Around the Water Cart.

Ever wondered how "Shaggy Ridge" got its name? The commander of A Company 2/27th Battalion, Lt Bob Clampett had acquired the nickname of "Shaggy". As Clampett, in October 1943, led his company onto a previously unnamed spur of great strategic significance, Captain Jack Lee suggested to the intelligence officer, Lt Jack Reddin, that the shaggy terrain matched Clampett's shaggy hair. Shaggy Ridge would thus be an appropriate name. (Miles Vetus, Newsletter of the Queensland Branch, September 2005--is quoting from Phillip Bradley's On Shaggy Ridge, Oxford University Press, 2004, in the Australian Army History Series. A paperback version of the book has just been published).

The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is awarded for "gallantry during active operations against the enemy". The only DFC to an Australian since the Vietnam War has been awarded to Major Scott Watkins of 161 Reconnaissance Squadron, on exchange with the British Army's Joint Helo Force in Iraq. After the pilot was wounded during an operation south of Baghdad, Major Watkins took control of the Lynx aircraft and completed the mission. (The Sunday Telegraph, Sydney, 11 September 2005).

Is a "war cry" military music? Joe doesn't know, but has always been intrigued by the New Zealand haka and has now discovered the words and their English translation:

   Ka mate, Ka mate! Ka ora, Ka ora!
   Ka mate, Ka mate! Ka ora, Ka ora!
   Tenei te tangata puhuru huru
   Nana I tiki mai whakawhiti te ra!
   A hupane, kaupane whiti re ra! Hi!

   I die! I die! I live! I live!
   I die! I die! I live! I live!
   This is the hairy man who fetched the
   sun and caused it to rise again
   One upward step! Another upward step!
   An upward step, another ...
   The Sun shines! Hi!

(The Sydney Morning Herald, 26-27 July 2003)

How far does one go to kill? If the concept in war is to kill the enemy, how far does one go in the effort to carry this out? The area is of course covered by the so-called 'Rules of War': the Geneva Convention, first formalised in 1864 and revised many times since. Although such concepts are often invoked, they are frequently more honoured in the breach than in the observance. For example, the 1949 Convention specifies that prisoners of war should be paid a daily allowance: "Prisoners of war shall be paid a fair working rate of pay by the detaining authorities direct. The rate shall be fixed by the said authorities, but shall at no time be less than one-fourth of one Swiss franc for a full working day". And what about attacking baled-out aviators under parachutes? Attacking them was first proposed as being forbidden by a committee of jurists in 1923 at The Hague, but the deliberations have never been adopted. Are such attacks forbidden today? For an interesting discussion on the question, see Lethality in Tactical Air Combat by LT Tom Lewis, RAN in Australian Defence Force Journal Issue 167, 2005. Tom Lewis OAM RAN holds a PhD in Military History and is the author of six history books including the best-selling The War at Home, which details the 19 February 1942 attacks against Darwin.

Anzac Parade, leading to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, contains an interesting--and increasing--number of memorials to Australia's services, servicemen and women and campaigns. Members may be interested in the details of some of the memorials and Joe proposes to publish details of the major ones over coming issues of Sabretache.

We start with the Royal Australian Navy Memorial. Naval duty is distinguished by being constantly watchful, vigilant and ready, and able to make an immediate, disciplined response. Recognising this, the figures in this Memorial convey, quite explicitly, activities commonly undertaken and associated with naval life. The bronze sculpture stands 8.2 metres high and takes the form of geometric shapes with representational figures emerging from them. The sculpture is set in exposed aggregate concrete paving incorporating fountains and flanked by two substantial piers holding the Battle Honours. Two ceremonial flagpoles stand forward and to one side of the Memorial and a plinth at their bases support the RAN insignia and dedication plaques. The dynamic force of the memorial is complemented by the continuous imagery of moving water over and around the Memorial. The Memorial was unveiled by Her Majesty the Queen on the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Australian Navy on 3 March 1986 (National Capital Planning Authority).

