Moving the Dead & Wounded - ‘Thanks God’

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Description

Mr Elliot describes his role as charge of stretcher bearers, and recalls being shelled while attempting to transport wounded men.

Transcription

Interviewer: So at this point you have the rank of sergeant?

Yeah.

Interviewer: What's your first duty, towards your officers, and your comrades, your soldiers?

Well my job, at first, I was the one in charge of stretcher bearers. And I had a medical officer which I reported to, but I was pretty well on my own. To organize evacuation, and wounded, and the dead.

Interviewer: Quite a duty.

Well I did it for several months.

Interviewer: Can you.... is there one time that, that comes to mind, a story you'd like to share about that type of duty?

Well I was very lucky, we had an area we called Camouflage Hill, and the old Chinamen used to shell that steady. And it was getting heavy shelling and I drug some wounded out and we got in the jeep and I knew the hill would be shelled, plus mud. And the only guy I could get a hold of to help me was the Protestant padre Filshay (sp). So he helped me push the jeep up over this mud pie, and a darn old Chinamen shell come floating in about three feet from us, and never went off. I think he said "Thanks God", or something. And it was.... if that had of blew up I wouldn't be here.

Interviewer: You must of had a lot of fear right then.

No... you gotta worry about the guys you're trying to get out.

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