Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Among the Australians.
The following is an extract from a letter which appeared in the "Coleraine Albion," from the Rev. F. H. Ingamells, vicar of Holy Trinity church, Coleraine, and formerly of Heywood, and who is on chaplain duty at the front :
A.I.F., 11-1-16
So much has been said of our fighting material that all impressions agree, and if we were able to really say what we think as Australians, we might be forgiven our brag. That can only be done by comparisons which the copy books said are odious, seeing that all are fighting for the same end. But this I do say, having seen Regulars, Kitchener's Army, Indians, Frenchmen, and Australians, our boys in physique are equal to the best. Well, I have been to Gallipoli, landed, as they did, in the dark, but under absolutely diverse conditions, I have been in their positions-up the slopes, down the hills,across the valleys, stumbled on the rough, and the marvel to me is that they ever got past the beach, still more that they ever charged where and when they did, and held on to what they took, That alone does not stamp them as fighters. It is their absolute heartiness, their cheeriness in trouble, their stoicism at losses, their pluck under pain, their readiness to "have a go," and a peculiar quality of quickly assuming the normal after a "stunt." These impressions come only after seeing them at it and in it, and it is all the more wonderful when we think that less than two years ago they were not prepared to face any of the conditions under which they fought and lived and died. There was no long tradition behind them as fighting units, but their very individuality has established the best of the best. Every lad that comes over now has not only a glorious heritage to defend, but he has a tradition as ancient as the oldest to revere because no better has been established, and unique because the youngest has established it. I will not write about their religion, It is as if one were betraying a confidence, and making public a confession. Enough for me to say for myself that the boys are " all right." Speaking of one of the Turkish battery guns he thus refers to " Beachy Bill," which was believed to be situated in an olive grove;-" Beachy" was a humorist. One Saturday quite a number of war ships appeared-cruisers, monitors, one battleship, and destroyers, and plastered Gaba Tepe and the olive grove with over 300 shots. It was one of the finest sights I ever watched - the great gun from the monitor, the broadsides from the battleships and cruisers, and the destroyers" running in." The noise was terrific, and quite a cloud of brownish yellow smoke soon hid the bigger ships. After all this ear splitting noise ceased and the tons of explosives had searched "Beachy's" home for the space of an hour, and the ships had majestically turned away, a single boom was heard, and whoo oo-oo,bang ! It was the humorist. If you could imagine a man with a blunderbus plugging away at a cheeky boy hidden in a hole, and then, after stalking in a dignified manner from the scene of probably bloodshed, was struck by a missile from a pea shooter aimed by the small boy, you have the effect it had upon us. The joke was thoroughly enjoyed.

Portland Guardian Wednesday 08 March 1916 page 3