Battle of Fromelles was the worst 24 hours in Australia’s history. 5,533 Australian soldier were either killed or wounded in action. Many of the soldiers that were higher in command knew that the campaign would be costly. Even Major H.C.L Howard predicted that the attack would prove to be ‘a bloody holocaust’. Some of the soldiers could have refused to fight but proved to be stay loyal to their commanders and army.

The determination of Australian forces during the two battles of Ypres is to be commended. In the eight weeks of fighting, 38,000 Australian soldiers were either killed or wounded. It is even harder to believe that hardly any progress was made. In fact, only a couple fo kilometers were gained. The intention of this attack was to drain German manpower. This instance is the perfect description of determination because the soldiers could have given up at any time but didn’t.

When we think of Australian’s in World War One, we think of bravery, determination, and loyalty. This was the first time that Australia could show that they were united and they made a great impression. This helped Australia’s sense of nationhood because they would be remembered for their strength, loyalty, bravery, and determination.

The 5 Main Causes of World War 1

Alliances:

There were many allianced that were in place before World War 1. This meant that if one country got attacked, their allies would come and defend them. Because there were so amny alliances, if one country got attacked, it was likely that a large scale war would be declared. Some of the alliances that were in place before World War 1 were:

• Russia and Serbia
• Germany and Austria-Hungary
• France and Russia
• Britain and France and Belgium
• Japan and France

Imperialism:

The definition of imperialism is ‘a policy of extending a countries power by means of colonialisation, military force or other means’.The desire for greater empires by European countries in the leadup to World War One was one of the reasons that so many countries ended up fighing in the Great War.

Militarism:

Before WW1, European countries had started to increase their army capacity. The term militarism can be defined as ‘a belief that a coutnry should maintain a strong militaey capability and be prepared to use it aggressivly to defend or promote the nation.’ By 1914, Germany had the worlds strongest army. This led to an influence on the public and therefore, society. This was one of the bigger impacts that led to the start of World War One.

Nationalism:

The term nationalsim can be interpreted as ‘an extreme form of support for ones country marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries.’ Much of the start of the war was caused by people in Bosnia not wanting to be apart of Austria Hungrary, but a part of Serbia. In a wider sense, it did not only help cause the war but help expand it.

Assasination:

The immediate cause of World War One was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and alliances started to help other countries out and this therefore led to the expansion of the war.

Evacuation from Gallipoli

On the 15th November 1915, the decision was made by the Commander in Chief of the British Army that Gallipoli was to be evacuated. His reasoning was that without re-enforcements, little progress would be made against the strengthening Turkish Army.

The hardest bit of the operation was going to be hoe to leave the peninsula without arousing suspicion from the Turks. An evacuation plan was devised by  Lieutenant Colonial Charles Brundenell White which involved ‘elaborate’ deception plans. There were to be ‘silent stunts’ where there was to be no artillery fire or sniping from the Australian lines. White hoped that by not firing on the Turks, they would become accustomed to the thought that the Allied forces were preparing for the winter, not withdrawal. There was also great care taken to keep up the irregular firing that was expected by the Turks.

The evacuation was planned to be 3 parts. During the first 2 stages, the number of soldier reduced from 41,000 to 20,077. The idea was that by the end of the second stage, the soldiers would be reduced to a point where they could still hold of a major Turkish offensive for a duration of about 1 week. The remaining soldiers would then be evacuated in the ‘Final Withdrawal’ that would be spread over 2 nights.

On the nights of 18-19 and 19-20 December the final 20 000 Anzacs were taken off. On 19 December, the British cruiser HMS Grafton lay in off North Beach ready to take the soldiers on board and, if necessary, to open fire on any enemy attempt to hinder this final withdrawal. An observer on the Grafton noted:

It is about 9 o’clock. An ideal night for the job. No ships (only a few lights) visible at Suvla. One ship about a mile on our port beam. Barely a wrinkle on the water. Soft air from the north. Moon at present quite invisible. The wash of the destroyer has been lapping against our sides like wavelets at the edge of a pond.

10.00 pm- Three ships just gone in …

10.35 pm- Five trawlers coming out with cutters in tow.

On 19 December just 10 000 men held the lines of trenches from Bolton’s Ridge in the south to Hill 60 in the north. The day was spent by firing aimed at convincing their watchful enemy that things were proceeding as normal. At 2.15 pm the British started a small scale attack at Helles to distract the Turks. At dusk the rear guard soldiers began leaving for the beach until finally there were but 1500 left in the dark trench. Company Sergeant Major Joe Gasparich, Auckland Infantry Battalion, was among the last to depart in the early hours of 20 December:

I came down – I got off my perch (the firing step) [and]I walked through the trench and the floor of the trench was frozen hard … and when I brought my feet down they echoed right through the trench, down the gully, right down, and you could hear this echo running ahead … Talk about empty, I didn’t see a soul … It was a lonely feeling.

