The Undisciplined Aussies

[Fedelmar]

As I mentioned before ... don't forget a surprising number of the AIF were in fact from the UK ... some having only been in Australia a short time.

Maybe they learnt quick!

Bright Blessings

Sandra

[frev]

I wonder infact if there are any books on war 'humour' because in my mind, it seems as if alot of the larrikinism was actually a coping mechanism against the horrors of what they were dealing with on a daily basis.

Hi Elle

I have a book titled: “A Treasury of Anzac Humour”, edited by Roger Fair in 1965.

Roger was an original Anzac & served with the 14th Bn, AIF. (born in Victoria)

In his introduction he writes:

“Nobody will deny that war is a grim business. However, no matter how grim things were, the Australian soldier always took time out for a laugh.”

"Any ex-serviceman will tell you that there were times when humour saved the day; when a laugh was as good as a battalion of reinforcements."

“I have seen friendships between men who, in civilian life, were widely separated by religion, politics, occupation, geography, finance and physique. Yet friendships between these men, built upon a foundation of humour, have stood the test of time.”

One that took his fancy: (though it might not mean a lot to those that don’t know their brandy / cognac)

An Aussie had been celebrating Armistice Day, 1918, and was leaning in a don’t-give-a-damn position against one of the lions in Trafalgar Square, when a staff captain passed. Failing to receive a salute, the brass hat turned back and barked:

“My man, you did not salute!”

“That’s right,” said the Australian.

“Do you know who I am?” said the Tommy.

“Never seen yer before, mate,” said the digger. “Don’t know yer from a bar er soap.”

The Captain extended his arm with the badge of his rank, three stars, for the digger’s inspection.

“Now, do you know who I am?” he asked.

A beatific smile spread over the Australian’s face, and he extended his hand to the Captain, exclaiming:

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hennessy!”

And this one I thought was clever:

An M.T. (motor transport) officer fell ill one winter in the war with lung trouble.

He was repaired to England, and then transferred to a Camel Corps in Egypt. He had not been on the new job long when one of the camels “konked out” and became sick. And this is how the ex-M.T. officer applied for an evacuation:

To the Camel Transport Officer,

I wish to evacuate Camel WD No. 608, Single Hump, Dual Ignition, 4 h.p., with defects as under:

Eyes loose in sockets.

Knees not tracking right.

Wind flapper not seating.

Hump worn and scabby.

Tail shaft out of alignment.

Torque rod badly torn.

Chassis bent.

Ten teeth missing from top chewing gear.

Will not pull in reverse.

Water joint leaking.

Tyres worn.

Half horn missing.

Steering faulty.

Offside hind leg not firing right.

Left elbow twisted.

Bonnet weak and bent.

Rising joints very stiff.

I shall be agreeable to accept one double-eared donk in lieu thereof.

Keep smiling, Frev

[Fedelmar]

Ya just gotta love them lads!

OoRoo

[elle72]

hehehe, I was actually thinking that camel sounds a bit like me!

Thanks for the anecdotes Frev, I have a big smile on my face

[Peter Beckett]

Sentry: Halt, who goes there?

Voice: What the F*** has it got to do with you?

Sentry: Pass, Australian

Whilst the above is a good example, in actual fact the bottom reply or words to the same effect, cost a relation of my wife his life.

Adolph Christensen from Glengarry, Vic was shot in the neck after a patrol in Nomans land for failing to give the correct password. He is buried in the Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension,Somme,France.

Peter

[elle72]

Hmmm, not all jokes are a laughing matter in this case Peter. I have read a number of books which talk about the men getting toey because they thought they were being infiltrated by German spies on the front.....did your wife's relative actually mouth off or did he give the wrong password?

Its a terrible shame in any case.

Elle.

[montbrehain]

Have a look here

 

 "MO"

 

[Petegoldy]

There is no doubt the Australians were first rate assault troops and yes they were wild when not in the line. However would they have been less wild if FM Haig would have had is way and had a few shot

Australians are still inclined to call the commanders 'Skip' (Skipper) and first names are not unusual nowdays.

Pete

[Bob Doneley]

Australians are still inclined to call the commanders 'Skip' (Skipper) and first names are not unusual nowdays.

As a retired Australian Army Reserve infantry major, having held every position (except CSM) in a rifle company from forward scout to Officer Commanding, I can honestly say that, although I was often called 'boss', and more often called 'Sir', none of my soldiers or NCO's ever called me 'Bob'; nor while I was a digger did I ever refer to my officers or SNCO's by their first name. They do now, when we have reunions, but never in uniform.

My mates who stayed in when I retired, and who have since served in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor, Bougainville and the Solomons would never tolerate one of their men calling them by their first name while still serving.

Bob :-)

PS. Please don't take this personally anyone!

[Fedelmar]

Yes Sir!! Too Right!! Bob Sir!!!

OooRoo luv!

Sandra

[elle72]

Im just imaging a 'Who's on first' type scenario.....

'Bob down in the front there'

'Yes Bob'

'Yes, I want you to bob down'

'Yes Bob'

'Yes, dammit, bob down!'

hehehe

[macca172]

I remember a number years ago whilst still serving in the ADF we had a UK Army exchange Major posted to our unit, one particular morning he walked passed me and I said "morning Major"...to which he replied...."thats morning Major Sir isnt it Warrant Officer!".....my response to that is not printable in this forum, but from that day he took a wide berth from me.

