Eagle

Cleansing

Whisper

Thunder

Echo

Through The Veil

Diamond Light

Don't Be Anxious

Picture by Vickie Poole

Overflowing God - John 1:5

Exploding old thoughts

As words through clouds of granite

Pulls the heart without a sound

Clear my rusted mind

I await a chink of light

Where your sun beams further shine

John 1: 5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

Gallipoli 100 - A Letter by Pte. William Hood, 6th Battalion, A.I.F.

This account is by Pte, James William Hood of the 6th Battalion, AIF and was published in the WEST WIMMERA MAIL on July 16th, 1915.

Private Hood did not actually take part in the Landing at Gallipoli on April 25th, but saw all the action on board ship with the unloading party. His account offers a unique perspective of the landings.

"Private Jim HOOD, son of Mrs. HOOD of Polkemmet, has written two interesting letters home. The first was written on May 2 on the troop ship Galeka, off Alexandria, and is as follows:--

"I suppose you were pleased to hear that Australia won her first victory in one of the severest battles of the war. I was unlucky enough to miss it, as I was left on board to help unload in the hold party, and after the hospital ships were filled with wounded they sent them onto our boat, and so we have been nurses and general sickmen's orderlies ever since. It was a rotten job, just about turned me up. I thought I could stand blood. They talk about the way the Germans play dirty tricks, but the Turks can loose them at it. They hold up the white flag and then shoot our men as soon as they approach them. German officers are everywhere in our uniforms, giving our men orders in English, and playing our bugle calls to entice our men out of the trenches. The Turks seem to use more explosive bullets then any other kind.

The wounds they give are awful. One chap had his hand blown off with the explosion. In the trenches they pop off above you just like crackers, and when you open them there is just an outer coat of nickle, filled with powder and a little soft lead to hold the powder in. The troops landed on my birthday. We had the ship right close to the shore, and the shrapnel was flying all over us. It was a terrible rough landing for the boys. First time under fire, and an awful lot were shot in the boats before they reached shore. One boat was sunk by a shell going through it, and the men were picked up in the water. The boys behaved beautifully. They charged as soon as they landed, in fact they jumped out up to their necks in water and charged the Turkish trenches 50 yards from the shore, and then chased the Turks a mile and a half inland.

Their snipers took heavy toll of our men. You couldn't see them 12 yds from you and they just murdered our chaps wholesale. One sniper they shot had 12 identification discs and about £200 in Australian money from those he had shot, and another had wristlet watches up to his elbow on one arm. I suppose you will have heard all this news long before you get this letter; but we have no time to think of anything else at present, as you may guess. It is a unique experience for all of us, and it is a scene that some of us will never forget. There are a lot of our fellows gone. Three of my mates at Mena are dead and two more wounded. Goodbye for the present. I will write first chance, but we land in firing line this week. Love to all home and Polkemmet, and to all the girls near home.

The second letter is thrilling :--

Some spot in Turkey, May 18 -- I must write a line to let you know I am still going strong, though the shrapnel are screaming musically about and above our heads, and rifles and machine guns are also doing their share of the orchestra. I don't know where my mail has been getting to, as I have only had two letters since we left Mena on the 14th of April. I met Bruce GREGSON (wounded) the other day, but he is back in the firing line again. If the Australians can do nothing else they can play this game well. At present they are laughing and joking at every shell that comes. It is funny the difference between death in civil life and death here. It seems such a common thing to expect to get your turn, and still it doesn't come, and even when you see a friend shot you have no time to do anything but just fire on for all your worth.

There is one thing about the Turks, you can't bayonet them, because they won't wait for you and you have no chance of catching them for they run like hares. They say this is more serious fighting than that in France, and they call it "Hell on Earth". It is worse here because it is full of bullets, Lyddite, hand grenades, shrapnel and various other articles. Tell the girls I have no time for more than one letter and not much time for that. I am writing this on my water bottle, well down in the ground in a dug out with just room for three in it. Jack CHARLTON, Will HOLDEN, and myself all writing. It may be the last time for months or it may be forever (Kathleen Mavourneen style). Someone just sang out that from the amount of fireworks there were here he reckoned it was the 5th November and not 18th May. The light horse are in the trenches with the infantry now. Goodbye mother. Say goodbye to all I know, as it is 10:1 chance if I ever see them again. You can't realise what it is like.