By 4.00 am, 20 December 1915, a handful of men were left at North Beach. Among these was the commander of the ‘Rear Party’, Colonel J Paton, from Waratah, Sydney. At 4.10 am, Paton, having waited ten minutes for any last Anzac straggler, declared the evacuation complete and sailed off. The Anzacs had successfully left Gallipoli with hardly a casualty.

A Different Sort of Battle at Lone Pine

Here is a story that I had to write for my English class. I have used aspects of my other story, My War. This story is based on the Battle of Lone Pine and how 2 mates friendship continued even after death. This story is classified as a detective fiction story.

18th May 1985:

As I walk through the fields, gunshots again ring through my head and send shivers down my spine. Poised like a snake in the mountains, we ambushed the Turks, taking them by surprise. A fellow soldier was shot. The service for his country came at a price. He was soon on the ground, screaming for help. We could do nothing. His wounds were too serious. He knew this and before we could stop him he pulled out his gun and died from self-inflicted wounds. Or so we thought.

I was 29 when I enlisted for the Australian Imperial Forces. I had been a detective for 5 years and undergone many months of training. You would think that all the training would have helped me when I enlisted. However, nothing could have prepared me for what happened at Lone Pine.

I was placed in the 1^st Brigade where many men I knew were stationed. I became very close with a man named Andy who was 31 and a teacher from Mackay. It was during the battle of Lone Pine that he was injured and, soon after that killed.

As we were walking to battle, I could feel there was a lot of tension in the air. There had been many disagreements in the brigade and it made it hard to work together. When Andy and Baz had confliction opinions, it was like two dogs fighting for dominance but no one gained anything over the other. As we arrived at the ‘zero hour’ location, I had a bad feeling about this operation. I often felt this way when doing my detective work but this felt different. It was a feeling of danger, which naturally didn’t sit well with me. The Brigade Commander soon spoke. “Men, I have received word that there is 60 minutes until hop over. Start to begin battle prep.” Nothing more needed to be said. Men all around began to prep their rifles to charge the Turks.

The time was coming closer. It was now 5:20. 10 minutes to go until zero hour. We all knew there was no room for mistake. As the time came closer, I positioned my self between Andy and Baz. 3 minutes to go. My heart was racing. 2 minutes. I started to pray to god. 1 minute to go and before I knew it, men were hopping over the parapet and charging the enemy.

This is the part that has stuck in my mind for the past 75 years. Andy had hopped over before me and was about 10 meters in front of me. All I could hear was the whizzing of bullets and the screams of comrades falling to the ground in pains. Many of them to their deaths. I was one of the lucky ones that made it to the enemy trenches first. The Turks had cleverly disguised their trenches that our planes could not see them. They were also covered all the way around so it made it virtually impossible to get into. It was a while before we gained access, but when we did, we captured around 70 Ottoman troops. When I made sure the enemy soldiers were detained, I went in search of Andy. I was pitch black in the new trench, so it was hard to know where to go. I started to call his name, more and more frantically as time passed. As I was beginning to lose hope, I heard a faint call coming from out in front of me. I knew by the tone it was Andy. “Help me Walter” he called, almost crying. I knew I needed to help him.

Without thinking about what I was doing, I began to crawl out of the trench. Soldiers from my brigade, including the Brigade Commander, we yelling at me to get back to the trench. I ignored them and continued to crawl towards the voice that was getting louder and louder the more I crawled. Mateship was just as important as self-preservation at Gallipoli and when you saw a mate that was injured, you would do whatever you could do to help them. When I looked up, not 20 meters in front of me was Andy, laying on his side, clutching his left leg with his hands covered in blood. When I got to him, he just looked at me. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth and whispered the words, “I’m in pain. Help.” I carefully picked him up and started to run back towards the newly captured trench. Andy was complaining with every step I was taking but I ignored him and kept on running until I reached the trench.

When I reached the trench, mates were there to assist me in getting Andy into the trench. Once he was laid down on the trench floor, one of the soldiers Matt who was a doctor began to assess him. After what seemed like hours, the examination was finished. Matt came to the conclusion that the gun shot wound that Andy has received had severed major tendons and arteries. The best option for Andy was for him to be evacuated to the hospital ship but even then, it wasn’t a guarantee that he would survivce. All the while this conversation was happening, Andy had been complaining and he was giving up hope. “I cannot cope with all of this pain” he cried and before we could stop him, he took out his gun, said a quiet prayer and shot himself. At least that was what it looked like.

