Guest redrum Posted 8 August , 2004 Share Posted 8 August , 2004 Does anyone know what became of this fellow "Barney" Hine - the fellow who sold souvenired German equipment to the rear area echelons. He seemed to have been well known for his activites. The Kaiser knew of him and branded him a barbarian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 8 August , 2004 Share Posted 8 August , 2004 Does anyone know what became of this fellow "Barney" Hine - the fellow who sold souvenired German equipment to the rear area echelons. He seemed to have been well known for his activites. The Kaiser knew of him and branded him a barbarian. If its the fellow I'm thinking of theres a terrific photograph of him in a book but for the life of me I cannot think which one it is he is loaded down with "Treasure"Guns,Binoculars,Bayonets,etc;Crouching for the Camera A real Tough Nut by the look of him,you certainly wouldn't want to argue prices!!!I must try & find it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dinkidi Posted 8 August , 2004 Share Posted 8 August , 2004 Yea Barney! As featured in Tommy's Bar, Poziers; AWM etc etc. He was recently discussed on the Anzac Research site. Try www.com2.runboard.com/banzacresearch or www.anzacday.org.au/education/activities [ then search] Good luck! Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevedrew Posted 9 August , 2004 Share Posted 9 August , 2004 Redrum, There is a thread on "Soldiers who collected" in the "Other" Forum in "Soldiers and Armies of the Great War". I posted a thread on Barney Hines. HQ7, There was an Australian soldier, Private John "Barney" Hines, known as "Wild Eye", who served in A Company, 45th Battalion. There is a famous photo of him after the battle of Polygon Wood (3rd battle of Ypres) in September 1917. (AWM EOO822). It shows "Wild Eye" wearing a German field cap, sitting amid an assortment of German kit - helmet, revolver, mess-tin, watches, belt-buckles, a framed photograph - and counting money he had "ratted" from German prisoners. The story circulated that it has enraged the Kaiser, who saw it as evidence of Australian "barbarism". However, there is no evidence that the Kaiser ever saw the picture. Unfortunately, most souvenirs of the war were obtained by robbing prisoners and the dead. "Wild Eye" was a big man whose fighting prowess was admired. He explained his habitual aggression by recalling mates bashed to death by German raiders. At Messines, just before he was wounded in June 1917, Hines crawled onto a pillbox and captured its garrison of 60 Germans by throwing bombs into it. His lack of discipline out of the line negated his bravery in it, however, and he was never formally decorated. Poverty compelled him to sell all of his souvenirs by the mid-1930's. Like many former members of the AIF, Hines was traumatised by his war service. For nearly 40 years after the war he lived in a shack outside Sydney. He never married, and never held a steady job. (The above text was taken from an article written by Dr Peter Stanley, Principal Historian at the Australian War Memorial. The full article appears in WARTIME (Official magazine of the AWM) Issue 13 Autumn 2001. Steve Drew "Wild Eye" died in Concord Repatriation Hospital in January 1958, aged 85. The Mt. Druitt sub-branch of the RSL took up a collection in 1971 to erect a headstone over his grave in Rookwood Cemetery. Steve Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redrum Posted 9 August , 2004 Share Posted 9 August , 2004 Thanks all! There certainly were some great characters around then. Barneys souvenirs were gleaned from the actual wartime , ours safely obtained from peacetime sources. Quite a difference. His undoubtedly the REAL souvenirsof war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morval Ross Posted 9 August , 2004 Share Posted 9 August , 2004 Yes Barney Hines, I remember reading about him and also there was information on him in Tommys Cafe in Poziers. He was actually from Libverpool originally and had travelled around the Globe hunting treasure and gold. That is how he ended up down under at the out-break of war. He was a compulsive collector during the war. He once stole a Piano and was only convinced to leave it behind by his mate bribing him with some beer. There was an account that his commanding officer recognising his sheer bravery during fitting , which the officer believed to be more inmportant at the time than his behaviour behind the lines, found that he could calm him down by giving him charge of a Lewis Gun, needless to say Barney was delighted and could not wait to get it in to action, stating " Thats the Bloody Job, I can mow the B&%@~#ds down with this", which he did. regarding his capture of the German Pilbox, he actually managed to get on top of it and taunted the germans to come out and fight him by dancing on the roof and throwing hand grenades through the slit. He was a terrifying figure I should think. There are other stories that I know of this man but cannot bring them to mind at the moment. A true charachter and an officers nightmare I think. I will check out some more information on him this evening and post more tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 9 August , 2004 Share Posted 9 August , 2004 The photo of Barney Hines is also featured in Nicholas Saunders' excellent book on Trench Art. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 9 August , 2004 Share Posted 9 August , 2004 What a fascinating character. I remember reading about him in Tommys Bar. Seem to recall he tried to smuggle himself on a troop ship bound for Europe in WW2. Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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