This soldier's name is Bert Smythe.
Bert was one of four brothers who served in the Great
War. He wrote an article about his experiences at Gallipoli.
Bert's article "At the Dardenelles" published in the
Jerilderie Herald and Urana Advertiser on 9 and 16 July 1915 inspired an
unknown author to write this poem, which was published the following week, 23
July 1915.
A SOLDIER’S LETTER
The following highly interesting letter has been received from Private Bert
Smythe, an old Jerilderie boy who was wounded in operations at the
Dardanelles:-
THE LANDING
Half a mile from shore the troops were under shrapnel fire and many a poor chap
never got off the destroyers, and many more were killed in the boats both by
rifle, machine gun and shrapnel fire. One boat was struck on the waterline by a
concussion shrapnel and of course sank, and some of the men were drowned. One
chap swam ashore with the whole of his kit and rifle, though how the dickens he
did it I don’t know. A couple of pontoons loaded with troops broke loose from
the tow and the Turks got the machine guns on to them and killed every man in
them.
Once our boys got ashore they
soon rooted out all the Turks; they charged them with the bayonet. I heard that
one officer, only a mere boy, bagged five with his revolver. They got the Turks
on the run and after a while the Turks, seeing how eager they were to charge,
led them on two or three times and then raked them with machine guns and
shrapnel. Consequently the Third Brigade, though
they did not, comparatively speaking, lose very many in the actual landing, were
pretty severely cut up before reinforcements were able to reach them. We landed
in a bad place, and it’s just as well. The Turks were expecting us at another
place, and had we gone there we would never have got ashore. They had guns and
machine guns, splendid trenches, obstacles and even barbed wire entanglements
and mines in the water to welcome us with. Where we actually did land was not
very strongly guarded and we sort of surprised them, and we had got ashore and
established ourselves before they could bring sufficient troops to prevent us.
Once we got ashore it was just a
matter of holding on. The 3rd Brigade’s turn
came about 8 a.m. and A Co. went first. I was OK until I saw the bodies of four
poor beggars on the destroyer covered over with a tarpaulin. The blood was
running out from under it, and it quite upset me. Didn’t get my nerve back
until we got into the rowing boats and then I was OK.
The shrapnel was bursting all
around us at intervals, but our boat escaped and landed without any casualties.
When the boats got fairly close in we hopped out. I picked out a nice shallow
part up to my knees, but didn’t get three feet before it was almost to my
waist. One of our boys stood on a stone and it rolled and he went right under.
We had no opposition in landing, except for the shrapnel, as the 3rd Brigade had cleared out all the beggars
out from the beach. After a short rest in a ravine we pushed on. Talk about
hill! we had to simply pull ourselves up by the undergrowth in places. None of
them were very high, but they were all very steep, and we had to stop for a
spell every little while. It was during one of these short spells that we had
our first casualty. A bullet got Sergeant Cavill in the neck and killed him. .
.
The bullets from the fighting in front were flying around
pretty thick. You could hear in every direction the sharp crack as they passed.
Finally we got on top of the hill with a pretty good trench in it. The fact
that it was a Turkish trench didn’t worry our consciences in the least. We just
took possession of it and inwardly thanked the Turks for saving us the trouble
of digging one. Unfortunately it had no field of fire, so we got up on to the
crest of the hill and tried to pick out some of the Turks who were now potting
at us both with rifles and machine guns. But we could not see a sign of them as
the whole country is covered with scrub about 3ft high – ideal country for
snipers and machine guns – and of course they were effectively concealed. We
dug ourselves in, so that we were safe from rifle fire. It’s lovely work lying
as close to the ground as a snake and trying to dig yourself a trench at the
same time.
SHRAPNEL FIRE
About noon we had the artillery turned on us again, and it was lovely. We had
no protection against the shrapnel so we had to grin and bear it. Every few
seconds a shell would burst, sometimes near us and sometimes a bit off, and
they kept our nerves on edge all the time. Shrapnel looks very pretty. The
shell bursts up in the air and makes a pretty cloud of white smoke, and when
several burst near each other at the same time the effect is very striking. But
when the shooting is good it is very nerve racking. The shell can be heard some
distance off coming with half a scream and half hiss, culminating in a
deafening report as the charge in the shell explodes, and drives 300 bullets in
a steep angle to the ground with great velocity. Sometimes the case of the
shell is blown to pieces by the charge, but more often it falls to the ground
intact.