Australia's first and only self-propelled field gun was officially designated "Ordnance QF 25-pounder Mk2/1 on Mounting Self Propelled 25 Pounder (Aust) Mk1 on Carrier, Grant, SP25 Pounder (Aust) Mk1" when it went into service in 1950. Little wonders that the Army decided that a shorter, handier title was needed. "Warragul" was put forward, but rejected because of its possible confusion with Warragul, the Victorian country town. Finally, "Yeramba", the name of an aboriginal instrument for throwing spears, was accepted, and the vehicle was officially given the short title "25-pdr SP Yeramba". Essentially, the vehicle was a M3A5 Grant tank chassis with the turret and much of the frontal armour replaced by an open-topped fighting compartment. The driver's position and controls were moved down and to the right inside the vehicle. Only 25-pounder guns with threaded barrels for fitting a muzzle brake were used, these having come from a limited production run late in the Second World War, when the local fitting of muzzle brakes had been considered. Less than six months after approval to construct was given, trials with the prototype were conducted at Puckapunyal, during December 1949. In February 1950, approval was given to convert another 13 tanks to SP mounting. Including the prototype, 14 vehicles were converted, with the last delivered in August 1952. Only the Victorian-based 22 Field Regiment, whose headquarters were at Lancox St, Brighton, was equipped with the Yeramba, with the role of providing support to 2nd Armoured Brigade. One Yeramba was kept at Brighton for training purposes, with the other 13 lodged at the Armoured Centre (now the School of Armour). With the name change to 22 Field Regiment (Self Propelled), members of the unit adopted the Armoured Corps black beret, with Royal Australian Artillery cap badge, and were issued with AFV crewman's rubberised, canvas-soled boots. Its crews considered Yeramba a very good weapon. Its suspension and inherent stability made laying the gun back on target after each shot much easier, since the recoil was absorbed so easily by the tank suspension that at gunfire the bubble finished up level ..." the accuracy of the gun was exceptional and its rate of fire first class". The Regiment's pride at being the only SP regiment in the Australian Army was short-lived. Yeramba was declared obsolete in 1956 and withdrawn from service. The unit was disbanded a year later. (A Great Piece of Artillery, Steve Gower and Mike Cecil; Wartime, Journal of the Australian War Memorial, issue 27).

This lovely story has been doing the rounds as follows: In 1862, during the American Civil War, Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harris' Landing, in Virginia. During the night, he heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing whether the casualty was Union or Confederate, Ellicombe crawled on his stomach through gunfire and pulled the man towards his lines. On reaching them, he realised that it was Confederate soldier, but he was dead. Lighting a lantern, he discovered that it was his own son, a boy who had been studying music in the South and had enlisted in Confederate Army without telling his father. Despite his enemy status, the Captain asked for a full military funeral for his son. This was refused, as was a request for an Army band to play. Out of respect for Captain Ellicombe, the Union Army authorised him to have one bugler. Ellicombe asked the bugler to play a series of notes he had found on a piece of paper in his son's pocket. The tune is now known as "Taps".

The story sounded too good to be true and it was! It seems there is no evidence that anyone named Robert Ellicombe served in the Union Army. Historians generally agree that Taps came from Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield at Harrison's Landing in Virginia in 1862. This is supported by correspondence from both General Butterfield and a bugler in the late 1880's. Further details will appear in the next issue of Water Cart.

There are no official words to Taps but many different versions of the words have been circulated over the years. This is one of many versions of the words.

   Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lakes, From the hills,
   From the sky, All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh.
   Fading light, Dims the sight, And a star, Gems the sky,
   Gleaming bright, From afar, Drawing nigh, Falls the night.
   Thanks and praise, For our days, 'Neath the sun, Neath the stars,
   'Neath the sky, As we go, This we know, God is nigh.

