A COMPETITION FOR YEAR 9 AND 10 STUDENTS

SimpsonPRIZE

THE4

Nathalie Johnstone

2014 WinnerSouth Australia

Trinity College North

The ANZAC Legend emerged from the stories of World War One describing a Bushmani soldier who was

egalitarianii in his dealings and a larrikiniii. This soldier had a strong sense of mateshipiv and was

unbelievably courageousv. What we know of their experience is from media coverage by outside

observersvi and the recounts of the soldiers who survived, returned from the war and were willing and

able to share their story. Therefore, not all soldiers’ perspectives were heard, suggesting the Legend

may not be appropriate to all who served. It fails to tell the story of every individual, as his or her

experiences are too complex to be expressed in a simple snapshot. Moreover, the ANZAC Legend does

not tell the entire story of every Australian soldier well.

A common view is that the Australian Military was comprised of Bushmen. This was expressed in The

Story of the ANZACS that described the “bushmanship of the Australian.”vii However, this is

contradicted by the fact that only 17% of Australian soldiers had occupations under the heading

‘country callings’ according to the Department of Defence in 1919viii. Therefore, this part of the ANZAC

Legend is proven incorrect for most that served and does not tell the story of the individual Australian

World War One soldier well.

Another aspect of the Legend was the soldiers, “egalitarian temperament,” as described by Museum

Victoriaix. For Australian Aboriginal soldiers on one level this was true. Whilst there were laws, including

the Defence Act of 1909x, prohibiting some Australian Aboriginal citizens from serving those that were

able to enlist could receive medals and ascend the ranksxi. Corporal Harry Thorpe from the 7th Battalion,

an Australian Aboriginal soldier, was awarded a Military Medal for his ‘splendid example’ of ‘courage and

leadership’ on the night of 4 – 5 October 1917 and was promoted to the rank of Corporalxii. In 1911, just

three years before World War One, The South Australian Aborigines Actxiii and similar acts in other

states, made the Chief Protector the legal guardian of every Aboriginal and ‘half-caste’ child under age

21. In Australian law in the early 20th century, the ability for Australian Aboriginal soldiers, like Corporal

Thorpe, to have their military achievements officially recognised demonstrates the egalitarianism of

the Australian Military. In the source 2xiv photograph taken in France in 1917, an Australian Aboriginal

soldier is depicted in a formal portrait for the 3rd Tunnelling Company with non-Aboriginal Australian

soldiers, supporting the, “egalitarian temperament.”xv However, this soldier’s name is ‘unknown’ that

suggests that he was not an equal to the non-Aboriginal soldier Sapper Herbert Mason, whose name is

known. The irregularity of egalitarianism suggests that it varied from story to story. This implies that the

inclusion of egalitarianism in the ANZAC Legend does not represent the complete story of every

individual well.

The Australian soldiers were perceived additionally as being larrikinsxvi. However, the accuracy of this

label also varied. There were some accounts that supported the Legend. This includes the behaviour

George Horridge witnessed in Cairo. He saw an Australian saying to a ‘Gippo,’ “Here’s two piasters, go

to that tent and shout …that Colonel So-and-so is a fucking bastard”xvii. Then at Gallipoli larrikinism was

described when William Tope wrote of, “parties in the dugouts…till all hours.”xviii There also seemed to

be a boisterous culture at times when, “Like schoolboys they ran around pelting each other with

snowballs.”xix Whilst the ANZAC Legend began in Gallipoli, soldiers on the Western Front like W.M.

McIntyre were larrikins also. He wrote in his diary that they were, “given leave until 11:00pm… On town

… till 11:30pm,”xx showing a general disregard for authority. Similarly, he spent time, “gambling,”xxi and

even said, “The Flapper Sylvia Dank Hurst: known as the Pte N. Hamming was most perfect.”xxii

Alternatively, soldiers including stretcher-bearers could not engage in this activity. They, “didn’t smoke

or drink.”xxiii For them the larrikin label would not be as accurate to their story. Whilst larrikin behaviour

was present in the Australian Military, not every soldier acted this way. This suggests that the larrikin

portrayal of ANZAC soldiers was inaccurate to some, implying that for those soldiers the ANZAC

Legend does not tell their story well.

In Harvey Broadbent’s, book The Boys Who Came Home: Recollections of Gallipoli (1990) the strong

friendship and sacrifice for others was a recurring theme among soldiers’ statements. This is defined as

mateship within the ANZAC Legend. A good example was when Frank Parker wrote of a colonel who at

the loss of his soldiers grievingly, “cried, ‘Where’s my men, my God!”xxiv Similarly in Historian Bill

Gammage’s study in The Broken Years (1974) one in three soldier’s he asked that served in the

Australian Imperial Force during World War One said that the, “experience of mateship was

incomparable.”xxv Yet this is still a minority even though it is a prominent part of the Legend. Tom Usher

believed, “You’re only looking after yourself,”xxvi a view that was shared by others in Broadbent’s book.