[ An official post card, dated May 20, said he was well, but have since heard that he was wounded on June 24 ]

Later Mrs. HOOD informed us yesterday that she received a wire the night before containing the bad news that her son had been severely wounded in the right leg. "

James William Hood enlisted on 14th September 1914, in the 6th Battalion AIF as 2nd Reinforcement, he was injured in 1915 and returned to Australia.
However, he reenlisted when recovered on the 16th March 1916 again with the 6th Battalion, 18th Reinforcement.

On 18th August 1918 he was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery during the Battle of Lihons.

The citation reads:

Military Medal

'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on the 10th day of August 1918 at LIHONS. During the attack this Stretcher Bearer did magnificent work and displayed great courage in going out under heavy Machine Gun and rifle fire across extremely flat and open country and rescuing wounded. On many separate occasions, after his comrade had become a casualty, he bandaged the wounded by himself and at great personal risk repeatedly carried them great distances on his back to a place of safety. His courage was superb.' (Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 109. Date: 15 September 1919).

He survived the war and returned to Australia on 22nd August 1919.

Gallipoli 100 - A Letter by Lance Corporal Vivian Brown, 8th Battalion, A.I.F.

This report from the West Wimmera mail comes from Lance Corporal Vivian Charles Brown, 8th Battalion AIF.

He was a carpenter from Natimuk, Victoria. He enlisted on 19th August 1914 aged 27, regimental no. 643. He returned to Australia on 17th March 1917, injured.

A newspaper report of the 23rd June 1920 updates “Mr. Viv Brown is back in Natimuk from the Caulfield Military Hospital, where he underwent an operation on his foot, which was shattered by a shell.”

This account gives a different angle and even has time for some humour, “As the hills were very steep many rolled down instead of walking”.

Mrs. EKMAN writes:-- I noticed in your last issue that you stated my brother, Viv. C. BROWN was at Malta (minding prisoners), I beg to inform you, that is incorrect, because Monday, 21st June, I received a letter from him, which runs as follows:--

"Just a few lines to let you know I am still able to eat three meals a day. We are right in the thick of it here, if you know where "here" is, as we are not allowed to say where we are at present. We landed on a Sunday and I do not think I will ever forget it. The first salute we got was a hail of shrapnel as we rowed ashore in the boats, and as we got ashore it was like someone throwing stones. They (the stones) were flopping all around us. It was all uphill work.

There was a funny side to it as well. As the hills were very steep many rolled down instead of walking. I experienced it myself, and it was not too pleasant, as there was a lot of prickly bushes where I lobbed. The fire was not too bad until we got to another hill. Colonel GARTSIDES (he is dead now poor chap) said we would be under heavy fire when we were going down the other side, and he was quiet right, we were. I reckon I could have given any of the crack runners of "Nati" a start and then have beaten them down the next gully. I will ring off now as paper is scarce. H. HALLAM was the only one from Natimuk that got hit, he is still in the hospital. Remember me to all over there as I cannot write to everyone."

Gallipoli 100 - The Landing A Letter by Pte. Cecil Edward Edmondson, 12th Battalion, A.I.F.

This letter appeared in the WEST WIMMERA MAIL on June 18th, 1915. Written to his mother by Pte. Cecil Edward Edmondson, 12th Battalion, AIF. He enlisted on 12th September 1914 no. 1021 and returned to Australia on 24th June 1916.

It gives a pretty graphic description of the landing and of how lucky he was not to get hit.


