"Over There" with the Australians: 15th Bde AIF 1914/18

"Over There" with the Australians: 15th Bde 5th Division AIF 1914/18
by Captain Reginald Hugh Knyvett, Intelligence Officer 15th Australian Infantry

	"The family is ancient and can be traced to William the Conqueror." Of the descendants of Charles, a grandson, Edward Ferrers Knyvett (born 1833, son of the Reverend Charles William Knyvett, Chaplain to Queen Victoria), migrated to Queensland. Officially a surveyor, he is described by one of his descendants as having spent his life playing cricket against the Englishmen and dabbling in grazing. His sons included Frank Berners Knyvett (later Colonel Knyvett D.S.O., D.C.M.) subject of the famous Knyvett case, of which the defense was published in book form, and R. Hugh Knyvett, author of "Over There with the Australians".

The latter received a fine tribute from Roosevelt, writing in the "Independent", who called him a "Modern Galahad". "No man", he said, "could look at his face and not see that he combined, as few men do, the daring and the iron courage of the born fighter, with the singularly gentle and lofty idealism, the same intensity of spirit which made him so formidable a foe in personal combat, also made him one of the most convincing and effective speakers who ever stirred to action souls that had been but half awake." Both of these brothers died without issue. Another brother, Percy Gordon Knyvett, well known as a Stipendiary Magistrate in Queensland until his death in 1955, had two sons, Dr. Alan Ferrers Knyvett, now Assistant-Superintendent of the General Hospital in Brisbane, and Squadron-Leader Geoffrey Gordon Knyvett, of Mallala, South Australia. Details

Webmasters note. This man is a bit of an enigma and his book is worse. He comes from a "veddy British" family that traces itself back to William The Conqueror and always strives for the top. His efforts, although honourable, are not outstanding and his book appears to try to "gild the lily" both in his own actions and those of the Anzacs.

After he was discharged (as a Lieutenant not a Captain) he moved to the USA. The Adventurers Club there lists him as a former member who was awarded the VC and who fought in the Spanish-American War. Neither is true. Roosevelt is supposed to have said wonderful things about his heroism but there is no evidence anywhere that he committed any particular act that drew the attention of the authorities.

He did NOT serve at Gallipoli but implies that he did so in his book. He makes no false claim, just leaves you believing that he was there. His tales of Gallipoli are fanciful to the extreme. He talks about the landings being opposed by "thousands" of howitzers and field pieces on the first day. 30 would be closer to the mark.

The book was aimed at the American market, uses their slang and is hyped to suit their taste. The mere title "Over There" is an Americanism and his claim to be with the 15th Australian Infantry is correct but misleading as he was with 57th Bn (later 59th Bn) and the 15 refers to his Brigade. Men of the AIF rarely used their Brigade number as an identifier.

The book is interesting but a grain of salt should be used on the more fanciful items.

BILL-JIM'S CHRISTMAS

(Bill-Jim is Australia's name for her soldier)

Here where I sit, mucked up with Flanders mud,

Wrapped round with clothes to keep the Winter out,

A tea-up wi' pests a bloke don't care to name

To ears polite,

I'm glad I'm here all right

A man must fight for freedom and his blood

Against this German rout

An' do his bit,

An' not go growlin' while he's doin' it

The cove as can't stand cowardice or shame

must play the game.

Here 's Christmas, though, with cold sleet swirlin' down

God ! gimme Christmas Day in Sydney town I

I long to see the flowers in Martin Place,

To meet the girl I write to face to face,

To hold her close and teach

What in this Hell I'm learning-that a man

Is only half a man without his girl,

That sure as grass is greets and God's above

A chap's real happiness,

If he 's no churl,

Is home and folks and girl,

And all the comforts that come in with love

There is a thrill in way, as all must own,

The tramplin' onward rush,

The shriek o' shrapnel and the followin' hush,

The bosker crunch o' bayonet on bone,

The warmth of the dim dug-out at the end,

The talk in' over things, as friend to friend,

And through it all the blessed certainty

As this war 's working out for you an' me

As we would have it work.

Fritz maybe, and the Turk

Feel that way, too,

The same as me an' you,

And dream o' victory at last, although

The silly cows don't know,

Because they ain't been born and bred clean-free,

Like you and me.

But this is Christmas, and I 'm feeling blue,

An' lonely, too.

I want to see one little girl's sly Pout

(There 's lots of other coves as feels like this)

That holds you off and still invites a kiss.

I want to get out from this smash and wreck

Just for to-day,

And feel a pair of arms slip round me neck

In that one girl's own way.

I want to hear the splendid roar and shout

0' breakers comin' in on Bondi Beach,

While she, with her old scrappy costume on,

Walks by my side, an' looks into my face,

An makes creation one big pleasure-place

Where golden sand basks in that golden weather~

Yes ! her an' me together I do me bit,

An make no fuss of it

But for to-day I somehow want to be

At home just her an' me.

from the Sydney Sunday Times.