SNADGER SMITH

Chapter 4

1.
The atmosphere at the Port Melbourne docks on the 10th of November was upbeat, almost carnival like. That was surprising considering casualty rates had been released from the conflict at Gallipoli. The reality of the real cost of war should now have been etched in the forefront of people's minds although most still believed it would be over in a matter of months. If Gallipoli didn't change their minds then perhaps the Western Front would? Little did the they know the carnage in the Dardanelles was only a precursor to the dirge of hell at the Somme and Flanders.

The HMAT Ascanius began to move from its wooden berth as heavy braided ropes were released from the dock's sizeable steel cleats. The ships foghorn sounded in long haunting blasts that would have been heard for miles, the noise almost deafening for those soldiers close to the source, luckily Snadger had covered his ears, but they were still ringing from the din. He watched as streamers hung like paper ropes between the troops and the crowd, as if the soldiers and their loved ones were trying to hold the Ascanius back with the thin paper lengths. Of course the tug of war didn't hinder the ships progress as one by one they succumbed and fell to the deck, the wharf and the water.

Snadger knew his family was somewhere on the docks and he desperately scanned the large crowd to find a familiar face. His search was in vain though as Frances, Jim and Ted had arrived late from Bendigo and they couldn't get close to the ship. The battalion's band had been playing familiar tunes; Auld Langs Syne and Waltzing Matilda but as the vessel began to move the crowd and the band broke into a stirring rendition of God Save the King!  Snadgers disappointment at not seeing his family was replaced by strong feelings of patriotism and pride as they all sang loudly. His eyes welled with tears and a lump formed in his throat as he tried to sing along but he could barely get a word out. He didn't want anyone to see him cry, so he rolled and blinked his eyes attempting to stop any tears from falling and not a drop did fall. He took a long draw back on his cigarette taking the smoke deep into his lungs, the white cloud dispersing in slow motion from his nose and mouth surrounding the men next to him.
They were finally underway!

2.
The Ascanius fully cleared the docks and began making headway into the choppy waters as loved ones reluctantly began to slowly disperse. The ship made its way towards the south channel as Port Melbourne disappeared into the clouded horizon and then cruised purposefully along the tree lined Mornington Peninsula. A pod of dolphins joined the vessel at it's bow darting in and out of the bow wave the ship was pushing. Snadger was still on deck watching the city of Melbourne slowly shrink into the distance and taking in the unfamiliar sights with his mates, Titch and Jonesy.

Jonesy shouldn't have been on the Ascanius that day as he'd lied on his enlistment application. He'd only just turned seventeen when he enlisted but it didn't matter really as by the time they got to the war he'd nearly be eighteen. The boys didn't know how Stan had passed the chest measurement as he was quite skinny but on the other hand he was a tall lad and very fit so perhaps the examiners didn't look too hard? They'd certainly changed their attitude to recruitment since the first intake of ANZACS in 1914.

Titch always said that Jonesy was built like a greyhound, as he was all ribs and cock! In fact he tended to use that line for all tall skinny blokes and it always seemed to get a laugh from those that hadn't heard it before, but the boys all had. One thing they did know was that Stan could run like a bloody greyhound! He'd grown up in Stawell near the Grampians National Park, a town well known for the Easter Stawell Gift, a foot race over one hundred and thirty yards. He'd been somewhat of a school champion in the one hundred yards and represented his district in the finals. In Easter 1915 he decided to enter the gift and made it through a qualifying race with a gallant second but when he won his first heat by a yard the handicapper pounced. Jonesy reckoned the bookies were probably in on it too as he'd been installed as provisional favourite in the first semi. He was given the back mark in the semi, the harsh handicap proved a bridge too far for Stan and he disappointingly failed to make the final.