Letter from Bandsman E Clarke, 18th Battalion Band to Mr Ward, 9 September 1915

PR82/8
9/9/15
address  Bandsman E. Clarke
18^th Battalion Band
5^th Brigade
A.I.F.
(On active service)
Dear M Ward,
I know you have by now
noticed the casualty lists of the 18^th Batt
so still being in the land of the living
I will try and give you my own
experience while under fire.  In the first
place I think my tongue is mightier than
the pen so any little details left out it
shall be my pleasure if God wills it so to
be able to speak about on my arrival back
in dear old Australia, because after

coming this distance we realize that
it is worth fighting for.  Our battalion
received instructions to attack a very
important position on a Sunday morning.
What a reception we got. Machine Guns
Bombs & Shrapnel it was worse than
the eggs some of us received while speaking
at Newtown one Saturday night: Our
chaps got badly cut up but it made
my blood tingle to see them standing
up the the Turks (about 10 to 1) with fixed
bayonets they soon had them on the run.
There were dead & wounded everywhere
some of the sights were pitiful but after
the first few minutes I found it no trouble
to attend to the very worst cases.  If God
spared anyones life it was mine.  While

bringing a wounded lieutentant
out of a trench a machine gun was
turned right on to us.  My comrade
on the other end of the stretcher got hit
and even after dragging the two of
them into a sap I escaped without a
scratch.  Another time a bullet from a
sniper whizzed past my ear & killed a
Ghurka not 5 yds off.  It is one long list
of escapes but these two appealed to me
as being the closest of course this was to be
expected while in the firing line.  During
this time however an Abysces had been
growing on my Spinal vetrebrae so
on the 4^th day had to go to Heliopolis
for a slight operation it proved
successful alright so am stayigng

at present at the Heloun convalesent
Hospital Helonan.  It is about 20 miles
from Cairo near the Nile.  Have
enjoyed my stay splendidly so by the
time this reaches you will be back at
the front.  The chaps wre very pleased
over the success of Australia Day
but you ought to hear some of their
opinions about Fisher & Hughes bringing
forward the Referendum proposals.
Personally I reckon it would be fine
to let them come & try to convince
the Turks they would find it was
only their own paltry feelings that
counted.  The position is too serious
for those questions at the present
moment.  If those vain self impressed

politicians only knew the odds
& hardships the Australians are
putting up with for the honor of
their country they perhaps then would
drop party questions & put their shoulders
to the wheel & help instead of being
a hindrance you can take this as
a very fair opinion of the men generally.
Then again the disgracefull scenes
at the Stadium is absolutely condemned
I cannot repeat the language that is 
used in the description of those who
took part.  You can rest assured
our chaps are fine. if they only had the
men & guns the Turks would'nt have
a look in.  That is about all but I
hope some day to be able to give you

all a verbal account.  Closing
trusting this finds you in the best
of health & wishing you full measure
of success
from
Truly yours
E Clarke

C.B. Ward. Esq
W.E. Ward & Co Ltd
47 York Street
Sydney