Читать книгу The Map Of Honour - Max Carmichael - Страница 3

The Chief Clerk of the Musketry School glanced fearfully out of the Headquarters door for a sign of Sergeant Green’s approach. The road from the Sergeants’ Mess was empty and the Chief Clerk returned to his desk, fearful in the knowledge that he would be the victim of the choleric Major Cook’s evil temper if Green was late.

In fact, even the kindest of Major Allan Cook’s associates, believed he was mentally unwell. There was no medical diagnosis to support this theory, and in spite of concerns raised in hushed tones in the Officer’s Mess, the Major’s behaviour was a general concern that had never been appropriately addressed. Certainly, he was an angry and disillusioned man, and aspects of his behaviour could best be described as “odd.” However, the majority of those who were unfortunate enough to come under Major Cook’s influence were not prepared to accept this benevolent explanation of Cook’s behaviour and simply considered him to be a right bastard.

Before the war, Cook had been a country lawyer and on enlistment he had used his professional qualifications as a means to gain an immediate appointment as a captain. In those early days of the AIF, his officiousness was mistaken for efficiency and he was soon promoted to the rank of major and appointed as a company commander. It was then that things started to go badly awry. Instead of further promotion as he was sure he deserved, others were selected to command battalions or to important staff positions. However, rather than addressing his own shortcomings, Cook blamed his men for this oversight and he began a ruthless program of discipline to ensure they did not disgrace him again. He awarded harsh punishments for minor infringements of military law, and while his commanding officer managed to head off some of his more excessive punishments, by the time the unit left Australia, Cook’s men were united in a common hatred of their commander.

Cook was unmoved by their hatred; indeed, he thrived on it wrongly believing that while his men his men may not have liked him, that they respected him. However, about a week into the Gallipoli campaign when he and his men had been sent to a forward area at Pope’s Hill above ANZAC Cove, Cook received a bitter lesson in the truth. Coincidently, this was the first time Cook had come across Robert Green and it was not a happy meeting.

At that time, Green was a corporal carrying out a special assignment for Brigadier John Monash, a task that had taken him into Cook’s area of responsibility. When Cook challenged Green regarding this assignment, Green had informed him that knowledge regarding the purpose of his mission was on a “need to know” basis, and that so far as Green had been concerned, Cook did not need to know.

Cook found Green’s attitude to be insubordinate and had him placed under close arrest. That had been a mistake. Somehow Monash came to hear of the arrest, and he had personally visited Cook’s headquarters to order Green’s release. During that visit, Monash had made it abundantly clear that Green was to be afforded Cook’s complete cooperation.

Cook’s reaction to Green’s enforced presence was to increase the tyranny he inflicted on his own troops. In spite of the filthy conditions associated with trench warfare, he insisted his men spit and polish their boots and polish their brass. There would be, he had announced, a parade next morning when he would personally inspect each man.

No one believed Cook would call a parade, but they were all wrong. The next morning on the very edge of No-Man’s Land, he ordered his men to form up in three ranks.

The result was entirely predictable. The no doubt astounded Turkish soldiers machine gunned the formation and several of Cook’s men were killed and others wounded. He was sorry about that, but he firmly believed his decision to hold the parade was entirely justifiable. Indeed, he announced another parade would be conducted next morning to show the Turks that his men were not afraid.

The next morning as he stepped out of his dugout and blew his whistle for the parade to assemble, he was struck down from behind, by an unseen assailant who was armed with a tin of canned peaches.

The injury Cook suffered during the assault was not insignificant; he had a fractured skull and as a result he had been evacuated to hospital in Egypt for treatment. However, during his recuperation, reports of Cook’s battlefield parades reached the ears of senior staff within the AIF and a court of inquiry conducted into the incident. Cook, however, was certain the inquiry had been called to identify and punish his assailant, and he eagerly offered his version of events to the board.

‘This native fellow, Corporal Green and two of my men were close by when I was preparing for company parade. The men call him “Darkie,” which is entirely appropriate as the fellow has more than a touch of the tar brush about him.’

