An ending and a beginning.

Home is the Soldier...

The war finally came to an end, 11/11/1918. Bernie came home on the HMAT Takada and disembarked 4/9/19 . He was finally discharged from the Army 12/10/19. He never spoke about the War, unless he had a few drinks. He never missed an Anzac Day March and always wore his RSL badge with pride.

Claire remembers him going each year, come rain or shine down to the Nuriootpa railway station to travel to Adelaide for the annual march.


His mother was no doubt relieved that both her sons had returned safe and physically unharmed.  What the mental toll of the War had on both men is not recorded. As today's soldiers return it is recognized that the War for them does not end, they carry it with them for the rest of their lives.  Claire recalled a time when she was 3 or 4, a huge thunderstorm struck. She can vividly remember looking for her father and fining him. She looked under the bed and saw his big eyes looking back at her.  It would seem that he never really settled down. He worked in various jobs, store-man, shearer and shearer's cook. In the late 1920's he found work building the Blanchetown Lock and Weir in South Australia.

Vera Devlin circa 1940

The girl with the long blonde hair.

One night he attended a dance and saw a young girl, wearing a green dress with small flowers in the pattern. She had long blonde hair. She was sixteen. Elvira Mercia Fischer, a teacher at the Blanchetown School.

It is not certain that he fell in love with her, but she was besotted by his attention. Perhaps as a young girl she hero worshiped the returning soldier.

Robert McBeath 

Her Uncles Hugh (3827)  and Robert McBeath had fought in Egypt and France with the 10th Battalion. Her Uncle Hugh, a member of the 5th Division Cyclist Battalion was discharged and returned in August 1917 with pleurisy.


 Sadly, Uncle Robert was KIA 25 February, 1917. He was shot by a sniper whilst a stretcher bearer. He had been at the front less than two months.





Bernie and Vera were married in 1928. They had three children, a daughter, Claire, and two sons Andrew and John.  I heard many of the stories in this story from my father, John, my Aunt Claire and my Grandmother.

Generations

Their stories have stayed with me. I cannot say I was close to my Poppa Bernie, he seemed more at home among the men. He drank to excess and he could be grumpy at times. My sister, who is 10 years younger, remembers him with great affection. We holidayed each year at their tiny little home in Blanchetown, near the Murray River.

Those days, under the watchful eyes of our grandparents we roamed free and had the best of times.

A few years ago, Claire sent me a photo.

L-R Back row Claire Surman, Bernie Devlin
Front row - Tony Surman and Louisa Devlin

It is a photo of my grandfather, and his generations. He stands behind mother, next to his daughter and her son. On the lapel of his suit jacket is his returned serviceman’s badge. My cousin, his first grandson stood tall for a small boy. He would grow into the boots of a Vietnam Veteran. My grandfather looked  slightly younger than the man I would know. It would be another five or so years before I could come to visit.

It would be fifteen years before he would stand on the veranda and watch me push my brother over the bank of the creek strapped into a billy cart. His words still echo in my mind,

“You will kill that boy, Claire” he stated with authority.

I stood watching my brother, tied fast to the frame of the tumbling cart by a number of Dad's good suit belts, grimly staring death in the eye. I replied automatically,

“My name is Cathy, Poppa”.

I scurried down the creek wall to untie my shattered brother. His tough, seven year old, body lay trembling in the wreck of our vehicle.

Poppa’s face peered over the edge of the bank, noticed the lack of blood, tears or obvious broken bones, observed the two of us straightening the chassis and beginning the journey back up the creek wall. He heard our conversation as my brother volunteered to descend again. Young Bernie stood emphatic in his decision to do so without the benefit of any seat belt. Courageously he withstood his big sister's argument regarding the new legislation on belting up and living.

With that knowledge Poppa headed off on one of his walks. The young man who had marched off to war was someone else, a stranger from another time.

Post Script.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”
― Pat Conroy

When I started tracing Bernie's journey I mentioned he sailed with 149 other men on the HMAT Seang Bee, firstly to training camps in England and then on to France. After training in England the men were scattered among the various divisions, companies and duties as required.

