Letter from A 'Gunner' to the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald

PR82/8 
To the Editor

Sydney Morning

Herald
Sir
This Mr Holman at
Annandale (Sydney Morning
Herald Augt 3^rd/18) "Could it
be said at this moment ^he asked that
Australia had been doing
her share (Voices: Yes) What
were the facts? Seven per cent
of Australia's population were
under the colours while in
Great Britain excluding the
millions who were making
munitions the percentage was
sixteen percent He admitted
that distance made some
difference but it did not
make the difference between
7 & 16 percent. (Applause)
P.T.O.                                      

2
The Australian soldiers
were the only troops in the
Allied line who had no chance
of seeing their homes while
the war continued (Cries of shame)

What was the reason?  Because

Australia was the only

nation which had failed

adequately to reinforce their

troops.  Was it not a fair

thing to ask that the men who

had been there for 3½ or f

4 years should get some 

relief & that some of the

fellows who had not been

there should take their

places?"

As regards Australia

having done her share or not

in this war I refer Mr

Holman to the Australian

casualty statistics as

3

compared with Great Britain.

And again, had

the Australian troops in

France merely done an

average share of fighting

I xx can safely say that they

never are would never have

entered the line under

strength which would  goes to

prove that they were adequately

reinforced as compared with

other troops.

With regard to men

who had been at the front 3½ or

4 years, I presume that Mr

Holman is not aware of the

fact that as long as there

P.T.O.                               

4

were sufficient numbers

of men returning from hospital

after being wounded etc He

in many cases fresh new

reinforcements into were

kept at the base while

sometimes two & three months

while these men, some who

had been wounded as many as

four times & had been at

the front since 1915, were

sent straight back to the

firing line only remaining

at the base until such time

as they could be equipped etc

which rarely xxxxx took more than

two days. A frequent

complaint of a "reinforcement"

was "We were told in

Australia before we left that

we were going to relieve the

men who have been out here

5                   
so long, but we are kept

at the base for weeks &

weeks while these men

arrive one day & in most

cases are gone the next & we are

still left here.

I am, Dear Sir,

Yours faithfully

A "Gunner"

A.F.A.

A.I.F.

France
P.T.O.

S.M.H.