Saturday, April 11, 2015

THE HORRENDOUS MISADVENTURE

A   gripping , sad  and  highly commendable   book , it  opens  with  the  stunning Gallipoli  Diary of   Colonel  W.G. Malone ,  commander of the Wellington Infantry Regiment , who  led  his  men  to  the top  of Chunuk  Bair  on August 8, 1915 , only  to be  killed by  a shell  from a  British  warship  which   burst over  his trench . Born in London , he was a caring  man of  many parts -  a  successful  farmer in New Zealand    ,  land  agent  , barrister and solicitor, twice   an independent liberal  candidate  for  parliament .  His first wife died in  childbirth .  A  Catholic, lover of   music and fluent in  French , he was 56 when he  went  ashore  at  Gallipoli . Two of  his sons  also joined up , one wounded  at Gallipoli,  several  times in France ,  and  later   died ; the other son was  wounded ,  did  not  return  to  active service  and went  home .

There is a photograph of Colonel Malone in Egypt  mounted on a horse , The  Don.  The   diary  includes  comments  about  Australians, the running of the  war, the Turks and  their   German  officers. He voices the opinion that the  naval bombardment  of  the Dardanelles six weeks  before the  actual  invasion was  a  blunder as it alerted the Turks  and enabled them  to  build up  defences , resulting  in  the subsequent  slaughter . Strong criticism  of   Australians vessels in  the  large   convoy taking troops  overseas  being  lit up  at night , chaos  in the  early part of  the  Gallipoli landing , leading to  the   large loss of  life , is  expressed  in   his  notes.  There is  also praise for  Australian and  Kiwi  soldiers .

Over the years, this male  reviewer  has  heard it said that dying soldiers out in No Man's  Land  often  called  out  for  their  mothers. This was  more or less taken for granted, a son  calling  for his mother who  had  borne  and  raised him . For the  first  time  in  my  memory, however,  Colonel Malone's diary said that in the Gallipoli  chaos , in the first hours of  combat ,  many  brave wounded  were  brought  down , placed on the ground  because of a shortage of stretchers  . There  were no cries or groans , but one   said " Oh Daddy", " Oh  Daddy "  in  a  low voice.

There is  mention of  the  British warship HMS  Majestic bombarding Turkish forts   in  the  Dardanelles and  supporting  the  allied  troop landing  at Gallipoli. At  one stage   Colonel Malone   arranged for a   flag to  be raised  to direct  the Majestic's  12 inch guns to  blast  Turkish  trenches ,   but fearing it might not be visible, set up a  heliograph, a mobile mirror signalling device , which achieved the  desired result  on  the  enemy.


The Majestic   had  to  destroy   the   abandoned   British   submarine E15  to prevent it from being captured  and was itself sunk by a submarine on  May 27 , 1915  by a  U-boat, with a loss of  49 lives. [A  model  of  HMS Majestic recently appeared  on  the  Antiques  Roadshow.]

Colonel  Malone  once  kept  himself  warm  trying  to  sleep on  the ground on  the  bitterly  cold  slopes of  Gallipoli  with  a great coat  taken  from  a  dead  Australian  soldier  . Other  scraps  of  clothing  from the battlefield , such as a cardigan , were retrieved , blankets  in  short supply . Flies, fleas, lice,   blood and guts, five acres  of  putrefying Turkish  dead , sudden  death , boils, footrot,  dermatitis , dysentery , spinal  meningitis ...

His  references  to  his second  wife, addressed as Mater ,  are deeply touching . In his  last  affectionate letter  to  her, three days before he was killed, he  said he was prepared for death and that his will  in  his  Stratford  office back home would keep her and the young children  in ease and comfort . In  1923 , a white arch was  erected at Stratford by the Wellington Regiment in memory of Colonel Malone and his photograph is on a large collection of  Stratford dead in an arcade  in  the  town's  main street. 

One  soldier's  diary account  of  his involvement  in the  war  was  written in Pitman's  shorthand  and   not  transcribed  until  l983.

Covered  here is  the senseless and  terrible  Passchendale  battle  of October  1917 in which  640  New Zealand  soldiers were  killed  in  two  hours. Hard  tack  served  the  troops  broke  false  teeth and caused  other  dental problems. There is  critical  comment  about a  minister of  religion  who  threw   chunks of  black  coal  at "Niggers" who came  alongside  a  troopship.

Published  by Allen and Unwin /Port Nicholson Press,Wellington, 1988, it is well illustrated , with maps ,  one  surprising  photograph  showing a  large white   Kiwi figure  carved  in  the  hill  behind the training centre ,  Sling Camp , Wiltshire , where  the  ancient  famous  chalk  horses  are  located .   There  are  photos  of   the   fighting  men  and  their  families , one of  a child born  soon  after  the departure of  his  father overseas,  later  killed carrying a lucky coin   ;  the  struggles  and  strikes by miners  on  the  home  front over  conscription  , this issue recently covered  in  Little  Darwin .

 In    1914  ,  aged  20,  Walter  Carruthers    joined up and became a stretcher  bearer. Admitting   to    blushing   in  the presence of  girls , he   wrote   home to his  fiancée after  years of  torrid warfare  and told her to  break off  their   relationship as  he felt " a cad " having   met  some  nice  girls on leave , the  feeling  between   him  and   his  fiancée  probably " calf  love." 

Having  already  received a    medal for   bravery and   promoted , soon after he captured  some  Germans  but   was  shot in the head  by an officer  and died   instantly . He was buried on the Hindenburg Line  a few months before the end of the  war... his personal  possessions  sent  home  to   his  parents. A  regimental   chaplain  wrote to  the fiancée , " being a person interested in the late Lieutenant  Carruthers", saying he had lived a  noble life and died a hero, a gentleman .
 
As you read  the  personal  accounts of  these men  you  feel as if  you know  them and  begin to  wish , unreasonably  hope,  as  your  turn  the  page,   each one  will  somehow   survive  the  bloodbath,  repeatedly , inappropriately  described  in  dealings  with WW1  as  a "great adventure ."  In the case of  Australia , Gallipoli , often  wrongly  described  as  the  birth of  the  nation , the coming of age ,  appeals to the new age of  jingoism,  drum beating and commercial and  political   exploitation of  the   disaster  .  Australia  became  a  nation  in 1901 with  Federation  and  was  way ahead  of  the rest of  the  world  in  many social and  democratic  reforms .  The Gallipoli campaign was an absolute disaster  which  Rupert  Murdoch's  journalist  father  revealed, playing a part in the  decision   to  withdraw from the hellhole  .  A tragic anecdote  in the  book is the  statement by an Australian  soldier  who survived  Gallipoli  telling   Kiwis  he would not care  to be  home in Australia  when  news   comes through that they had "abandoned "  Gallipoli. -  (Peter Simon )