THE SNIPER
About 5 p.m. our Company Sergeant-Major McGregor, a fine old chap, and a pal of
mine, was shot dead by a sniper. The bullet hit him between the eyes. The enemy
have a battalion of sharpshooters, and I think they had them scattered along
our front to snipe us off whenever a man exposed himself. Our scouts found one
sniper in a lovely hidden trench behind and half in a bush, all the earth
completely hidden and a loophole to shoot through. He had a week's provisions
and 1000 rounds of ammunition with him, so he was pretty well set up, wasn’t
he?
During the 4 days that I was
there, there were several 3rd Battalion officers
killed and wounded and when I left our colonel, Colonel Owen, was in charge of
the 1st and 2nd Brigades – 8 battalions. Both our Brigadier and Brigade Major were
killed. Our Brigade Major was in our trench just before he was killed. He was
standing in a part of the trench labelled “Dangerous” and Major Brown
remonstrated with him, telling him to come away or he’d be sniped and he said,
“I’m here to be sniped at.” Ten minutes later we heard he was killed. We got
practically no sleep on the Sunday night as the enemy kept up a persistent fire
the whole night long, and threatened us with bayonet attacks several times.
Just after sunset I took some ammunition to the right where they were running
out. I was warned about a bit of open ground that I had to cross so I rushed
over. Luckily the beggar missed me and I got over OK. It was funny coming back.
I made a rush and fell over half way, but got up mighty quick I can tell you.
He must have been unprepared because he did not pot at me. Next day was pretty
warm work. They never gave us an instant’s peace. I was on observing nearly the
whole of the time, Major Brown lending me his glasses.
TURKS CUT UP
The day before, he (Major Brown) did a good piece of work. He spotted a column
of Turks in a defile so he
bolted out, found a machine gun and got them to
follow him till he came in view of them, then he gave the range as 1600 yards
and the gun got them first shot. You ought to have seen the scatter when she
started pouring bullets into them at 300 a minute, it would have done you good.
You’d have died laughing. The gun cut them up pretty badly though, and it put
Major Brown in a high old good humour.
FIRST GOOD VIEW OF TURKS
On the Monday morning we had our first good view of the Turks, and it was not
very disastrous to them either. They were crossing a ridge about 600 yards off,
and as soon as they appeared a heavy fire was opened on them, but as they were
running across us, very little damage was done. We had hardly started firing
before “Cease Fire” was sounded as they were our own men. Major Brown put the
glasses on them and roared out, “Fire men, fire, they are not our men, they are
Turks.” It see-sawed about four times until finally just after they were proved
to be Turks, they disappeared in a crevice. Major Brown was fairly ramping over
it. He actually had a shot at them himself and said he bagged one. I had a shot
too but without result. Just about sundown we got word that the French were
expected in about an hour and that everything had to be done with the bayonet,
so we all got ready for a charge. Major Brown went down to the outpost trench
to lead the charge, but things got so hot that we had to get into the trench. They
were giving us fair H__ with their shrapnel. Our artillery was quiet for some
reason, and I suppose the Turks thought they had better rip it in hot while
they could.
NARROW SHAVES
I was crouching behind one of the boys, but when the shrapnel got bad I got in
alongside him to give my head a little cover. He was wearing his haversack on
his back and shortly after a concussion shrapnel came plunk into the earth just
behind us taking bits off my companion's haversack with it as it passed. On
striking the ground it exploded and slightly injured Major Brown in the face
though he was fully five yards to the side. It had barely exploded when another
came in exactly in the same place. Of course, I don’t know whether it was the
first or second one that injured the Major. He temporarily lost the use of his
eye and I had to lead him back after it got dark. I thought that Eibel the chap
who had his haversack torn about, was badly hurt. He fell forward with such an
awful groan and lay limp on me. I thought it had got him in the head. He
recovered in a few minutes, however, and patted himself on the back on his
providential escape. If I had remained beside him instead of getting in
alongside him, it would have got me fair in the chest, and I am afraid it would
have got the best of the bargain. During the morning was hit by a spent bullet.
It came through the bank of earth, hit Major Brown on the shoulder, cannoned on
to the side of the trench, and from there on to my back. I kept it as a
souvenir and fitted it in the first shell I fired but I lost it afterwards.
Again there was no more sleep for us during the night. I was observing
practically all the time. The nights were beautiful and clear with a lovely
moon. The moon had its advantages and disadvantages. It prevented the enemy
getting so close that they could charge without warning, and at the same time
it rendered it unsafe for us to knock about outside the trenches. Next morning
Major Brown went into the hospital and I reported to the next in charge, and
while observing for him incurred the displeasure of some or perhaps only one
sniper, who potted at me consistently whenever I gave him a chance.
(Continued in the next issue of the newspaper 16 July 1915)
Whilst observing this morning picked up a couple of snipers crawling
back, so I grabbed my rifle but couldn't see them without the glasses for some
time. Found them at last. Both were lying still – one half behind a bush.
