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George Todd, MM & Bar, (1889-1991) World Wars I & II veteran. Recorded 23 January 1982. Part 3/3.
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SummaryGEORGE TODD
Recorded 1/10/1977
Part 3/3
0:01
George was a member of a gun crew on an 18 pounder gun. It is an artillery piece that is pulled by a team of 6 horses. It fires a brass shell containing shrapnel or high explosive matter and weighs 18 pounds.
0:24
When he enlisted in 1914 he was a Private. Two days later he was promoted to Bombardier 1 stripe. At Gallipoli he was promoted to Corporal 2 stripes and then he was promoted to Sergeant 3 stripes.
0:60
In France in 1907 he was promoted to Commissioned Rank as a Lieutenant.
1:12
One month after he enlisted he turned 25. One month later he sailed to Alexandria in Egypt. They stopped at Albany in WA. on the way.
1:36
The travelled by train to Cairo. From there they walked and led their horses 10 miles through the desert to Mena at the foot of the pyramids.
1:52
For three months they camped in tents on the Nile.
2:07
One had to be 18 yrs old to enlist.
2:23
When he heard that England had declared war on Germany and that 20,000 troops would be welcome from Australia, he volunteered.
2:46
George said that many of the men accepted that they may not return home.
3:00
George was injured slightly. In July 1917 an enemy shell burst on their gun. He survived while the other men either died outright or as a result of wounds.
3:53
George describes "the enemy" - the Turks who were commanded by German officers.
4:05
"The Man and the Donkey" - Murphy carried the wounded soldiers from the front line trenches to the beach and the waiting hospital ships. These ships took the wounded to Lemnos in Greece, to Egypt and to Gibraltar. Until he was killed, he was nearly every day.
4:41
The Australian troops landed on the 25th April 1915 and were evacuated on the 18th December 1915. "It was not a picnic".
They landed in the rain and only had the clothes they stood in.
5:20
Those who were more seriously wounded were evacuated - their diet was canned bully beef and hard biscuits. Occasionally they got fresh meat which they extended into a stew.
All water at Anzac had to be piped ashore from the ships.
In November 1915 there was a blizzard which broke the water pipe. This restricted the supply.
6:23
The escape from Gallipoli was a staged affair. They wanted to deceive the enemy into thinking they were still attacking so they left loaded rifles in the trenches which were automatically fired. They also set fire to the remaining stores on the beaches.
7:29
The soldiers didn't have time off. They dug into the side of the cliffs for shelter. They had ground sheets for cover. They had two blankets and their trench coats for warmth.
8:10
Gas was used in France. In March 1916 they received gas masks. They saved many lives.
In September 1914 he was allotted a horse called Jack. He had to leave him in Egypt when he went to Gallipoli. They met up again in France but in July 1916 they were in the Somme where Jack was killed from a German shell burst.
11:09
End of Tape 288, Side A, Part 3/3
Photograph: By Photographer : ? - Scanned from "The Great War" Volume 10 page 520, edited by H W Wilson, published 1918.This image is available from the Collection Database of the Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: E00920 commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2767796
Todd, George Herbert, 1889-1991PersonJack DelaneyCollectionVoices of the HunterIdentifier288A
Recorded 1/10/1977
Part 3/3
0:01
George was a member of a gun crew on an 18 pounder gun. It is an artillery piece that is pulled by a team of 6 horses. It fires a brass shell containing shrapnel or high explosive matter and weighs 18 pounds.
0:24
When he enlisted in 1914 he was a Private. Two days later he was promoted to Bombardier 1 stripe. At Gallipoli he was promoted to Corporal 2 stripes and then he was promoted to Sergeant 3 stripes.
0:60
In France in 1907 he was promoted to Commissioned Rank as a Lieutenant.
1:12
One month after he enlisted he turned 25. One month later he sailed to Alexandria in Egypt. They stopped at Albany in WA. on the way.
1:36
The travelled by train to Cairo. From there they walked and led their horses 10 miles through the desert to Mena at the foot of the pyramids.
1:52
For three months they camped in tents on the Nile.
2:07
One had to be 18 yrs old to enlist.
2:23
When he heard that England had declared war on Germany and that 20,000 troops would be welcome from Australia, he volunteered.
2:46
George said that many of the men accepted that they may not return home.
3:00
George was injured slightly. In July 1917 an enemy shell burst on their gun. He survived while the other men either died outright or as a result of wounds.
3:53
George describes "the enemy" - the Turks who were commanded by German officers.
4:05
"The Man and the Donkey" - Murphy carried the wounded soldiers from the front line trenches to the beach and the waiting hospital ships. These ships took the wounded to Lemnos in Greece, to Egypt and to Gibraltar. Until he was killed, he was nearly every day.
4:41
The Australian troops landed on the 25th April 1915 and were evacuated on the 18th December 1915. "It was not a picnic".
They landed in the rain and only had the clothes they stood in.
5:20
Those who were more seriously wounded were evacuated - their diet was canned bully beef and hard biscuits. Occasionally they got fresh meat which they extended into a stew.
All water at Anzac had to be piped ashore from the ships.
In November 1915 there was a blizzard which broke the water pipe. This restricted the supply.
6:23
The escape from Gallipoli was a staged affair. They wanted to deceive the enemy into thinking they were still attacking so they left loaded rifles in the trenches which were automatically fired. They also set fire to the remaining stores on the beaches.
7:29
The soldiers didn't have time off. They dug into the side of the cliffs for shelter. They had ground sheets for cover. They had two blankets and their trench coats for warmth.
8:10
Gas was used in France. In March 1916 they received gas masks. They saved many lives.
In September 1914 he was allotted a horse called Jack. He had to leave him in Egypt when he went to Gallipoli. They met up again in France but in July 1916 they were in the Somme where Jack was killed from a German shell burst.
11:09
End of Tape 288, Side A, Part 3/3
Photograph: By Photographer : ? - Scanned from "The Great War" Volume 10 page 520, edited by H W Wilson, published 1918.This image is available from the Collection Database of the Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: E00920 commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2767796
Todd, George Herbert, 1889-1991PersonJack DelaneyCollectionVoices of the HunterIdentifier288Aloading google map....
Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010, George Todd, MM & Bar, (1889-1991) World Wars I & II veteran. Recorded 23 January 1982. Part 3/3., [288A]. Living Histories, accessed 02/06/2023, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/55964