One of the greatest quotes after the Gallipoli offensive :
"Heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives! You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well. " Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ( the father of modern Turkey )
My Dad used to recite this poem by memory at RSL reunions when he had a get together with his army mates.
Sadly there are not many of them left.
I used to hear the emotion in his voice as he said each word.
I found his hand written version of the poem when having a clean up.
At the end of the poem he wrote:
The verse "Those faded Suits of Green" written by a Rebecca Morton of North Queensland appeared in the Womans Weekly prior to September 1943.
We were in hot pursuit of the enemy through Salamaua entering the township on the 12 September 1943.
Although suffering a bout of malaria with a raging temp of 102.4 I picked up two pages of the Weekly which included the verse.
The beauty of the town with the large isthmus was not appreciated at that time.
I understand that today Salamaua is regarded as the Gold Coast of New Guinea, the venue for holidays & weekend celebrations by visitors from other parts of the mainland.
Those Faded Suits of Green
I am standing at my window
I can hear the tramp of feet
I can hear the soldiers marching
Down the busy roads and the street,
They are coming into vision
Now they can be plainly seen
That swinging line of figures
In their faded suits of green!
Suits that went into the dye-pots
In a hurry as you know
For the Jap was at our doorstep
A crafty, cruel foe;
Not time for fuss or finish
Very little lay between
Those swarming hordes of Nippon
And those faded suits of green!
The dye came out in patches
Of pale yellow, green and brown;
They were fashioned for the jungle
Not for touring round the town;
They were not meant for dandies
Just to strut in or to preen
They were made for men of action
Streaky, faded suits of green!
There were men who went to outposts
To the flies, and dust and heat,
To monotony and boredom
No offensive, no retreat;
And they missed the path to glory
With their mates at Alamein;
They were left to guard Australia
In their faded suits of green!
On the battlefields of Papua
On the shores of Milne Bay
On the road to far Kokoda
And down the Gona-Buna way;
Through fever-stricken jungles
Where the Nippon lurked unseen
Into slime, and slush and slaughter
Went those faded suits of green!
Pressing onward, ever onward
Rivers crossed and pathways strange,
Facing death, defying danger
On the Owen Stanley range;
Up the cliffs and down the valleys
Through the deep and dark ravine,
Torn and tattered, splashed with crimson
Glorious faded suits of green!
Standing, watching at my window
My thoughts wing as before
To the ricefeilds of Malaya
To the docks of Singapore;
To the prison camps of Nippon
Where the loved ones gaunt and lean
Weary, wait to be rescued
By those faded suits of green!
They are coming, captive soldiers
Tho’ the way be grim and hard
They will fight on to a finish
Inch by inch, yard by yard;
For no suits of shining armour
Worn by knights before a Queen
Ever held such pride and honour
As those faded suits of green!
When the bells of peace are ringing
As they did in days of yore
When the hated sounds of war drums
Shall have ceased for evermore;
When we live in love and laughter
And happiness serene
Oh, Australia, please remember!
Those faded suits of green!
Poem sung to the tune of the song “To the Shores of Tripoli”.
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