We continued on with our duties at Gallipoli. Andy’s body was sent off for an autopsy and then returned home to Mackay. It was extremely hard for me as I had just lost my best mate. A couple of weeks later, I was summoned to a meeting with the Brigade Commander. I was the only person that he had wanted and I instantly started to wonder what I had done wrong. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes before the commander spoke up. “I have received some information on Andy’s death.” Before I could ask what it was, he was pushing a piece of paper into my hands. I began to read it.

‘Dear Brigade Commander Watson,

After conducting an autopsy on Sgt. Andy Puller, I thought it would be prudent to contact you and share this information. I found some suspicious findings while examining Puller’s body. After reading Sgt. Pullers notes, It was recorded that he died from ‘self inflicted wounds’. After examining his body, my findings conclude a different type of wound. When I examined the gunshot wound, it was evaluated that the blast was not a short distance but a long distance bullet wound.

I recommend that you follow this up with your brigade as I find this quite suspicious.

Kind Regards,

Matthew Packish

Forensic Pathologist’

 

I can remember reading that letter with tears streaming down my face. To know that a fellow soldier had the guts to kill a fellow soldier was horryfing. If almost reading my thoughts, the commander said “I know this is a tough subject for you but I promise you we will resolve this issue and the culprit will be found.” I thanked the Brigade Commander and left the dugout with a heavy heart.

True to his word, the Brigade Commander held a meeting the next morning. He informed the brigade of the situation and explained that if the killer did not come forward, he would personally make sure that drastic actions were to be taken. He also asked that if anyone knew anything about the incident to come and talk to him privately. Almost immediately after he had finished talking, Baz put up his hand and asked to speak with the Commander separately. That was the last I saw of Baz during the war.

After the war, I found out that Baz had admitted to killing Andy although his motives were unknown. I was asked to be present at the time of the court hearing. Baz was trialed and found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to death by hanging. That was the closest I ever got to closure. I was also nominated to receive the Victoria Cross for bravery during battle. I was asked to write a speech.

At the ceremony, I presented my speech. I talked about Andy and how he was the perfect person that anyone could be around at war. I also said that I dedicated the medal to Andy.

When that incident at Gallipoli happened, I promised myself that I would make Andy proud. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of him and I hope that I have done him proud. RIP Andy.

Saturday 11 September 1915 – We Lost 164

Source: Saturday 11 September 1915 – We Lost 164

This is quite sad but very interesting to see how many lives were lost and to pinpoint names to people.

Historical Fiction story part 2

Here is the next part of my historical fiction story:

We stayed 2 nights at the camp before we were ordered to do a route march. Route marches were something that many soldiers dreaded. Some of the soldier’s perspective was that we had been accepted into the army and shown we were fit but they had to keep pushing us. I understood the reasoning of the route marches but it did not make it any easier to do it. It was 12 and a half hours of torture for many. When the march came to an end, everyone went to their bivvies. Life was much more spirited around the camp now. We played cards and talked about home. One of the older guys, Gary, lived in Darwin and he hadn’t told anyone that he was enlisting for the army. He would often tell us that he was having second thoughts about being in the army and he would drill us on what to say to his wife if he died. We later found out this was because he had a brain tumour and only had months to live. He died later that week.

The funeral was not what he deserved. Because we were in battle, the service was very quick. Baz conducted the ceremony. He talked about our time being together and then recited a verse for his pocket bible that he carried around with him. After the ceremony, Baz and some of my other mates buried him and placed a wooden cross at his grave which said:

Gary Williams

Died 18^th July

Rest in Peace

After Gary was buried, I was left with the task to write a letter to his wife explaining his death. It was a very emotional time for me because he was a father figure while I was here. I was the youngest in the group and I had been left with this responsibility to write a letter to his loved ones. It took many attempts to get the letter right. Here was what I wrote in the final letter:

On behalf of the Officers and men of my Company I wish to offer you my sincere sympathy in the bereavement you have sustained in the death of your husband. I feel that you would like to know that your husband had the goodwill & esteem of all his comrades & his loss was felt with general sorrow by the Company.

Your husband was rushed to the medical tent and received immediate medical attention but died almost immediately and as he was unconscious I am sure that he suffered no pain. If there is anything you would like to know or that I can do to help you, I shall be only too pleased to do so.

Again assuring you of all our sympathy with you and your little girl

I remain, Yours Sincerely Walter Kingfisher.

It was very hard to write as I know he had a young daughter at home who would grow up not knowing her father. I placed myself in the family’s shoes. What if I was the one that died and my younger sister would have no older brother to grow up with. I was filled with sorrow. That had been the first death that I had experienced and I prepared myself for more to come.