Trawling through the service records of those men, most were fortunate to return home. A closer look at their records reveals that many returned home broken men. Marina Larson (2009) book Shattered Anzacs, described these wounds as "family wounds".

Richard Dittmer. (3576)

Among the men there were younger boys, with permission from their parents to fight. Some were older men married with children. Quite a few (40) had been rejected as unfit when they tried to enlist earlier, and as the pool of volunteers began to dry up were now classified as fit. Many had been denied their first attempt due to poor dental health. Now the Army was prepared to fix their teeth before they embarked.

Richard Dittmer a metal polisher from Adelaide had been discharged as medically unfit in 1916. He reapplied later and was accepted. He spent some time in hospital with scabies, impetigo, influenza and a hernia. He remained with the 5th Battalion of Pioneers and Returned to Australia aboard the Ulysses, still sick with influenza in September 1919.

Two men Henry Sharpley (3690) and George Edmonds (3671) were ex Gallipolli Veterans. Henry had recovered from a GSW to the Right Arm and George has recovered from a GSW to the chest and shellshock.  wounded and wanting to return to the war now they were reassigned as fit.   Sharpley was gassed and described as a good soldier who became "unreliable when gets liquor".

David Wilcox (3644). 

David Wilcox a 21 year of gardener from Uraidla completed his training in England.  Went AWL for a few days before going overseas, as did a number of men. On the 5th October he arrived in France and headed out to his Unit. He was WIA on the 9th and taken to the 17th Casualty Clearing Station with GSW to the face and concussion. He died 11/10/17.







Some left as strong fearless men, returning aged beyond their years in body and soul. The Army medical file reads "senility", or "over aged" another "Effort syndrome". Many men were hospitalized for stiffness of limbs, these were all part of the effects of  trench warfare. The term Shell-Shock was used to cover these symptoms. The poet Siegfried Sassoon, wrote

Survivors

No doubt they’ll soon get well; the shock and strain
Have caused their stammering, disconnected talk.
Of course they’re ‘longing to go out again,’—
These boys with old, scared faces, learning to walk.
They’ll soon forget their haunted nights; their cowed
Subjection to the ghosts of friends who died,—
Their dreams that drip with murder; and they’ll be proud
Of glorious war that shatter’d all their pride...
Men who went out to battle, grim and glad;
Children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad.


Craiglockart. October, 1917.

In the line of duty 

• Wounded in Action - 42
• Died of Wounds - 8
• Killed in Action  - 3
• Gassed - 10
• Shell-shock - 10 
• Invalid/ medically discharged - 10

Some men were wounded and gassed. One man was gassed, buried alive and shell-shocked. He was invalided out of the service.

Illness

The most prevalent illnesses were influenza and VD. Both required long periods of convalescence and treatment. 

• Influenza - 43
• VD - 18
• Scabies -16 

The men were a rowdy bunch, 34 individuals went absent without leave at some time or other. Some went AWL several times. Twelve individuals committed court martial offences, letting a prisoner escape, urinating on the parade ground, not wearing a belt and swearing or forgetting to salute an officer.

There were three Russian soldiers who joined the A.I.F, George Didenko (3577); Albert, Michelson (3601) and Edward, Seltin (3625).  As Russian citizens they were conscripted into the Russian Army. Unable to return to Russia they sought and gained permission from the Russian Embassy to serve in the AIF.  Seltin was lightly wounded in action with a Gun Shot Wound (GSW) to the back.  All three spent some time in the Isolation ward with one form of VD or another. 

Twenty -seven married men had enlisted and two widowers. Seven men married English women at the end of the war. One woman, Gertrude White (aged 36) was widowed within three months. She married 42 year old Thomas White  in Forvant 7/11/18. After reporting sick with influenza he and his wife came home to Brompton Park. On 23/2/1919 he had died of double pneumonia at the No 15 GBH Torrens Park.