However, this was not true to all soldier’s stories including one third of soldiers Gammage spoke to.

Usher’s views were greatly contradicted in Harold Barker’s recount. At the Gallipoli landing Barker

tried, “to help this chap called Matthew who fell …we tried to get him out of the boat, a soldier who’d

already safely got ashore … ran towards us to help, and he fell dead across our feet.”xxvii When the

Unknown Soldier ran from safety to assist Matthew and Barker, he disregarded his own welfare to help

another. This juxtaposition of Usher’s views indicates that the ethos of the individual soldier varied.

Again this illustrates that one trait was not universal for all ANZAC soldiers and suggests the Legend

does not represent all their views and actions well.

Another important aspect of the ANZAC Legend is the courageousness of the Australian soldier’s. This

could be referring to the nature of sacrifice experienced in war. In The Boys Who Came Home:

Recollections of Gallipoli (1990), Horridge reflected on his thoughts about ‘going over the top,’ directly

into the enemy’s fire that was the cause of injury and death to many soldiers. Horridge said, “I thought

to myself this is it... You have no option, poor old Horry, you just have to go. So I did.”xxviii Horridge did

what was expected of him and followed his orders, despite the reality of what awaited ‘over the top.’

Whilst this may been seen as courageous by some, not all agree. This includes Lieutenant J.A. Raws from

Source 1 who believed, “courage does not count here. It is all nerve.”xxix Not only does the reliability of

the ANZAC Legend depend on the individual, but also on their perception of what is courageous and

what is not. Unlike Lieutenant Raws journalist, Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett wrote that, “The courage

displayed by these wounded Australians will never be forgotten.”xxx The varying opinions expressed

highlight the conflicting opinions on the soldier’s actions and experiences and reiterates that the

Legend’s reliability is dependent on the individual.

Journalists like Ashmead-Bartlett and Charles Bean, who reported back to Australia, were the main

source of information. In Lieutenant Raws letter he wrote, “Why should you people at home not

know?”xxxi This could refer to the censorship of soldier’s letters as highlighted by Percy Bach writing to

his Aunt Emily. He noted that, “the censors will cross a great deal out.”xxxii Instead citizens back home

had reports from outside observers like Ashmead-Bartlett, who did not arrive at the Gallipoli landing

until 9:30pm when he was then, “arrested as a spy by an Australian colonel”xxxiii There is controversy

surrounding what he saw firsthand. Both the censorship and potentially unreliable reports suggest that

the Legend was not founded upon the words and stories of the actual soldier and implies that the image

of the ANZAC soldier was inaccurate for some individuals.

Therefore, the ANZAC Legend does not tell the story of every individual well. Whilst some soldiers may

identify with the Bushmanship, egalitarian attitude, larrikin behaviour, overwhelming sense of mateship

and courageous actions, it is dependent on each soldier’s views and experience. What the Australian

soldiers went through is far too complex and life altering to be condensed into a simple image or legend.

For some soldiers the ANZAC Legend may resonate and describe their World War One experience well.

Others may find sections appropriate to their story, but even when the Legend does not describe an

individual’s experience at all well, it should not matter because those individuals were just as important.

References

i NA. (1917). The Story of the ANZACS. In NA, The Story of the ANZACS (p. 85). Melbourne: James

Ingeam & Son. ii Emma Willoughyb, M. V. (n.d.). Our Federation Journey 1901- 2001. Retrieved November 2, 2013,

from http://www.ictbin.com/aw/background/anzaclegends-museumvictoriaanzacw.pdf iii Australian Government. (2009, January 8th). ANZAC Day. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from

Australian Government: http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australianstory/anzac-day iv Big Black Dog Communications. (2007, September 12). Mateship, diggers and wartime. Retrieved

November 2, 2013, from Australian Government: http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-

story/mateship-diggers-and-wartime v Department of Veterans Affairs. (2010). This Gallant Company. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from

Gallipoli and the Anzacs: http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/5environment/bravery.html vi Raws, J. A. (1927). Raws, John Alexander (Lieutenant, b.1883 - d.1916) and Raws, Robert Goldthorpe

(Lieutenant, b.1886 - d.1916). Australia. vii NA. (1917). The Story of the ANZACS. In NA, The Story of the ANZACS (p. 85). Melbourne: James

Ingeam & Son. viii Wilson, G. (2012). Bully Beef & Balderdash. In G. Wilson, Bully Beef & Balderdash (pp.

55-57). Newport: Big Sky Publishing.

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story/mateship-diggers-and-wartime

xxviBroadbent, H. (1990). The Boys Who Came Home: Recollections of Gallipoli. In H. Broadbent, The

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Bartlett (1881–1931). Retrieved November 3, 2013, from Australian Government Department of

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