Historical Fiction Story

As I walk through the fields, Gun shots again ring through my head and send shivers down my spine. Poised like a snake in the mountains, waiting to attack. They ambushed us, took us by surprise. That moment flashes vividly in my mind. The great big Fritz that was running towards me was taken down by a fellow comrade. It came at a price. He was soon on the ground, screaming for help. We could do nothing. The wounds were too deep. He knew this. He took out his gun and before we could stop him, he died from self-inflicted wounds.

This is Gallipoli, this is where I died.

Kelvin Jones always used to tease me about how I looked like an 18 year old. Always picking on my short moustache or my long, skinny legs. He would call me a coward because I didn’t enlist for the Great War. I would walk home begrudgingly with him running behind me calling me names. I didn’t want that. I just wanted to be a normal 16 year old. My mother had gotten used to seeing me come home with black eyes and blood dripping down my face. She knew what was happening but she pleaded my not to give in. She would constantly remind me that I was an intelligent boy that was stronger than Kelvin. I knew this was true but when it went on day in, day out, it was hard to ignore. When the enlistment process came I lined up. It was only 9am but the line was humungous. I told my parents that I was visiting a friend. I hated lying but I knew I had to. I was getting bullied. People did that to anyone who didn’t enlist for the war. It scared me and I couldn’t deal with it anymore. It was now my turn. I told them my name, Walter Kingfisher, my address, 31 Kokoda Crescent, then it came to my age. I told them I was 19 and without any hesitation, they let me through. I was quite surprised because I thought it would be a lot harder than that. Then was the general health test, I passed with flying colours.

Before I knew it we were on our way to training. The sweltering heat was a lot warmer than it could get in Melbourne. It took a while to adjust. After many months of training, we were told to board a ship with an unknown location. It was later told to us that we were en route to a location about 1 mile above where we actually landed. We landed at ANZAC Cove, not our original plan. As soon as we left the ship, we knew this was a bad idea. Before we even stepped onto the beach, the guns were firing. Good friend dropped all around me. Boom! I turned to look back for the ship. I was having second thoughts. The ship had long gone. As I was wading through the water, I thought of home. What did my mother and father think when I didn’t return that night? One word came to mind. Fear.

I was amongst one of the lucky ones that survived the landing. My comrades and I all headed for the treacherous landscape ahead of us. Some of them had wounds that needed looking after but we didn’t have time. We needed to find somewhere to rest and then we could look after them. Our battalion stopped about an hour later near a maze of trenches. This would later be known to us as the front line. The wounds were not as bad as we first thought. I was not one that liked the sight of blood so I busied myself with checking out our new surroundings. It was very mountainous. I began to think about what a beautiful place this was and how sad it was to see it surrounded with war. Two of my closest friends died during the landing. I said a silent goodbye to them and how I was lucky to know them.

The sound of gunshots bought me to my feet. How long had I been asleep for? When I looked up above, the sun was just starting to make an appearance. At once, I thought of my younger sister. I would always tell her that her hair was the colour of the sun when it was rising. I wonder what she was thinking at this moment. I hadn’t told her that I was going to enlist for the army but I have a feeling she knew that I was going to. I was bought back to attention by a sound in my right ear. I turned around to see Baz standing there impersonating a Fritz. “Very funny” I said in a sarcastic tone. Baz is known to be the joker of the group. Always playing a joke on someone or goofing around. In a way, It was nice to have some humour in the camp. Everything was so serious that we needed some humour every now and then. Everyone except me was laughing. I was able to crack a smile. Everybody was telling me that I needed to lighten up.

Gallipoli Poem

Imagine you were a soldier sailing for Gallipoli. How would you feel? These were the questions that I asked myself while I was writing this poem. 

Sailing towards the enemy

Everyone was silent

None of us knew

That this war will be so violent

Then we were given the order,

To attack, to fight

This order was given to us

Only at first light

Wading through the water

Men falling down

All of my friends,

Were now going to drown

I fought for them

I fought for me

But then I remembered

I fought for my country

Trenches covered in mud

Dead comrades all around

Killing innocent people

Would be something I never live down

Our commander dies

I was left in charge

The job at hand though

Was way too large

But I kept going

Did what was right

Then one day

I was wounded in a fight

No medics around,

No doctors in the group

I gave the role

To another troop

I layed there in the trenches

Trying to keep my thoughts at bey

And then peacefully

I passed away

My family back in Australia,

Were left all alone

When that telegrams was delivered

It was well known.

I told them I would come home

I really did try

This is Galipolli,

This is where I died

Here is a poem that i wrote as part of my classwork. I have had a few people read it and they said that i should put it up on my blog so here it is!