Poem ~ Anzac Jacka - Thursday, 29 July 1915

Impression sketch of Lance Corporal Albert Jacka - by Jamie. See the originals at: http://www.theage.com.au/news/book-reviews/jacka-vc-australian-hero/2006/09/08/1157222319230.html

In the Victoria province of Australia,

Loving parents, Elizabeth and Nathanial Jacka

Moved their children of seven, from

A dairy far family of Winchelsea -

To a new life of Wedderbum.

Of their seven children the fourth,

Albert, was five at the time - after school

He joined he father as haulage

Contractor – all seemed set

Until aged 21, a war broke.

Albert Jacka, in support of home

Country, joined the AIF September 1914.

Now Private Jacka in 14^th Battalion,

Was  trained at Broadmeadows

Camp; land given by a patriot.

The country of Turkey, declaring

Allegiance to Germany, sent 14^th Battalion

To Egypt port of Alexandria - After

Ten more weeks of training Jacka

Merged with New Zealanders.

Albert Jacka having reached rank

Of Lance Corporal - somewhere in process

In their training - was then sent
With fellow troops out from
Egypt to the Dardenelles.

With the original intention for them,

To defend the Suez Canal, New orders came

For the New Zealand and Australian

Division; Private Jacka joined

The Gallipoli campaign.

Anzac Lance Corporal Jacka,

In defence of the New Zealand & Australian

Trenches, known as Courtney’s Post,

with other men was under orders

To guard their given position.

The Turkish commanders,

Faced with the established line of Anzacs

From their cove landings, planned out

A push off peninsula; a plan made

For 19 May, with new men.

German leader Kiazim Pasha,

Of all the Turkish forces, had planned attack

Prior to daybreak - in order to drive

Anzacs from defences, back

Down to the sea’s edge.

Rising up a gentle slope

From the Turkish side, the Australian position

Was well covered by undergrowth -

Yet Turk's reached the trench

Edge to attack with bombs.

The hour before dawn -19 May -

The Turks attacked the anzac line to gain

A section at Courtney’s Post - Jacka

Fired out warning shots, waiting

For reinforcements arrival.

From his firing bay, Jacka

Saw two officers run forward from cover

Into the occupied trench in order

To drive out Turks - in process

Both officers were killed.

Another officer came up,

Lieutenant Crabbe, to the held position -

Jacka gave warning not to break

From cover - Crabbe asked

If he would take on Turks.

Yes, with support, was his

Reply – with three men the four of them

Took a corner as three were hit -

In forced retreat Lance Corporal

Jacka formed a new plan.

Alone, he tracked back

Through trenches behind Turks  - when

He was ready, another party

Jumped to action, to throw

Bombs to distract Enemy.

In creation of noisy disturbance

And smoke, Jacka leapt up across open space

To jump among the Turks - Jacka stood

Face to face with enemy - he shot

Five and bayoneted two more.

The remainder of the Turkish fled

The Anzac thrilled and flushed with adrenalin,

As Lieutenant Crabbe and others

Reached him - Jacka exclaimed,

How he got ‘the beggers.’

By witness of an officer's

Recommendation, Lance Corporal Albert Jacka’s

Citation appeared in London Gazette;

For King’s Award of Victoria Cross,

For Bravery act on 19-20 May.

Lance Corporal Albert Jacka

Was then the first Australian to win Victoria Cross.

As reward, Jacka was to receive

A gold medal and £500 - given

In promise of Mr John Wren.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Australian V.C. Wins £500. The Daily Telegraph, [online]  29 July. P.10. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11744429/Daily-Telegraph-July-29-1915.html [Accessed: 29 July 2015].

Source: File: Albert Jacka. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Jacka> [Accessed: 29 July 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 29 July 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11744429/Daily-Telegraph-July-29-1915.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Australia

Poem ~ Silent Anzac - Sunday, 23 May 1915

Source: File: AE2.jpg, 2015. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. [online] Available at: <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AE2_%28AWM_H17538%29.jpg> [Accessed: 23 May 2015].

Prior to signs of any war, a commission

Was made for a growing navy of Australia,

Including an E Class Submarine - designed

Then built by Vickers Armstrong England;

Launched 18 June 1913 - ready for 1914.

Along with HMAS AE1, these sister subs

Took the longest voyage by such crafts,

Across waters to Australia – beginning her

War life, AE2 travelled with expeditionary

Force patrolling Fiji - but lacking enemies,

AE2 was then taken to a Mediterranean

Destination of Egypt, for early 1915 - with

Diving depth of 100 feet, strengthened

By bulkheads, she could submerge down

To 200 feet - carrying a crew of 34 men.

Ability of surface speed of 10 knots with

Underwater speed of 5 knots, AE2 had

40 tons of fuel to travel 3000 miles without

Any fitted guns AE2 had 4 18 in. torpedo

Tubes – bow, stern and two broadside.

As AE1 disappeared in the New Guinea

Capture, AE2 became a lone presence.

Without German threats to Australia she

Left for Europe - then after Cocos battle

Destroying German activity about Indian

Ocean, AE2 set for a new destination.

Assigned to Second Submarine Floatila,

AE2 Rested at Port Said by 28 January

1915 for support patrol of Dardanelles -

Under Lieutenant Henry H.G.D Stoker,

AE2 then became part of British Navy.

In patrol's return on 10 March, harbour

Navigation lights were extinguished -

Resulting in AE2 being run aground.

After repairs in Malta the Submarine

Returned in April, for her operations.