Perhaps the saddest tale is that of George Wicks (3651). A 30 year old labourer, married with no children. He was rejected the first attempt, due to rheumatism. Accepted on his second attempt he served in the front lines.  He was sent out to a forward listening post, spending time collecting bombs. In the process his rifle went off and he was wounded in his left hand. He was investigated for a Self Inflicted Wound (SIW). Eventually, it was proven his rifle was faulty. However, the insinuation stuck. A month later later he was Killed In Action. The SIW charge created problems for his wife when she tried to gain her pension. It would seem that those with SIW's or their beneficiaries did not qualify for benefits.

Some were deserters, some were troublesome drunkards. Poor William Rimmer (3697) reported as MIA was then reported as KIA. Like many men in the front lines men often just disappeared.

George Pryor (3684) was described as a habitual criminal, attempted to obtain a pension claiming to have been gassed and acquired epilepsy during his service overseas.

All who returned had their own story to tell.

Great Mates and Great Escapes.

Sir Thomas Playford.

Somewhere during the War Bernie met up with a soldier by the name of Tom Playford. He had joined the Army in 1915, his parents giving him permission to join.

Pvt Thomas Playford

He was 18 years 10 months of age when he joined. At some time they must have met up, or perhaps knew each other before the war. Claire says they spent some time in the trenches together.

It seems an odd friendship. Tom the grandson of a former Premier of the State, a Baptist and teetotaler, a very puritanical outlook on life. A man South Australians would label a "Wowser". That he should be mates with Bernie who was fond of drink and definitely NOT a "Wowser" is a strange association to contemplate.

Bernie had mentioned to Claire that before the order to go "over the top" was given, each man was offered a shot of rum. Thomas always refused his.

It must be said that Thomas was very supportive of ex-servicemen, even supporting their clubs be licensed, despite a strong opposition. Thomas became a Freemason, following to War. He had all but abandoned his religious roots and found structure in the camaraderie of  Freemasonry.  He remained teetotal.

Bernie was invited to Tom's wedding to Lorna Clark on 11  January, 1928. Bernie was accompanied by his own wife, of 3 years Mercia (Vera) Devlin (nee Fischer).

Kamerad.

One day, Bernie and a mate were bringing rations up to the front line. His mate had a pot of water for cooking and Bernie carried the makings of a stew. They stopped, and made preparations for the meal. They wanted it to be hot for their mates, up ahead in the trenches. 

As they were preparing the meal, two German soldiers came up to them. They spoke to Bernie and his mate. Bernie replied in German. I have no idea what conversation took place, the two soldiers walked off and left Bernie and his mate to finish cooking their meal.

Bernie counted this as one more lucky escape.

The Page Turner.

Bernie had a mate, a sergeant, a talented pianist.  He was often asked to play at officer's functions and various public performances. He insisted that Bernie accompany him on every trip.

When asked why he needed Private Devlin,  he replied that he needed Bernie to turn the pages of the music while he played. Of course no such thing was needed, the two of them would go off and play up as often as they could.

General Hospitals and Casualty Clearing Stations.

General Hospitals

Nurses gowned for the Influenza Ward.

Bernie spent time in the No.30 General Hospital with influenza.  Nurses, as mentioned in my previous post worked in difficult and dangerous conditions, as did their patients. Despite the markings of the Red Cross on tents and buildings, hospitals were not immune from aircraft attacks or shelling.
As mentioned before being sick with the Flu was not a minor illness.




Iso Rae an Australian Artist living in France when the war broke out was one of only two Australian female artists. Her work has only recently been recognize. Her artwork includes 23rd General Hospital in Etaples where her sister worked as a nurse.

Bernie was in number 30 General Hospital from 8/5/17-30/5/17. In Calais , at that time is was reported "there have been air-raids almost every night but fortunately no damages has been done to the hospitals in the area, with the exception of the Belgium hospital where some bombs fell on the huts".