Medal collectors and others please keep an eye out for the medals of Captain John Anderson MC, stolen during a recent pilgrimage to Greece. The medals, named to this fine officer, include his MC and Africa Star group. (Despatches, Newsletter of the Victorian Branch, September 2005. Also requested by In the Trenches, Geelong Branch).

Sorry, says a US soldier sentenced to death for a grenade and rifle attack on his comrades during the opening days of the Iraq war in March 2003. The attack killed two officers and wounded 14 members of the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait. A military jury at Fort Bragg, North Carolina found Hasan Akbar guilty. If the sentence is confirmed, he will be the first US soldier to be executed since 1961. (The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Apr-1 May 2005.)

Mrs Shirley Doolan of Darlington (near Chippendale in Sydney) is looking for descendants of residents from the Darlington area who served in World War One 1914-1918 and whose names may be on the original Darlington Public School Memorial Gates (now located within the grounds of the University of Sydney) Contact her at 45 Darley Road, Bardwell Park NSW 2207. Telephone or fax [phone]. (Descent, Journal of the Society of Australian Genealogists, June 2001).

The Times of London records the death on 8 December 2004 of Hamish Selkirk DFC, who flew 143 operational sorties over northwest Europe between D-Day and VE-Day. Selkirk was called up in 1940 at age 20 and received a commission in the Rifle Brigade, despite having learned to fly under the tutelage of Rupert Bucknall, a legendary figure in the foundation of the RAF. After failing to see action as he had hoped, he transferred to the RAF and was sent to Canada to train as a fighter pilot. On his return to 2 Squadron, based at Gatwick, he had the early distinction of shooting down a V 1 buzzbomb over the airfield. His specialty, flying a Mark XIV Spitfire, was zero-level photographic reconnaissance against tanks, transport and troop movements at heavily defended targets. He wrote off several Spitfires in accidents, including one he had "liberated" from a frontline airfield to fly home to deal with a perceived domestic crisis. Refused a permanent commission after the war--"a temperament bordering on reckless"--he continued to fly as a hobby. When found dead by a carer, aged 84, he was sitting in a chair, a glass of whisky in one hand and a book of RAF reminiscences, There Shall be Wings by Max Arthur, in the other! (Courtesy of Anthony Staunton. Thanks Anthony.)

What is the rarest military award in the world? One contender is South Africa's Castle of Good Hope Decoration. Established in 1952 for "most conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy in wartime" (or, since 1986, in any military operation) the CGH has never been awarded. Another is the Irish Military Medal for Gallantry (An Bonn Mileata Calmachta). Awarded in three classes, this decoration has only ever been awarded once, a posthumous 2nd Class award to Trooper Anthony Brown, 33rd Irish Infantry Battalion, for gallantry in the Congo in 1960. (Le Grognard, Newsletter of the ACT Branch, 2004). So, if someone tries to sell you one ...!

Many ex-Army members would remember "Buttons, line 30" on jackets and "Buttons, line 40" on greatcoats. In the British Army, buttons were, and are still, measured by the line, or correctly "ligne". This measurement is one-twelfth of an old French inch, or in modern terms, 2.256 mm and is expressed by the numeral followed by three apostrophes eg 2'". There are 11.259 lignes to an Imperial inch. The ligne is also used in measuring watch movements. (The Volunteers, Journal of the New Zealand Military Historical Society, Volume 27 No 3). Joe says: This an item from a very interesting article entitled "Buttons of the Imperial Forces in New Zealand 1834-1870 by Michael Murrie-Jones. It mentions, for example, that many believe that all British buttons found in New Zealand are rare and hence expensive. In fact, the author says, many buttons do not turn up as frequently as they should. For example, when the 58th Foot (The Rutlandshire Regiment) prepared to depart from New Zealand, over 1000 men took their discharge. If each man retained his coatee or tunic with approximately 20-24 buttons and his shell jacket with 12 buttons, then at least 36,000 buttons of the 58th would have been left in New Zealand. This does not take into account the many hundreds that were dumped earlier as uniforms wore out. Michael Murrie-Jones lives in Brisbane, Australia and is a member of the NZMHS. He is an authority on the British Regimental uniforms of the 19th century which were worn by Imperial troops in Australia and New Zealand).

