Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

STORIES TOLD ME BY MY FATHER
HARRY VALENTINE (PTE. WW1)



FRANCE

A humorous story told by Dad about being on leave in France which probably is better "in the telling" and not in the writing.

He was running late to catch his train back to his unit and lost his way to the railway station.

In his new found French, he kept asking the local French people "le gare, le gare?" - where is the railway station he thought. However his pronunciation was out and he was saying "le gare" - the war.

The French would nod sadly and were probably wondering what was going on with this strange Australian soldier.

Presumably the story ended happily as Dad would tell this story with a smile in subsequent years.



ANZAC DAY

From the time he returned from his service with the Medical Corps in 1919, Dad never missed attending the Anzac Day service and March in Sydney until his death in 1962 (he may have missed one when he was sick one year).

One day I asked why he was so dedicated about this.

He told a story about the times he was nursing dying soldiers who used to say to him "Have one for me, mate".

This he obviously took very seriously and always remembered his fallen comrades as he called them and the mateship we hear of constantly on Anzac Day was very evident when he spoke of his war experiences and the men he served with.



CHRISTMAS DAY

Harry told about areas being declared "no man's land" by the showing of white flags when they were about to go and collect their wounded and dead.
He appeared impressed and pleased by the declaration of truces held so that Christmas could be celebrated by both sides, without the need of combat, in peace.


BANDAGES AND BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS

We have a photograph of Dad with some of his patients and other medical corps soldiers.

On the back he has written "A soldier who gave blood to save a comrade's life". This was obviously something quite new which impressed him tremendously.

One medical chore, Harry told about was the need to wash and reuse bandages. He spoke of many hours spent rolling bandages. I can remember him explaining the right way to do this and how the bandage was applied to the wound

As children we took for granted his knowledge of first aid little realising it origins.

I remember being told to always dry well between your toes after bath or shower (I still do) to prevent getting what was called "trench foot" over there - a fear left over from his days on the muddy battlefields.

He told a story about falling asleep whilst rolling up some bandages sitting outside one of the tents after he had been on duty for many hours. When the army doctor saw him he said "Go and get some sleep, soldier".



GASSING AND BURIAL PARTIES

Dad was gassed during the war and subsequently developed TB. He was treated for this when he returned home spending some time in a "sanatorium" in the Blue Mountains. Unfortunately I can't remember being told about any of this. My cousin Beryl Pierce told a story about answering a knock on the door with her mother and a soldier standing there and saying "Don't you know me, I'm your brother, Harry". His sister did not recognise him he was so thin and pale - he had been gone almost four years.

During his service, Harry went on burial parties (as they were called). My sister Wendy can remember being told about these, I will ask her to write down her memories.



SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS

Dad spoke with compassion of the men who found the horrors of war too much. Some of these men deliberately injured themselves to get away from "the front" only to suffer the humiliation when in hospital of a sign being put at the foot of their bed "Self Inflicted Wound".

Harry was pleased that in the more enlightened years to follow men were treated more kindly and that understanding was given to the psychological damage suffered during active service.
MEDALS

Dad felt that not always the right people got the medals and it seemed that the higher ranks were more likely to get recognition. Logic seems to agree that bravery is not confined to the more senior ranks, in fact there would appear to be more opportunity for heroism amongst the diggers.


RSL/LEGACY

From its formation, Dad was a member of the Returned Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen's League. While working for the Water Board he was President of their sub-branch and in previous years had been President of the City of Sydney Branch.

In the last years of his life, he was Legatee Valentine caring for a Legacy family (who lost the father of the family due to war service) as a substitute father.


WEARING WAR MEDALS

Just before ANZAC Day one year, Dad explained that war medals are worn on the left side - supposedly closest to your heart - and a sign of their significance.


THE LAST POST AND REVEILLE

Maybe the same year as the above, when I was probably about ten years old, I told him I could not understand when The Last Post finished and Reveille began. He said, that's easy. The Last Post was "Go to sleep, go to sleep" and Reveille was "You gotta get up, you gotta get up" giving me the impression that these were played each night and each morning when they were in camp.



Pamela Valentine
16 Nov 1014