Knocked the dust up right under one with 500 yards up. Saw the other move then
so I gave them three each for luck. They were still there some time later in
the morning. Was again hit by a spent bullet; only this time it was one of our
own and I had a look to see if it went in, it hit so hard. As the Turks were
known to use our rifles and ammunition, very likely it was fired by a Turk. I
picked it up in the dirt afterwards.
The beggars will go to any length to gain their ends.
Several were shot dressed in the N.Z. uniform. Some of them were very brave and
actually got into our trenches and were giving orders as cool as cucumbers but
they invariably got discovered and paid the penalty without any waste of time.
They’d get up and order us to cease fire, or perhaps to get out of the trenches
and prepare to charge, and all sorts of other dodges. The enemy every night
used to get up to within 50 yards, and even closer and you can imagine what
would happen if we got out of our trenches and stood up in the bright
moonlight. We were not having any, thanks!
Tuesday night was our worst night and as per usual no one
got any sleep. The Turks evidently intended to attack with the bayonet along
the whole front, but they got such a reception on the left, where they started
first, that they abandoned it. Under fearful fire from our trenches they formed
up in line to charge three times and each time they were cut to pieces – mown
down like hay. They were brave, and by the extreme steadiness must have been
trained troops. As a preparatory dose they gave us an awful time with shrapnel
right up to a good while after dark on Tuesday evening.
Had another very lucky escape during the afternoon. . . A
concussion shrapnel landed fair on my observation post about 5 yards off, and
made an awful mess of it. I said to myself, “By Jingo, the next will just about
land right on top of us.” And it did. Landed right in the trench fair opposite
us and buried us up to our necks in dirt. I scrambled to my feet to see if I
was hurt and was mighty thankful to find I wasn’t. Major Brown was the only one
touched and he got his face still more marked and blood covered. He had a
bandage over one eye and all the rest of his face was covered with blood from
small skin wounds.
Whilst having tea a bit after dark I had to take an
officer to a trench he did not know. Only expected to be away 10 minutes so I
left haversack, water bottle and rifle and all behind me. While away the enemy
suddenly threatened us with a bayonet charge so we all rushed to the front
line. I grabbed a rifle –a broken one too – fixed the bayonet and hopped in
with them. The trenches were only holes scraped in the earth. Three of us were
crammed into a hole too small for one. One chap was in one end, one in the
other and I lay on the side with my feet in the trench. No sleep again for any
of us. We hadn’t been in position long before a chap decided to rush back for
something or other. He’d hardly started before he fell moaning in a
heartbreaking tone, “I’m badly wounded, oh I’m badly wounded.” The poor
fellow’s cries ceased before long. He had fought and given his life!
Another chap tried to rush from the outpost trench to us,
and when about half way they got him low down in the stomach. The poor beggar
was groaning awfully all the way. He lay in our trench and was alive next
night, but there was no possible hope for him. Poor beggar! Our company cook, a
letter carrier named Cox, was in a hole dug halfway to the outpost trench to
repeat verbal orders. After a while they could not raise him and on
investigation found that he had gone on the Unknown Journey. A sniper got him
in the head. . . A chap near me next afternoon had a very narrow squeak. A
bullet went through his cap and took a bit of skin off his head. . .
We had to cross over about a hundred yards under fire to
reach safety at the rear of the hill so we rushed over. About ten yards from
the safety trench I stopped to walk when I got a knock in the shoulder like the
kick of a 12-inch gun. I didn’t want another, and tumbled into the trench
mighty quick. Got the wound dressed and was led back to the rear. I’m hanged if
I know where the beggar could have been. He must have been almost under me, and
the valley beneath us was full of our own boys. The bullet went in at the back
of my armpit and came out near the top of my shoulder in front.
Had the good luck to see Vernie (the writer's brother) near the Ambulance Hospital. He was OK
and made me a cup of tea and it quite put me in a good humor. I then had to
report to the ambulance and they shipped me off to hospital ship before I knew
what was doing. Did not get another chance to see Vernie and haven’t heard a
word since, so I am rather anxious about him. . .
We had no artillery on the Sunday, but our guns got going
on the Monday, though to get them into position I believe that they had to blow
half a hill away and build a road, and then man-handle the guns up this road. .
. It would do your heart good to see the dirt fly when one of our howitzer
shells landed. By Jingo they made things hum.
Had a fairly good time on the hospital ship on the way to
Alexandria, but got a bad dose of fever of some sort, but am pretty right now
though the fever took a lot of flesh off me. My wounds are healed externally,
but can’t for the life of me lift my arm upsideways yet.