Just outside the Australian War Memorial's Hall of Memory, where the remains of the Unknown Soldier rest, there is a long series of bronze panels recording the names of Australia's war dead. This is known as the Roll of Honour. One of the most frequently-asked questions by visitors to the volunteers at the Research Centre of the Australian War Memorial is "why isn't X's name on the Roll of Honour? He died after the war, of wounds received in the war, while in the Australian Army". Often, the answer lies in the eligibility criteria for the Roll of Honour. These are that:

* The person died as a direct result of active service with Australian forces, or while on transfer, and

* Within specified periods in a war or warlike operation in which Australians were involved.

The official "specified periods" for inclusion in the Roll
of Honour for some conflicts are:

Conflict             Commencement of      Cessation of
                       Hostilities         Hostilities

Boer War             11 October 1899      31 May 1902

First World War       4 August 1914       31 March 1921 #

Second World War      3 September 1939    30 June 1947 @

Korean War           27 June 1950         27 July 1953

Vietnam War          31 July 1962         11 January 1973

# Disbandment of First AIF @ Disbandment of 2nd AIF.

Frequently, the answer to the sample question above is: "Yes, he died as a direct result of active service with Australian forces ... but he died after 31 March 1921 or after 30 June 1947". Or sometimes "Yes, he died before 31 March 1921 as a direct result of the war, but he was an Australian member of an Allied Force or the Merchant Navy, or a war correspondent or photographer". These latter categories, who are not eligible for the Roll of Honour, are recorded on The Commemorative Roll, provided they were born in Australia or their last place of domicile was Australia, their death was war-caused and suffered during service, and the death occurred during the same date range as that for the Roll of Honour. The Commemorative Book, recording name on this Roll, is on public display adjacent to the Roll of Honour, with a page turned each day. Access to a particular name or names in the Commemorative Book can be obtained through War Memorial staff.

Got a book to publish ... but only need a few dozen copies? Murray Tucker, former journalist and editor, offers a service especially for people wanting to publish small quantities of quality hard cover books. Services from planning the book; editing and proofreading; layout; formatting; to printing and traditional hand-binding are available. P O Box 288, Traralgon, Vie 3844. Telephone [phone] (Reveille, Journal of the RSL (NSW), Volume 78/5, September-October 2005).

In the Bookshop. A couple of books for your interest:

Only One River to Cross. An Australian Soldier behind Enemy Lines in Korea. Harris A M; AMHP in association with the Army History Unit, 1st edition, 2004. The author tells of his experiences with BCOF in Japan and his service with 3 RAR in Korea, up until he was wounded. Competent in Japanese and Chinese, Harris returned to Korea in 1953 and was placed in command of a Special Agent Detachment whose task was the infiltration of intelligence agents into enemy territory. Alexander Fax Books, $45.

The History of HMAS Maryborough. Corvettes in WV/II, 1940-1946. Ogle, Brian (Barney), self-published, Wahroonga, 1992. The story of HMAS Maryborough by one who sailed in her for three years. Card covers, 240 pp, b&w plates. A bit of wear on covers and corners else very good. Alexander Fax, $25.

Soldiers Bleed Too. The Redcoats at the Eureka Stockade 1854. A fresh and compelling narrative of the Eureka action from the Redcoat perspective. With biographical and service detail of over 300 men from the 12th and 40th Regiments present in Ballarat in late 1854. With even chronology and troop dispositions. Neil Smith 2004. 69 pages, A5 card cover. $16.50. Mostly Unsung Military History Research and Publications, Melbourne. 03 9555 5430.