Hospitals were large, 1000-2000 beds, some hospitals dealt for specific injuries, e.g. amputees and another The Other Anzacs" is probably the best book written on this subject. There was a separate hospital for ill nurses and Voluntary Aid Detachment's (VAD's). Fully qualified Nurses were called Sister's and VAD's were Nurse.
for gas victims. Peter Rees book "

Sister Alice Ross-King ARRC, MM recalled one such bombardment

(Photograph courtesy Mark Appleford)

Though I shouted nobody answered me or I could hear nothing for the roar of planes and Archies[artillery]. I seemed to be the only living thing about ... I kept calling for Wilson to help me and thought he was funking, but the poor boy had been blown to bits.

Men who were discharged from hospital would be sent on to an Australian Convalescent Depot. Bernie was sent to Le Havre. There, through sport and physical fitness programs, the men were built up in strength again. Once determined fit they were sent back to their Unit. Bernie returned to his Unit in a month.

Three months later he was on leave to the UK. Apparently he traveled quite a bit, going as far as Ireland.

What about James?

James served with the 31st Battalion, and from time to time in the thick of it. He arrived in England and went straight to  hospital with the Mumps. Apparently there was an epidemic of mumps that swept through the training camps. On the 18/12/1916 he was admitted to the 18th General Hospital with the Mumps, he was discharged 6/1/17.

The Army system was that men would go from the hospital to a Depot Unit before rejoining his Company. James stayed in Etaples with the 5th DUS until the 13/1/17. The next entry into his Service Record says that he returns to the Field.

Casualty Clearing Stations.

Casualty Clearing Station.

James spent a lot of time in and out of hospital with a variety of illnesses, scabies, trench foot, cellulitus (infected hand). From the 4/6/4/17 - 12/10/17 he was with his Battalion. His Battalion was at Bancourt and Baupaume Station. April and May saw him at the Front, where the Battalion received heavy shelling after relieving a British force.

For most minor ailments soldiers, like James, were referred to the Casualty Clearing Stations. These were closer to the front line and were often under attack.   Many of the Nurses and VAD's who worked in this dangerous area received the Military Medal for their calmness and dedication to their patients. If the illness or injury was more serious the men were sent back to the General Hospital for further surgery or treatment.


James returned to hospital 17/10/17 and returned to his Unit before Christmas in 1917. James, the quiet one, saw more of the Front than his brother Bernie. After being evacuated to England with an infected hand, he went AWOL and had a merry old time of it.

France September 1917

What did you do in the War Poppa??

I only know one story of Bernie in France. It was night time and he was on guard duty. Wherever it was he was standing on duckboards. He could see,hear and feel a barrage of guns flashing and pounding the earth. A British Officer walked over and stood near him. After a while the Officer asked Bernie a few friendly questions, like "where are you from?" that sort of thing. Eventually he asked Bernie "How often does this go on for?" Bernie answered "It never stops".

There was a long silence between the two men as they watched the night sky pulse with light and the earth shake with the thunder of guns. Over and above the sound Bernie could hear a regular rat,ta,tat,tat. It took him a while to realize that it was the Officer's boot involuntary tapping on the duckboards. The poor bloke was shaking with fear.

He probably had every reason to shake with fear. A Junior Officer like himself had a life span measured in days once they were in the front line.

Bernie himself would have had enough to fear himself. The battle of Menin Road, constantly shelled by the Germans needed regular repairs. This meant supply wagons bringing up supplies of railway sleepers to repair the road. It was an extremely dangerous task. I recall snippets of stories about Bernie driving wagons under fire.

Claire recalled similar stories from her father.  He told her of lining up supply wagons to go "down the road" . Shell fire would hit wagons in front and behind him. Wagons were filled with food, wire, ammunition and anything needed at the front. It was extremely hazardous work.

What the Records Say.

I came across a mention of 15th Supply Company mentioned in a War Diary of the time which states that the 15th DUS was stationed at Les Fontinettes, a suburb of Calais,  guarding the fuel depot. The 15th DUS was attached to the British Expeditionary Force Base Supply in Calais.







