Hell, Hope and Heroes: Life in the Field Ambulance in World War I

273 Pages·2005·4.26 MB·English

by  Roy Ramsay

HELL, HOPE
and
HEROES
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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)
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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
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First published in Australia in 2005
by Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd
PO Box 6125, Dural Delivery Centre NSW 2158
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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