Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Posted by Blacksmith, Monday, 19 November 2018

Brave Rifleman Writes of Heavy Trench Fighting

The following is an extract from a letter recently received by Jack Haynes, M.C.C. Rifle Club, from Captain William McCutcheon, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal at Gallipoli for repairing wires and installing new telephones under shrapnel fire, and the Military Cross in France for maintaining communications while wounded: -“'I suppose you heard that I was fool, enough to get in the way of a piece of Hun shell.
It hit rather hard, and I felt somewhat sick of things in general for a while, but I was not born to be shot.
I was hit in the right arm at Pozieres in the big advance, so you will see I have not been out of any of the fun. We all had a warm time.

I was right in what was once, the town of Pozieres for two days, and the old Huns never stopped shelling us for a single, minute.
In the advance our boys, took trench after trench, and, best of all, they held them.
The Huns kept attacking, but got such a warm reception and lost so many men, that they gave it up.
Our infantry is wonderful, and it makes you proud to be an Australian when you see the fine things they do.
After being hit I was carried down to the dressing station, about a mile and a half away, had my wound dressed, and received a nice hot drink of cocoa.
I was then sent further back to a casualty clearing station, from there to another hospital, and at about 2 a.m. arrived at the hospital from which you are sent to the base.

Next day, with about 500 others, mostly Australians, we entrained for a coast hospital, where the piece of shell was removed from my arm.
The following morning we boarded a hospital ship for Dover, and arrived at Charing Cross, where we had a great reception, girls throwing flowers into the waggons.
I spent five weeks in hospital, a week at the seaside, and another week in London.
Tomorrow I'm off to some base, and I hope later to be with the boys in France.
London is fine. Everybody there goes for afternoon tea. The people very kind.

They send their private motors for you, take you some fine drives, and provide lunch and tea in lovely old English homes. Still, a fellow longs to be back fighting with the boys.
I am once more in luck.
A Military Cross, which nobody else wanted, has come my way, and I expect to go to Buckingham Palace next week to receive it from His Majesty.
How about all coming over for a weekend, I will introduce, you to all the tea-shops.
Kind regards to all the boys.”
Winner, Wednesday 22 Decem