Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Glen Innes Examiner (NSW: 1908 - 1954)
Monday 15 November 1915
From the Trenches
"LIKE A MISERABLE COWARD."
Pte. A. S. Reid, a son of Mr. James A. Reid, general manager Dayton Scale Co. (Sydney), writing to his mother (from a hospital at Epsom England), says:—" Just a few lines to let you know that I am getting on all right. I am feeling as strong as a lion, and have a good appetite. An Australian lady brought me the 'Sydney Morning Herald' yesterday, and I read about the great recruiting campaign. I will never regret having enlisted, and I am sure you are proud that I did my duty instead of remaining at home like a miserable coward. There are some jolly fine fellows in this ward. Most of them are regulars from France. Some of them are wounded at Neuve Chapelle and Hill 60. They had a rough time at these places. I can help myself more now than I could at Malta; I can raise my body to have the sheets change without paining the knee. I reckon this is a sign that the bones are knitting. I expect another month in bed yet. I am quite comfortable, and time passes quickly. I sleep most of the morning, and read during the afternoon."

Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931)
Friday 27 June 1930
TO-DAY'S WAR STORY
TWO IN NO MAN'S LAND
Todays £1 is awarded for the following war story to ex-Trooper A.S. Reid, formerly of the 6th Light Horse, and who lives at “Havilah”, Curban, N.S.W.
WE had been driving a small tunnel towards the Turks trenches, with the object of blowing them up. Some of us imagined we heard sounds of the Turks working underneath — as it turned out they were— and it was decided that two volunteers should be sent into "No Man's Land" at night to reconnoitre. Stevens and Henry volunteered, and at 9 p.m. crawled over the sandbags, each armed with an officer's revolver and a luminous wristlet watch. They were given an hour. During that time we were given orders not to fire, except in case of a general attack. When the hour was up and they did not return, our officer ordered another hour 'no firing'. When that hour was up, and no Steve and Henry, the order "Carry on" was given. The Turkish trenches at this spot were about 90 yards away. There had not been much firing from the Turk's side, and no machine gun 'burst.' Most of us considered they had been grabbed by the Turks. Towards dawn a nearly spent moon began to rise behind the Turkish trenches. I was looking through a loophole, and imagined I saw two figures crawling towards me. I said quietly, "That you Steve?" and the reply came. "For God's sake don't shout." We hauled them over the top, and to the sergeant's inquiry as to what went wrong. Steve replied "Oh, we just stopped out for a look round." They admitted the risk they took. They had not heard sounds or any sapping going on and no more information was obtained from them. The incident was soon forgotten, but weeks afterwards, when I was in hospital in Malta, Henry, who was in an adjacent hospital came to see me. Bob, what happened that night you and Steve did not turn up from "No Man’s Land?" I asked." It was this way" he replied. We got lost that night. We slewed about so much between the two lines of trenches that when we decided to return we did not know which was ours. Steve reckoned one lot was ours, and I thought otherwise. We knew the moon rose behind the Turks, and that it would be up before morning, so we decided to wait. We lay in opposite directions, side by side, with our revolvers ready. "More bullets whizzed by from our side than from the Turks', and the worst part was getting in because you know how they shoot first and challenge afterwards!"
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