I found reports reports of German Aircraft targeting fuel dumps. There is no indication that Bernie had found a safe place to be.  The records contradicts the vague memories I have of Bernie driving wagons under fire and of him working with horses. The depot's duties were protecting and distributing the fuel to trucks and cars.

However, that does not mean Bernie was standing on guard all the time. Working parties would be ordered to take supplies forward as needed.

Timeline 

Reading through the  Unit Diary  there are several mentions of Bernie,

• 5/9/17 - Arriving as a supernumerary
• 18/5/18 -To No. 30 General Hospital - with the flu
• 13/5/18 - to Convalescent Hospital - Havre
• 24/9/18 - granted Leave to UK (14 days)
• 8/10/18 - Return from Leave.

In his Service record it states

• 15/5/18 discharged to Base Depot
• 22/6/18 returned to 15th DUS
• 26/4/19 transferred to 12th DUS
• 26/4/19 promoted to temporary Corporal
• 4/6/19 to England
• 4/9/19 Disembarked AMT Takada
• 12/10/19 Discharged

Moses in the Bulrushes

The HMAT Takada solved one mystery for me, this ship sailed through the Suez Canal as it bought home troops to Australia in 1919. So the story of Moses in the Bulrushes could be quite true. It could be Bernie's story after all.

Nurses touring Egypt.

Training England Feb 1917 - Sept 1917

Training for France.

Bernie had arrived in England 2/5/17 as a Pioneer. However, his expertise as a horseman must have come to someone's notice as he was transferred to the Supplies and Transport division. He was allocated to Training Camp B at Rolleston, on the Salisbury Plains (refer to page 17). He was far from alone, 30,000 troops and convalescing soldiers were in the three camps.

Training in England was designed to harden up the men, keeping them fit and ready to handle the psychological as well as physical hardships ahead. In the Division's War Diaries camps were set up and the men lived in tents. Later they were moved to poorly constructed Huts. The weather is described as cold and wet. August and September in England would not have been too pleasant. The winter of 1917 was one of the coldest on record.

Uncle George  at Netley Hospital.

Uncle George was discharged from Netley hospital and posted to No.1 C.D. as a Class 3 and returned to duty at the 1st A.A. hospital at Perham Downs. Netley Hospital, provided treatment for men worn down from the War. George was listed as "over aged" , this was a euphemism for shell-shock or chronic fatigue. Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, renowned British poets spent time at Netley with shell shock. 

Ward 10 D, Netley Hospital

He became ill again with bronchitis and was again admitted to hospital. His health was failing, his age, chronic bronchitis and arthritis was taking its toll. He convalesced at Harefield before returning home as unfit 20/8/17. 

Harefield, England. c.1915. Exterior of "Harefield House" 

the former stately home taken over by the 

No. 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital (1AAH) in 1915.

AWM P02402.00

5

He left England on the 'Benella', where he performed transport duties as a nurse. There is a cross over of some months in which they may have had an opportunity to meet. 

James in Flanders 

Brother Jim was already in France and in the field. It would not be until early December when he was hospitalized with a septic hand would there be any chance of Bernie catching up with him in Le Harve.

Bernie Arrives in France.

On the 27/8/1917 Bernie arrived in Rouen. Bernie was transferred to the 1st Australian Division's Depot Unit of Supply, following training at Rolleston Training Camp on 10/8/17. The link to the War Diary of a Supply camp provides some idea of the conditions and planning needed to send troops from a central depot to the front line.

The 27th Battalion, having recovered from Fromelles and Pozieres was now being readied for the Third Battle of Ypres. The supply of material and food to the troops was a vital part of the action. War Diaries for the 1st Division describes movement of the Division to the forward lines. Unit diaries list the the meticulous detail that went into providing food for 27,000 men, fuel for trucks, coal for trains, oats and hay for some 3000 horses.

While in the South of England Bernie would have been trained in the clerical tasks of issuing gear, food and ammunition, fuel for the trucks and feed for the horses. The wagons for the horses needed to be maintained and the horses cared for.