We were all in a high old humor when they told us that we
were going to England. The “Ghoorka” was originally intended for an Indian
hospital ship, but they shoved us into her. Nearly all the medical staff were
Hindoos and a very intelligent lot they were too. The doctor that looked after
me was a real intelligent chap and thoroughly understood his work. We arrived
at Southampton, Sunday, 16th May. They put us in a lovely hospital train. We
absolutely couldn’t feel it starting and we got two meals and every attention
on the way to Birmingham. You ought to see the English scenery. I don’t know
what it is like in the winter, but in the Spring -- well words can’t describe
it. It’s glorious. Lovely green fields fringed in almost every case by either
beautiful hedges or trees, and small clumps of trees scattered here and there,
and the roads lovely and white and smooth. And complexions! Everyone, whether
boy or girl, man or woman have the loveliest rosy cheeks and lips that you
could imagine you’d think they were eternally blushing.
We got a great reception at Birmingham. As soon as we got
off the platform there was a long line of motors waiting for us, and an
enormous crowd and they cheered us all a treat. It was the same all the way to
the hospital. Everybody we passed waved to us and gave us a smile of welcome.
It was particularly cheerful after being outside of civilisation since we left
dear old Australia.
But this hospital takes the bun. Why, it’s a blooming
gaol. The things we mustn’t do that we want to do, are only exceeded by the
things we must do that we don’t want to do. Practically all of us have been
kept in bed though we are all able to potter round. Lights are out at 8 p.m. We
have all to get up at 5 o’clock so that the beds can be made, and then we have
to get back into bed. There are 44 beds in this ward which is known as ‘B4’. I
asked the nurse if we'd be put in the ‘after’ ward next week, but she didn’t
even smile. That’s the worst of these nurses. They don’t smile enough. They all
get about as sober as a captured spy. I’ve been working overtime making them
smile whenever they come near. Drew absolute blanks at first, but things are improving
now. Got one of them to look quite happy for 10 secs. It makes me feel quite
desperate.
Good news! The quack has just been around and he says
that I can get up, so when they bring me my gaol suit – coat and trousers of
blue fleece lined material – I’ll do so. They have all my other clothes, so of
course I HAVE to stay in bed. The regulations only allow us to wander in
certain parts of the grounds so even our liberty outside is curtailed. As for
getting out and looking over Birmingham, I believe the nurses would have a
seizure if you mentioned it to them. I haven’t had a shave for a month. You ought
to see me. I lost everything but what I stood up in when I was shot including
my razor, etc.
-taken from: Anzac History World War 1 Letters from the trenches of WWI Gallipoli France:
http://www.smythe.id.au/letters/15_32.htm
The Nurse Without a Smile
“The
worst of these nurses is that they do not smile enough. They all get about as
sober as a captured spy. I’ve been working overtime making them smile whenever
they come near.”-
Private Bert Smythe of Jerilderie, writing from Birmingham hospital.
When the boys were in the trenches, they
were grinning all the while,
For the motto of Australia is to take it
with a smile:
Grisley Death was there beside, and they
took him as a Joke,
As they held their places blithely in the
line that never broke:
When the bullet found its billet, and it
left them limp and weak,
They could always raise a chuckle, though
they felt too sick to speak;
And, lying in the hospital, they said: “It
might be worse
Than stopping here to try and raise a
giggle from the nurse,”
The shrapnel of the enemy made gaps
along the line;
But it never stopped the smiling, never
made the boys resign
Their title clear to laughter, as trench by
trench they won,
And said, ”A fellow has to laugh to see
those beggars run.”
They quizzed the stretcher-carriers with,
“Cabby, what’s your fare?
I’ll tell my clerk to write a cheque as soon
as we get there.”
And Bertie, in the hospital, still helped
his side to win
When he was working overtime to make
the nurses grin.
Our brave Australian boys went out
to storm the Turkish fort,
To do the thing in Battle that they used
to do in sport;
Though the nation was decadent, as we’ve
heard the wowsers say
The world has got a different tale to tell
of them to-day.
“They never could be serious,” the
Jeremiahs cried;
“Not us,” the soldiers answered; and they
laughed, and fought, and died;
Beneath the keen and callous stars, on
every death-strewn hill
They lie with clay-cold faces that are
smiling, smiling still.
They blazed a rough and bloody track to
heights of endless fame;
They charged, and laughed, and charged
again, and counted it a game;
And when, in hard won trenches, they
could get a moment’s rest,
Along the line from flank to flank, they
swept a rippling jest,
White Fear, that rode across the night,
unnoticed passed them by,
As every gay battalion sent its laughter to
the sky;
No man is heard in agony his evil luck to
curse,
While Bertie from Jerilderie pokes borak
at the nurse.
Unknown author
