Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of William Bevan BIRDSEY and Margaret Jane nee BEATTIE, Preston Street, Geelong West, Victoria

Husband of Elizabeth Clarke nee SPAIN

Arriving in Gallipoli, William suffered Dysentry 18  May 1915 and was admitted at St. Andrew's Hospital Malta on 29 May 1915 with Rheuatism. He embarked for England 28 July 1915 per 'Transylvania' and admitted to 1 Australian Auxilary Hospital, Hereford.  Norman was discharged on furlough 08 September 1915 and embarked for Australia from Plymouth with Nervous Shock 08 October 1915.  He did not return to the front.

NORMAN H. BIRDSEY ON THE RUSH
FOR THE TURKS.
In a letter dated the 21st May from St. Andrew's Hospital, Sliema, Malta, to his mother, Mrs. W. B. Birdsey, of Preston-street, Geelong West, Private Norman H. Birdsey writes,-"I  expect you have been thinking that I am no longer alive. Well, I cannot tell you how it is I am still among the living. But let me relate my experiences. Two days before the brigade left Mena camp for Alexandria to embark for the Dardanelles, I had to go into Mena House Hospital with a poisoned or septic toe, and it was not until the beginning of this month  that I was sent on to Lemnos with the reinforcements to my (8th) battalion. We were there hours, when a destroyer brought the news that we were to proceed at once to Gaba Tepe. We arrived there after four hours' steaming, and went aboard a destroyer which took us on to the pontoons, from which we landed. Shrapnel was falling everywhere, so the  experience was somewhat exciting. However, we landed safely and were at once drafted into our respective battalions. On the following day our brigade was sent to Cape Helles,  where we were given our war rations, which consist of a white linen bag with two tins of bully beef, a small flat tin marked "groceries," containing one packet of tea and one of  sugar, a cube of Oxo to make beef tea and six meal biscuits), and were disembarked at Seddul Bahr, close to the great Turkish fort. One would think that all the battleships and  destroyers in the world were here, such a vast array of war boats there was never to be forgotten. The Queen Elizabeth is a monster, and the destruction she made of the great  fort is sufficient evidence of the power of her guns. After landing we had a meal of bully beef, biscuits, marmalade and a cup of water, and a party of us went back to the ship to  carry our stores up to the base. The stores consist of bags of flour, cases of bully beef, and bags of biscuits. Then came the joyful news that we were at once to rejoin our  regiment. We were arranged in platoons, and at intervals of 200 yards apart advanced towards the firing line, until we reached a line of trenches prepared by the 8th Battalion, where we were finally drafted into our own companies, and the reinforcements put into the companies which were under strength. We then made ready for the firing line, every  man one behind the other, so as not to provide a mark for other than rifle fire. It was just as well we had reached that stage of formation, as a shell burst over us, two of our  fellows being wounded. We had to lie as flat on the ground as possible— in fact we had to fairly hug the earth. We were then ordered to advance, and just as we started our  Adjutant, Capt. Possingham, was shot dead. We advanced along a gully, bullets whizzing and spitting like fury. A few men dropped out. We eventually got into shelter, where we  were ordered to remove our packs, which left us in fighting order. We continued to advance into what proved for so many of our fellows, "the valley of death." They fell like leaves.  I wonder if I shall ever forget how I reached the first trench. After seeing some fine fellows shot dead in front of me I felt mighty dry in the throat. On we went and there  was a poor fellow crying out for stretcher-bearers. I went to him but he was shot through the stomach. I whipped off my outfit, got down close beside him and covered him up  with my water proof, as a lot of fellows had died from exposure. That was all I could do for him. I think the first thing one conquers on a battlefield is one's eyesight. Delay meant  death, so we flew on to the first trench, through such a hail of bullets that I have never ceased to wonder how I still exist. We reached the trench safely, and found there the reinforcements, machine gun section (reserve) of the 7th Battalion, with their officer, taking a breather before the next charge. What makes the escape of the survivors of this  charge more marvellous is the fact that there were no connecting trenches. When you get into a trench you should be able to go from the back one right into the firing line, but in  this case when we got into the trench we had to climb out and run over open ground to the next line. Well, the machine gun section decided to move on. They may have got  through: they may not; I do not know. It was from this on, that those of us who were left had to face death in practically every yard. In the trench with me were Lieut. Dalton. Privates Baker, Kelly, Sheridan and Dwyer. Lieut. Dalton ordered us to move on, so we climbed up the side of the trench and rushed on amidst a hail of shrapnel, machine guns  and rifle fire, until we all thought we were going towards the Turkish trenches in the dark instead of towards our own. The fire was so hot that we were again compelled to lie down as close to the ground as possible. When we were again ordered to advance I found that my outfit, which I had taken off when helping the man who had been shot through the  stomach, had become entangled in a connecting telephone wire. By the time I had found the buckle which had been caught, my mates had gone and I was left alone. I emptied my tucker bag of bully beef and biscuits, and discarded everything that I could in order to decrease the weight, and made another dash for the firing trench. I had not gone far in  the dark when I fell into one of the divisions of a trench and injured myself internally. I lay there all night, and was found in the morning by one of our corporals, who put a  blanket over me, and left me there until the afternoon, when Lieut. James and a party brought me in. I could hardly walk, my legs were stiff and sore and I was suffering from  rheumatics. The doctor sent me back to the base in the ambulance waggon with the other wounded and disabled men. We were all made comfortable for the night in hessian  sleeping bags. In the morning we were given hot milk and biscuits and examined again by the doctors, who sent us down to the lighters on the beach, and we were taken out to  the hospital ship, the ---, a big, three-screw steamer, which took us on to Alexandria. Lieut. Catron was on board with a shot through the knee. Also Bert. Keown, who was shot  through the shoulder. When we arrived at Alexandria it was found that there was no room for us. All the hospitals were full, so after leaving 100 of the worst cases ashore we went on to Malta. All this time I was fed on English sterilised milk and the white of two eggs. The trip to Malta was very beautiful, lasting about two and a half days. Valetta is strongly  fortified. In fact it is all fortresses and barrack rooms. We had a great reception when we landed. The buildings are right on the water's edge, and there were two large tents  erected on a plastered square, where, as we were landed off the lighters, Maltest ladies gave each man biscuits, lemonade, chocolates, flowers and cigarettes. We were then taken in motor ambulances to St. Andrew's Hospital. Ladies bring us flowers regularly. Yesterday we each received a parcel. Mine contained one magazine, one post-card, one packet of cigarettes, one lead pencil, one cake of chocolate, and one bar of soap. Enough whistling and singing goes on in this ward to deafen one. Everyone is happy and contented, except  that we do not get any money. I beliefe we are to get 1/- per week tobacco allowance. If I can get rid of the rheumatics, I will be back in the firing line before long."