[Bob Doneley]

I remember a number years ago whilst still serving in the ADF we had a UK Army exchange Major posted to our unit, one particular morning he walked passed me and I said "morning Major"...to which he replied...."thats morning Major Sir isnt it Warrant Officer!".....my response to that is not printable in this forum, but from that day he took a wide berth from me.

I would have had a response remarkably similar to yours - in fact I did once, with a Kiwi major on an exchange!

There is such a thing as taking formality too far, just as there is in taking informality too far.

[stevenbecker]

Mates,

Some of my best stories related to the Camel Corps when in training at Abbisia Cairo.

The story related to a disscussion between Frank Reid (from his book The Fighting Cameliers) in the orderly room and Capt Barber the British training officer;

Capt Barber on his return from Cairo asked Reid if there were any Bushrangers in Australia to which Reid said no but there had been.

Capt Barber then replied, "I quiet believe you" There all over here in the baly Camel Corps.

Or the time Barber came into the orderly room and yelled out that he wanted Reid to make out a charge sheet for a aussie soldier who had called him 'Mate".

Reid asked "what is his name for the sheet".

To which Barber replied "Don't ask fool questions, just make out a charge sheet".

S.B

[Andrew P]

In a Western Australian battalion a Captain of the unit walks past a private soldier and fails to get a salute. He turns and says

'You there, don't you know who I am?'

to which the Private replied

'Yeah, your the shopkeeper from Ballidu'

(Ballidu is a country town in WA)

[digger5410]

Or the time on Anzac when a bunch of reos arrived in the middle of a stonk. From their shelter they saw an old hand sauntering along apparently unconcerned about the danger he was in. His luck ran out as a nose cone hit him in the back and flattened him. After a little while quiet returned and the reos emerged from their shelter seeking anything they could souvenir. Spotting the nose cone they asked the old hand who'd by now dusted himself off and was standing again if he wanted the nose cone. "Of course I do" came his reply. "Why do you think I stopped the bloody thing?"

Rod

[Ozzie]

I remember a number years ago whilst still serving in the ADF we had a UK Army exchange Major posted to our unit, one particular morning he walked passed me and I said "morning Major"...to which he replied...."thats morning Major Sir isnt it Warrant Officer!".....my response to that is not printable in this forum, but from that day he took a wide berth from me.

"Or the time Barber came into the orderly room and yelled out that he wanted Reid to make out a charge sheet for a aussie soldier who had called him 'Mate".

Reid asked "what is his name for the sheet".

To which Barber replied "Don't ask fool questions, just make out a charge sheet".

Just goes to show, you might get the words required , but you have to earn the respect; it ain't necessarily given, just cause you wear pips.

From everything I have read about the soldiers who made up the First AIF, (and subsequent ADF's) they would fight to the death on the word of an officer they respected, but would give merry hell to one that they had no respect for.

Call it colonialism, being uncouth, undisciplined, or whatever, for all the goings on behind the lines, the highlighting of disiplinary problems: these men showed their worth on the battlefield.

Their sacrifice, kindness and humour, is still remembered by the people of France and Belgium, and their respect of the enemy, is still remembered in Turkey.

A legacy, that probably only Aussies can understand.

[dekenai]

Regarding Paul Hogans comment as a digger, played by him in the TV mini-series (where l was an extra btw). Actually happened in Cairo when the ALH were encamped there. There are many such incidents. The heart of the matter was that they were all volunteers, and saw themselves as doing a job, before returning home--soldiering on the parade ground had little to do with it.

cheers cobber !

[Fedelmar]

I take it you name is Ian

What state are you in ?

Bright Blessings

Sandra

[IanA]

I hear that pulled muscles from patting one's self too heartily on the back can be very painful.

[Ozzie]

http://www.awm.gov.au/1918/soldier/exdoc40.asp

Kim

[IanA]

"(4) Should any man, through shell shock or other cause, attempt to surrender, he will remain here dead."

I thought the Australians were inordinately proud of their policy of no capital punishment? This order appears to say that even a shell-shocked soldier will be executed without trial.

[George Armstrong Custer]

"(4) Should any man, through shell shock or other cause, attempt to surrender, he will remain here dead."

I thought the Australians were inordinately proud of their policy of no capital punishment? This order appears to say that even a shell-shocked soldier will be executed without trial.

Since Australians were explicitly exempt from military capital punishment then presumably if Lt. Bethune had carried out the implied threat of his article 4, he would himself have been liable to a charge of murder.

[Ozzie]

Aussie Humour in the face of...

"Even though Bethune may not have expected his orders to have been obeyed to the letter, he had enough knowledge of and confidence in his men to be able to write such an order:

… not only was such a thing as surrender to the enemy an impossibility to such men as these, but … they knew that I knew they could not consider such a possibility, and so between us we enjoyed, in silence, the joke that, to an outsider, might have seemed a little grim. " (AWM)

http://www.governorgeneral.gov.au/spdf/2007/s20070424212.pdf

Kim

[George Armstrong Custer]

Another way of looking at it would be that only the Aussie's could afford to indulge in such 'grim' humour because they weren't subject to military capital punishment.