HELL, HOPE and HEROES Ramsaytxt3.indd 1 30/11/2004 1:35:01 PM Men of the 53rd Battalion before the attack at Fromelles, July 1916. Only three of the men shown here came out of the action alive, and those three were wounded. (AWM A03042) Ramsaytxt3.indd 2 30/11/2004 1:35:06 PM HELL, HOPE and HEROES Life in the Field Ambulance in World War I e Memoirs of PRIVATE ROY RAMSAY, AIF Edited by his son Ron J. Ramsay ROSENBERG Ramsaytxt3.indd 3 30/11/2004 1:35:06 PM First published in Australia in 2005 by Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd PO Box 6125, Dural Delivery Centre NSW 2158 Phone: 612 9654 1502 Fax: 612 9654 1338 Email: [email protected] Web: www.rosenbergpub.com.au © copyright Roy and Ron Ramsay 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher in writing. e National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Ramsay, Roy. Hell, hope and heroes : life in the field ambulance in World War 1 : the memoirs of Private Roy Ramsay AIF. Bibliography. Includes index eISBN 97819217196.46 1. Ramsay, Roy. 2. Australia. Army. Field Ambulance, 3rd. 3. Australia. Army - Transport of sick and wounded. 4. World War, 1914-1918 - Personal narratives, Australian. 5. World War, 1914-1918 - Medical care - Australia. 6. Soldiers - Australia - Biography. I. Ramsay, Ron J. II. Title. 940.3092 e front cover shows stretcher bearers of the 6th Australian Infantry Brigade, under the Red Cross Flag, passing the old cemetery of Pozières, France, 28 August 1918. (AWM E04946) Set in 12 on 14 pt Adobe Jenson Pro Printed in China by Everbest Printing Co Limited Ramsaytxt3.indd 4 30/11/2004 1:35:06 PM Contents Editor’s Note 7 Introduction 9 1 ‘More Meat for the Germans’ 11 2 e Alluring East 20 3 War on the Peninsula 30 4 ‘A Disgraceful Medical Debacle’ 41 5 ‘A Well-Organized Operation’ 52 6 France at Last 64 7 e Pozières Stunt 76 8 e Fromelles Disaster 87 9 News From Sinai 94 10 Foul Conditions at Flers 103 11 First Bullecourt and the German Response 113 12 Lagnicourt and Blighty 123 13 Back to France and a New Opportunity 133 14 Rest, Recreation and Return 143 15 e German Offensive 153 16 e Australian Counter-Attack 159 Ramsaytxt3.indd 5 30/11/2004 1:35:06 PM 6 Hell, Hope and Heroes 17 e First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux 165 18 Hazebrouck and Villers-Bretonneux Again 172 19 God With Us? 181 20 ‘Peaceful Penetration’ 189 21 Some Hope Amid the Horrors 196 22 Victory at Le Hamel 204 23 e Tide Turns 213 24 e Beginning of the End 221 25 e Irresistible Force 231 26 e Immovable Object? 239 27 ‘Gay Paree’ and Peace 246 28 Homeward Bound 255 Postscript Life of a Returned Soldier 258 Glossary and Abbreviations 262 First AIF Orders of Battle 264 Note on Sources 265 Bibliography 267 Index 268 Ramsaytxt3.indd 6 30/11/2004 1:35:06 PM Editor’s Note After my father died we found his unfinished war journal, which my sister and I thought might be of great interest to others for a number of reasons. As far as I was aware, such a story had seldom been told from the point of view of a stretcher-bearer and medic. Also it showed something of the respect that developed between the ordinary Australian soldier and his Turkish and German counterparts. Last but not least, it included a love story about his first wife that we had never heard while he was alive. Unfortunately, a reconstructed diary without a satisfactory ending, even when supplemented by a number of war stories in a memoir written much later, did not alone add up to a book. To make it more complete I have taken Dad’s material, given it a more continuous voice and incorporated, from other historical sources, accounts of campaigns and other personal experiences involving his friends who served in other units. at linking narrative is printed in italics. According to their war service records, Dad’s friends were eventually spread throughout the five divisions of the First AIF, and between them took part inmost of the major battles in which Australian troops were involved. I trust that this book will also give 7 Ramsaytxt3.indd 7 30/11/2004 1:35:06 PM 8 Hell, Hope and Heroes the reader a new insight into the way the AIF grew in stature and professional skill until the remnant of the Australian Corps played a major part in the Allied victories of 1918. I would like to express my thanks to my wife Shirley, my sister Dawn Langford, my son Ian Ramsay, and the Reverend Graham Ross and his wife Gwenda who, at different stages, read and edited the manuscript. Ron J. Ramsay November 2004 Ramsaytxt3.indd 8 30/11/2004 1:35:07 PM Introduction Roy Ramsay was born Ronald John Ramsay at Rosedale, Queensland, on 4 November 1896, to Scottish-born James Ronald Ramsay and his wife Adelaide Rosetta (née Cameron), an Australian-born Scottish girl. Roy had an older sister Mabel and a younger sister Jess. He grew up and attended school at Rosedale, Toolooa, Gladstone and Oakey, all in south-east Queensland. He finished his formal education in Toowoomba, leaving at age eleven after only five years of schooling. Believing that he lacked the education needed for advancement, he later enrolled in night courses and correspondence courses, eventually reaching Junior Standard in Maths, English and other subjects. His first job was for a year with his father on the railways as a nipper, earning thirty shillings a week, only ten shillings less than a man’s wage. His father was in charge of construction so Roy used to boil the billycans for the men, loosen bolts, and use a pick and shovel to lend a hand. At age thirteen he got a job with Burstows, cabinetmaker and undertaker, and stayed with the firm for over four years. During 9 Ramsaytxt3.indd 9 30/11/2004 1:35:07 PM