"This is the first opportunity I have had of writing to you. I am at a disadvantage at present, as I have lost all my belongings and have got no money, so couldn't get any paper until I got up, otherwise you would have heard sooner. We will be freshly equipped before we go back. I got a bullet in the leg, and have been waiting for the x-rays, but they have decided to leave the bullet in, as it doesn't seem to be going to affect me. I am at Cairo, but will be back at the front before you get this. No doubt you have an account of the landing in Turkey. It was rather a warm reception that we got, but our boys were very brave and fought against great odds. Poor old Australia, she has lost a lot of her best lads, and is likely to loose many more. Our officers were very brave, and the poor chaps were picked off in great numbers. Our battalion lost Colonel and Lieutenant. Colonel the first day, and I hear that our Captain, who was a splendid man, was wounded badly. No doubt you wondered where we were after we left Cairo.

We were at Lemnos Island, a Greek possession, not far from the Dardanelles. We did some hard training there, climbing big hills, rowing, climbing rope ladders off the boats on to destroyers. Our brigade, the 3rd, was the one chosen to land first, and they have got great praise. One would never think it possible to land troops there, and I'm sure we wouldn't have only for the warboats. The forts had there fire on us, also machine guns and rifles all day Sunday, and all through the night the firing kept up. It was a fearful row, battle ships behind, Turks big guns and machine guns in front and on the left of us, and our own guns as well. It was war in earnest ; but with all this noise, when I was relieved, I was able to sleep as soundly as if I were in bed. There were some fearful sights and I shall never forget them.

I don't mind the bullets so much, it is the shrapnel that is so terrible. The earth shakes under you when a shell bursts, and the effects are awful. Several of our men, where they burst close to them, were blown to pieces. There is a difference between shell and shrapnel. Shrapnel is a shell full of round bullets and when it burst the bullets go forward about 30 to 40 yards wide, and 200 to 300 yards forward, so you can see it is hard to dodge. I have had quiet a number of experiences, and can tell you I have been in about the thickest fire that has been experienced, and one can hardly believe he is alive the narrow shaves I have had. One experience out of a number was when I was lying wounded. I propped my head on my arm and a bullet went right through between my arm and head and hit a chap behind me in the chest. There are others waiting to write, so I must now leave you. Although we were at times in storms of bullets I wasn't at all afraid. I really think your boy would be a good soldier so don't worry about him. "

Forgotten Heroes - William Scorer. DCM.

William Dobson Scorer, 24th Battalion, of Essendon, Vic. A clerk prior to enlistment he embarked with the 6th Reinforcements from Melbourne on board HMAT Ulysses on 27 October 1915. He was taken on strength and transferred to the 8th Battalion on 24 February 1916. After a series of promotions he reached the rank of Sergeant (Sgt) on 27 July 1916. 

Sgt Dobson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in an attack on Broodseinde Ridge east of Ypres on 4 October 1917. According to the recommendation "he assisted in guiding the battalion to the assembly position. During the advance he maintained direction on the flank in a most efficient manner, and, when held up by machine gun fire, crept forward alone and put the gun out of action. Though wounded, he continued at his task until badly wounded at the final objective, setting a fine example of courage and initiative.'" 

Sgt Scorer was admitted to hospital on 9 October from the extensive wounds he substained; he later developed pneumonia and died on 24 October 1917, aged 24. He is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, France.

The Parable of the Searching Heart

Year-long, weekdays, he passed an orchard,

Mornings, in the company of sparrows

As colour rained across each shadow

Of fruit trees immersed with butterflies.

In the season of woven blossom

A tapestry of blown petals may contain

Every promise he could ever anticipate

A ballet of trees imploring his provision

But soon, in the warmth, he forgot them,

He looked towards the distant autumn

Distracted by the warehouse of his heart

Of black banners and fluttering crows.

High over the fields, he viewed lemon petals

In an empty heart, he walked towards the edge

Of others harvest ripe for collection

His face to the wind he drifted away.

He let his heart be filled with sorrow

And left behind the drizzle of spring

The scent of each blossom called him back

To the touch of love and the kiss of grace.

Think Of A Place