With twofold aim to knock Turkey out

Of war and open supply lines to Russia,

The navel attempts failed; three battle

Ships sunk and three more crippled,

With such losses a move turned to land.

Cape Helles was the prime target; as

Others failed, Commander Stoker had

A plan approved. AE2 moved, making

6 nautical miles; but unable to submerge

As a failed coupling caused their retreat.

With a new, next day attempt, Stoker

Gave orders to dive, to avoid shells from

Shore - at 4.30 tackling first minefield.

For an hour, AE2 weaved the mooring

Chains of mines tactics of wires defense.

Added in Malta body wires prevented  

Mooring cables attaching - then at 6.00

In Chanak waters they torpedoed Turkish

Gunboat - in need to avoid a destroyer

Actions led to grounding under a fort.

The Turks guns could not be lowered

Enough to fire – within minutes AE2

Freed, moved away - with their raised

Periscope seen a Turkish warship,

Targeting the Allied landings, withdrew.

Stoker moved the AE2 to sea of Marma -

At 8.30 p.m. he decided to wait till night

 AE2 rested on the seabed for dark hours.

Surfacing at 21.00 to recharge, a radio

report of their success broadcasted to fleet.

The AE2 had been the first allied craft to

Cross the Dardanelles - new orders were

For crew and AE2 to ‘run amok’  - then

Currently no enemy about they entered

Sea of Marmara remaining for 5 days.

AE2's tactics was to make numbers

Of appearances - to suggest a large

Allied presence and in doing so made

Attacks on Turkish ship - but all due

to mechanical faults, none succeeded.

While AE2's progress was made known

To land troops, raising morale - on from

29 April saw another success, as E14

Rendezvoused with AE2 - to meet again
The next morning - but events changed.

AE2 surfaced to investigate rising smoke 

of torpedo boat Sultanhisar a mile away -

Having gone beyond normal diving depth,

Correction attempts caused stern to rise;

Sultanhiser fired, hitting submarine AE2.

Pressure hull punctured engine damage
was done – Stoker's orders were given

At 10.40 p.m. to scuttle the AE2 - the crew

Taken by the Sultanhiser led to a legend's

Success, giving AE2 name of Silent Anzac.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: HMAS AE2. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_AE2> [Accessed: 23 May 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 23 May 2015). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Australia

Poem ~ Jack Simpson and Donkey Heroes - Thursday, 20 May 1915

Source: File: Stretcher-bearer John Simpson and Donkey rescuer.jpg, 2015. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Simpson_Kirkpatrick> 
[Accessed: 20 May 2015].

A stretcher bearer - allied to the Anzacs -

By a given name of Private John Simpson,

Found his way to help those fighters,

With injuries about the Gallipoli Peninsula -

His origin to that place was by a different

Name  - that of Jack Kilpatrick.

Growing up in Tynside Jack– one boy

Amid eight children, was son of Scottish

Parents - in his youth the lad had, during

Summer holidays, worked with donkeys -

Then aged 16 Jack had volunteered

With Territorial Forces to train as gunner.

In another move Jack Kilpatrick, aged 18,

Joined the Merchant Navy – his service

Took him to New South Wales Australia,

Where he deserted the Navy - over four

Years, young Jack travelled the country

Taking on work across this Continent.

In Queensland he was a cane-cutter -

In Illawara he tried coal mining, before

Working on the coastal ships as stoker,

Steward and greaser – his keenness

For adventure, shaped his political stance,

Writing to say England needed revolution.

Jack may have been part of 'Wobblies' -

A radical labour union member - although

There was no proof. In his consideration

Of returning to England, Jack John Simpson

Enlisted  - his real name hidden in case

Of desertion recognition from his navy days.

In August 1914 having joined as a stretcher

Bearer, he joined the 3^rd Australian ambulance

Service – the task requiring ability of strength -

When April came in 1915, Jack was among

The first to step onto Gallipoli soil, working

With Anzac Forces as Private John Simpson.

As the battlefields unfolded Private Simpson

Found am old ally from his youth - to find

Grazing Turkish Donkeys - in once gaining 
their help to carry children on beaches, Donkeys

Helped this stretcher-bearer to reach wounded

And carry them back over Turkish soil to safety.

In the early hours of 26 April, Private Simpson

Pulled a wounded man to his shoulders, when

He saw a donkey - together the English man

And Turkish Donkey, carried the Australian

Wounded back to safety - the sight of the man

And his donkey over the days became normality.

Private Simpson earned the nicknames Simmy,

Scotty or Mu – he had no fear as bullets whined.

Scotty Simpson would sing and whistle to duty,

As he employed over four donkeys, giving them

Names of Murphy, Abdul, Queen Elizabeth,

And Duffy no 1 and 2; with some dying in action.

Other bearers then began to follow his example,

Carrying wounded soldiers over awkward terrain,

As Colonel Monash wrote of the fearless John

Simpson, Stretcher-bearer and his ‘little beast’

As together they worked over days and nights.

Private Simpson seemingly no fear amid gunfire,

As he undertook many fearless rescues with his

Donkey companions endured the dangers to take

Them onto his back or haul them on stretchers.

Private Jack Simpson went out on 19 May 1915

As usual to assist the wounded trapped in battle

During the third attack, when he was hit either

By sniper or machine gun fire, dying on his duty;

Private Simpson was mentioned in despatches.

Leaving friends he had found in Turkey donkeys.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: John Simpson Kirkpatrick. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Simpson_Kirkpatrick> [Accessed: 20 May 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 20 May 2015). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Gallipoli