Less than a month later, 5/9/17 he was attached to the 15th Depot Unit of Supply from the Australian Supply Company Base Depot in Le Harve, France. He was now part of the 15th Depot Unit of Supply and responsible for the supply of food, clothing, ammunition and the maintenance of roads. He was part of the Transport Services within the Unit.

While being at the front was the most dangerous of places to be, those in the support divisions also faced shelling, bombing from German Aircraft and the terrible weather and mud.

The Transport Division was to supply troops, that is, for their Battalion, by a system of forward positioning of supply units. Based in Rouen, each Unit of Supply would be ordered to provide necessary rations, ammunition and repair materials to the Battalions at the front and in the reserve lines.

The Third Battle of Ypres included the famous battles of

• Ypres, 1917
• Menin Road
• Polygon Wood
• Broodseinde
• Poelcappelle
• Passchendaele

It is perhaps no wonder that Bernie told Will that he remembered Ypres so vividly. When he left England he was heading for some of the bloodiest conflicts in the war. He would have left the ordered, albeit damp autumn of England for the mud, chaos and insanity of the Western Front. After three years of conflict the trench lines would have looked like a scene from hell.

Setting Sail for France.

Life on Board

On the 10th February 1917 Bernie boarded the HMAT A48 Seang Bee. All army transport ships were given a number and the Seang Bee was Number 48. The ship the  weighed 5,849 tons with an average cruise speed of 13 knots or 24.07 kmph. It was owned by the Lim Chin Tsong, Rangoon, and leased by the Commonwealth until 12 May 1917. As portrayed in the postcard below the ship had one funnel in the center and two masts at each end. The hull of the ship is dark coloured and a flag is flying from the stern.

Post card , Bernie sent many post cards and letters home.

Once on board Private Devlin and his other 149 companions would have been each given his hammock and space to keep his gear. Life on board would have been crowded. However, there was no time for sitting down and relaxing. 

Archie Barwick  kept a diary of his exploits. in describing the journey by sea said that "we were taken down to our troop decks and our different portions allotted to us. After we settled we were served some hot soup and bread" (pg 12).

Once out at sea most men fell seasick and the soup was lost overboard. A similar tale is found in E.P.F. Lynch's book Somme Mud.

Each ship had its own magazine for the soldiers to read. The Seang Bee was no exception, The tri-weekly Seang Bee Sea Breezes edited by The Shark provided the troops with an outlet. They contributed their own anecdotes, stories, humor and verse. There were safety drills and the ever present danger of attack by submarine or German battleship. Each Sunday a Church Parade and there was also the fun of crossing the equator. King Neptune would appear and all sorts of shenanigans went on. The ship would have called into Cape town, and if permitted some soldiers would have a short break. Lynch and Barwick both describe the fun of throwing pennies for young children to dive for and sending baskets over the side to buy fruit.

Photographs from other ships show a number of boxing matches held on board as well as concerts, games and weekly church parades.

I am unable to find out the exact route taken. My first guess would be the ship sailed along the coast of Africa to England. However, Claire tell the story of Bernie being in Egypt.

Moses in the Bulrushes - Fact or Fiction

Apparently he went for a tour along the Nile and the guide took him on a long walk , ending up in a patch of bulrushes. This was pointed out as the place where Moses was placed in a basket to be found by Pharaoh's daughter. A few days later he went on the same tour with a group of nurses. This tour stopped well short of the place Bernie had been shown.

Later Bernie asked the guide "I thought the place was a bit further up than were you showed the ladies?". The Guide replied, "So true, but pretty ladies cannot walk that far, the walk is too hot for them". Bernie laughed and reckoned the tour guide was a right fraud.

A Mystery to be solved.

According to Bernie's papers he disembarked at

After 3 months at sea he disembarks at Devon Port, England 2/5/17. 

The ship may well have gone through the Suez Canal, and the story may be attributed to him. I heard the same story from my Grandmother. She attributed the story to Uncle George. Claire is certain it was her father's story. It is a bit of a mystery to be solved.