Women of the war
Gallipoli in 1915. Shout was one of two New Zealanders to earn a Victoria Cross at Gallipoli but he’s largely unknown here.
Harper calls Shout a natural leader who led an attack on the Turks at the Nek, a narrow stretch of ridge on the Gallipoli Peninsula, throwing jam tin bombs (home-made hand grenades) in a trench. Shout lost both hands and was taken to a hospital ship where he died.
Shout, who also had a military cross and was mentioned in dispatches as Australia’s most decorated soldier at Gallipoli.
Cecil Humphries, a publican and representative rugby player, was on holiday with his mother in Britain, when the war broke out. He immediately signed up with the Army Service Corps, in a support role, but soon transferred to infantry.
Humphries had a stellar career, rising through the ranks from private to acting lieutenant colonel. He was lucky at first. While bending over to check a wounded man, his shirt tail was hit by machine gun fire. He sent the shirt, with eight bullet holes to his mum.
He saved a burning ammunition train in Belgium, winning a Military Cross and bar, in addition to a Distinguished Conduct Medal won earlier. In mid-1918, a few months before the war’s end, he was acting lieutenant colonel, in charge of the Norfolk Regiment’s First Battalion.
Humphries was killed by German artillery after his unit took the high ground in the Somme in 1918. Little consolation, no doubt, for his mother, when his boss, a brigadier, wrote to her that her son “was without exception, the bravest man I know”.
Few New Zealanders have served for France. But James Waddell signed up with the French Foreign Legion after not fitting into a British regiment, which he had joined in the late 19th century.
He was quite short at five foot three inches. Wealthy upper-class officers saw him as an outsider. Higher command took his side, which Harper says probably did not help.
His wife, Blanche, suggested he join the Foreign Legion. He joined up in 1900. Promoted to captain, he served with the Legion at Gallipoli in 1915.
He was severely wounded, but continued to direct the attack at Cape Helles, at Gallipoli, until the position was taken. This won him a Croix de Guerre.
Waddell continued with the Legion, fighting in many key battles including the Somme, Verdun and defending against the German Spring Offensive of 1918.
A curious episode was Waddell’s application in 1916, to join the New Zealand Division. Strangely the commander, Major-General Sir Andrew Russell, turned him down, despite, Harper says, a shortage of experienced officers.
Waddell served in the Foreign Legion until well after the war. He returned to New Zealand in the 1950s, to spend time with his grown-up children. He died aged 84.
Perhaps the saddest story is that of Dr Angus McNab. The New Zealand-born eye surgeon, who worked at Charing Cross hospital, had a Harley St practice and had written a textbook.
McNab joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1914. He served with the London Scottish Battalion, in the First Battle of Ypres in Belgium.
During this action they found nearly half their rifles were defective and were over-run. According to a survivor’s letter, “McNab was bayoneted [and killed] while attending two wounded men. It was bright moonlight, he had a white badge and red cross on his arm, and even a blue tunic on, so as to be unmistakable, and was of course, without any (fire)arms.”
McNab’s death led to a tit-for-tat killing spree, the London Scottish refusing to take any prisoners, and the Germans responding in kind.
McNab, age 39, left behind his wife and two young children. McNab has no known grave, his name is one of more than 100 New Zealand names etched on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Belgium. A minority of plucky Kiwi women had the opportunity to travel and find work in Europe in World War I.
Dunedin-born Pixie Laing travelled to France in 1916, to work for the Folies Bergere, famous for its extravagant costumes — or virtually none at all. A year on, Pixie was driving ambulances for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. She survived the war.
Lena Ashwell, a concert producer, battled with British bureaucrats to provide concert parties for the troops.
McNab was bayoneted while attending two wounded men. His death led to a tit-fortat killing spree.
She won, and there were more than 5000 concerts.
Among the New Zealanders working there was Rosemary Frances Rees, a playwright and actress. She used her contacts to get 20,000 free tickets for the use of Zealand soldiers.
After the war she had her own theatre company in New Zealand and wrote best-selling romantic fiction.
Beatrice Maunder was probably New Zealand’s most successful woman during World War I. She set up several hospitals in Belgium, one in a converted hotel and another in an outdoor entertainment area. One of these accommodated 1000 soldiers. She recalled a busy fortnight where there was no time to bathe or sleep in a bed. She was truly remarkable. The King of Belgium awarded her the Order of Merit. Curiously, she never discussed where she came from.
For King and Other Countries