THE GREAT ADVENTURE by Barry Allan Copyright 2012 Barry Allan Smashwords Edition Smashwords Edition, License Notes Thankyou for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied or distributed for commercial or non- commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com where they can also find other works by this author. Thank you for your support. Author's Note This book was first published in print in 2010 and follows on from my earlier book 'Black Sheep and Gold Diggers' that told the story of convicts Joseph Allen and Richard Venvill, and of the early lives of their descendants Bill Allan and Elizabeth Vurlow. Bill and Liz never married each other but had many children. Three of their boys George, Joe and Dave served in the AIF in World War One. This book is an account of the boys' army service, their family's situation during the war, and of the consequences for all of them that came afterwards. The family's story at Footscray is based upon real events and the personalities, as far as they are known, of the people involved. For the military action I have used factual records, only inventing dialogue to give some life to the narrative, and occasionally including the boys in real battlefield incidents where they were known to be present but where no names were recorded. All the people named in the book were real and their actions are taken from sources such as Army Service records, Unit War Diaries, and two excellent books written about the 5th Battalion and the 6th Machine Gun Company. Both were written soon after the war by Officers who were in those Units. Those books have enabled me to include explanations of tactics, anecdotes about individual men, and background detail such as weather and specific battlefield conditions on particular days. The spelling of place names has changed in some cases, and I have usually used the modern spelling to make it easier for the reader to find them on a map, but I have used Ypres here whereas the spelling now is Ieper. All the French towns mentioned can be easily found on internet maps, and I suggest that regular reference be made to those maps in order to follow the frequent and confusing movements of the Army Units. Even here I have omitted many route marches between billets that the troops undertook, to keep the story readable. For the same reason I have included few details of other Allied armies, but it should not be assumed that the Australians were in any way unique in enduring the conditions described. I have simplified the descriptions of battles in most cases for clarity. There was much more going on, even concerning the three boys, than I have written here, but those details tended to complicate the story without adding much to the reader's understanding of it. My thanks go to several people who provided assistance during my research. By some good luck I discovered Joe's daughters Rose and Margaret, who I previously didn't know existed, living in Melbourne. They provided valuable information about Joe, especially his life and attitudes after the war. However they knew almost nothing about his war service and had little information about Dave, Mavis or Ellen, and they had never heard of George or Tasman. June Howard knew Joe, his wife Daisy, Mavis and Ellen, and provided background information and anecdotes that helped me to gauge their personalities. My thanks also go to Charlotte's niece Patricia Clements, the last living person to have seen George, who provided some personal anecdotes, background information and photos of Charlotte, Gwen and George junior. Also thanks to her daughter Gayle King who passed information back and forth to her mother, vetted the story for accuracy of family details, and encouraged me to get the book finished. I myself met Mavis and Ellen more than 40 years ago, long before I had any knowledge of, or interest in family history, and so missed the opportunity to ask questions. Barry Allan 2012 Table of Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Melbourne 1914 Chapter 2 The AIF 1914 Chapter 3 Gallipoli 1915 Chapter 4 Lone Pine Chapter 5 Footscray 1915 Chapter 6 Egypt 1916 Chapter 7 Western Front Chapter 8 Fromelles Chapter 9 Pozieres Chapter 10 The Somme Chapter 11 First Pioneer Battalion Chapter 12 Footscray 1916 Chapter 13 Bullecourt Chapter 14 The Long Rest Chapter 15 Ypres Chapter 16 Bulford 1917 Chapter 17 France 1918 Chapter 18 Final Battles Chapter 19 Footscray 1918 Chapter 20 Coming Home Chapter 21 The Twenties Epilogue Prologue The young men of Melbourne were excitedly anticipating the grand opening of Luna Park just before Christmas in 1912. The rides and other attractions that it offered were just what they needed to provide an interesting place to take a girl on an outing. Moving pictures were still a novelty that they liked, but the shows didn't change often enough to fill their needs. Picnics had always been popular, but a train trip to the country and a walk to some suitable spot was becoming somewhat humdrum. Daylight public bathing had only been legalised a few months earlier, but it was still banned on Sundays. The boys had at first enjoyed the experience of seeing their girlfriends in less than the usual full- cover clothing that was fashionable at the time. Their comparatively scanty neck to knee bathers had aroused the lads, and it has to be said, the girls too, and there was a general increase in the level of sexual activity among the youngsters. Swimming was seasonal though, and Melbourne's weather wasn’t always suitable for a day of sightseeing at the beach, so a new fun place to take a girl was just what they needed. George Allan and Charlotte Bennet were both eighteen years old and had met only recently, but had already found a strong mutual attraction. George knew it wouldn't be long before they fully consummated their relationship, and he was looking forward to the event. A day at Luna Park with a ride on the Scenic Railway, a boat ride through the Caves of the World, some fun in the Penny Arcade and a performance at the Palais de Follies was almost guaranteed to get a girl in the mood. And so it did. By the time of George's nineteenth birthday in February of 1913 they had thoroughly consummated their relationship, and continued to do so at every opportunity. Charlotte turned nineteen a month later, and the party continued. George was 5 feet 7 inches tall, strongly built, having fair hair and blue eyes, and with his family trait of square jaw and heavy eyebrows. He would be described as rugged rather than handsome. He was still growing and would be a strong young man in a few years. He lived with his parents and worked as a labourer at a quarry near Footscray. That work was building muscle onto his solid frame. Charlotte was 5 feet 5 inches tall, with dark wavy hair and a cheeky grin that went with her outgoing personality. Her father had died a year earlier and her mother now took in boarders to help with their poor financial position. Charlotte worked as a domestic servant, so was also helping with the finances. The couple's family backgrounds were very different, but they hadn't got so far in their relationship for that sort of personal information to be exchanged. It was just sex for the moment, and it was all going so well that they both ignored any possible consequences until June, when Charlotte found she was pregnant. She had tried to time their liaisons to minimise the chance of pregnancy but it had gone wrong somehow. She wasn't sure what George's reaction would be when she told him, but decided on a direct approach. Their next outing the following Sunday was memorable for both of them, and she broke the news to George with some trepidation. 'George I think I'm pregnant.' George was momentarily lost for words, his brain slowly processing the information. No immediate course of action came to mind and he had no idea what to do next. This was a complication that he wasn't prepared for. Then the obvious question formed in his mind. 'Ah jeez Lottie are you sure? That will put a spoke in our wheel.' 'Yes I'm fairly sure. I'll be seeing the doctor this week.' 'Well what can you do about it?' Charlotte bristled. 'We're in this together George, so don't think you're just going to leave it all to me. Anyway, we can't do anything about it!' Charlotte had already dismissed any thought of abortion. Her Catholic upbringing prevented any such possibility. 'I'll have the baby and I expect you will do the honorable thing and marry me.' George could see his little world crumbling at the thought of marriage at the age of nineteen. This wasn't part of his life's plan, vague as that was. Working at the quarry and having a good time on his days off summed up his life goals. Charlotte was a good friend and sex partner, but babies and marriage were things he hadn't even considered. 'What about adoption? You could give it away and no one would know.' George's mind was still processing all the possible scenarios he could think of, none of which so far involved himself.