| Place | Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Bapaume Cambrai Area, Bullecourt |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | S01175 |
| Collection type | Sound |
| Measurement | 1 hr 7 min |
| Object type | Oral history |
| Physical description | micro cassette; SONY MC-60; mono |
| Maker |
Cunliffe, Jack Chalk, David |
| Date made | 12 December 1987 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
John Robert Cunliffe (Jack) Cunliffe as WW1 veteran, 13th Battalion, 4th Brigade, interviewed by David Chalk.
Description
Jack Cunliffe, SERN 359, interviewed by David Chalk about his experiences with D Platoon, 4th Brigade, 13th Battalion, in WW1. Topics discussed include: birthplace of Surry Hills (born at home on 3 March, 1896), family and early life including being in the cadets and working with his uncle in retail in Pitt St; Sydney; enlistment in September 1914, at age 18; training and exercises; leaving Australia on the Ulysseus, and conditions aboard ship including the mess, sporting activities; Boer War veterans in the Battalion; arrival in Egypt; description of time spent in Cairo, camel rides and visitng the museum; alcohol consumption, brothels and the 'Battle of the Wazzar' ; the 'Gonorrhoea Guards'; military police and Light Horse breaking up the riot or 'battle' in the 'Wozzer'; closure of Shepherds Hotel to all but the officers; consideration of crime and attitudes of Australians towards Egyptian people; reflections on Gallipoli; impressions of landing at Gallipoli in May, in the dusk; being under fire on landing; lack of resources and staff at Heliopolis hospital; experiences of and conditions at Quinn's post; watching Royal Marine Light Infantry being 'mowed down'; attack of Turkish forces at Quinn's on 3 May, severity of fire and casualties; being hit by a shell which landed in front of him and caused fatalities on either side; subsequent evacuation, while unconscious, and waking up waking up three days later in hospital; effectiveness of Gurkha snipers; the friendliness of Turks during the armistice to retrieve the dead and wounded; use of .303 rifle; amputation of an arm; convalescence in England; discussion of French brother in law who joined the British army, and his sister, Isabel, who suffered from shell shock after her war work.
voyage from Minah Camp, during which the ship travelling alongside was torpedoed;
People mentioned include: Roy Cooper; Colonel Burnidge; General Monash
Places mentioned include: Liverpool Camp; Broadmeadows; Zeitoun; Heliopolis; Cairo; Shepheard's Hotel; Lemnos; Haret El Wasser; Widdeslesy Convalescent Home; Sexton, Manchester.