The president of the board was a Brigadier, a man of little patience. ‘Yes, yes, Major Cook, but we are not interested in the racial profiles of your men. Please stick to the point. Do you know who, or what, struck you?’

Cook was flabbergasted by this rebuff. ‘I assure you I do, sir,’ he blustered. ‘However, I hasten to establish Corporal Green is not one of my men! No indeed!’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ the Brigadier snapped. ‘Answer the blasted question!’

Cook smiled to himself. He felt confident his years as a civilian lawyer were standing him in good stead and that he was in complete control of the board’s proceedings. He allowed himself to grasp the lapels of his uniform tunic with his hands, and armed with this pose of self-assurance, he continued his account. ‘As I said previously, I was preparing for my morning parade. I blew my whistle to assemble the men and as I left my dugout, I heard one of my men say, “What do we do Darkie?” There may have been some profanity intertwined with the question, but that is the gist of it.’

‘Do you know the identity of the soldier who asked that question?’

‘No sir, I do not. Had I known I would have taken steps to discipline the fellow, for I can’t abide profanity!’

‘And what do you recall happened next?’ the Brigadier asked wearily.

‘I heard Green, the native Corporal, say, “I’ll fix it.”’

‘That’s all?’

‘Yes sir, the next thing was I was struck down from behind, with a can of peaches, I believe.’

Several members of the board smiled wryly.

‘Peaches,’ the Brigadier inquired, ‘how do you know it was a can of peaches? Might it not have been a tin of bully beef, perhaps? Besides, I understand the blow rendered you unconscious, so I am at a loss to see how you can be so certain of this.’

Cook was indeed certain a can of peaches was involved for he had a fondness for the fruit and had been deliberately withholding all rations marked “PEACHES CANNED” for his own enjoyment. However, the morning of the assault just prior to leaving his dugout for the parade, he noticed that one of the boxes containing his prized supply had been broken into. The obvious culprit was Green, for he was certain none of his men would dare do such a thing. This was, however, information Cook thought the Board need not be made aware of. ‘Nevertheless, sir,’ Cook replied, ‘I have cause to believe that is the weapon that was used against me.’

‘Hmm,’ the Brigadier pondered doubtfully. ‘I fail to see any such proof here as evidence. In any event aside from doubt as to the nature of the weapon used to assault you, our inquiries can find no witnesses to the assault, and I understand you did not see your assailant.’

‘I assure you sir…’ Cook began, but a warning hand from the Brigadier cut him off.

‘Shall I tell you what the Board believes, Major Cook?’ the Brigadier said in a gentler tone.

‘Please, sir.’

‘It is our opinion that the real assailant in this case was the enemy. We believe it is likely that the enemy threw a bomb at you which failed to explode, but hit you on the head injuring you and necessitating you’re evacuation.’ The Brigadier sighed and gestured toward the other members of the Board. ‘Now Major, we want you to forget all this nonsense about Corporal Green. Concentrate on your recovery, man. We will contact you in the next day or so with our final decision. Good day to you.’

When the indignant Cook left the room, the Brigadier gave a sigh of exasperation. ‘An arrogant fool,’ he said flatly to his fellow Board members. ‘I know what I will be recommending!’

One Board member, a colonel, seemed to harbour some doubt. ‘What about this native fellow the chap kept prattling on about. Should we not at least investigate him?’

‘I don’t think so,’ the Brigadier replied carelessly. ‘I’ve received a letter from Brigadier Monash which I believe is relevant.’ He shuffled through a file of papers on the table. ‘Ah yes, here it is…I’ll not read the whole thing, but the important part is as follows…

“I have no doubt Major Cook will endeavour to implicate a member of my headquarters, Corporal Green, in an alleged assault on his person. Corporal Green denies the assault. I do not trust Major Cook and have reason to doubt his suitability for command. On the other hand, I have absolute trust in Corporal Green a skilful and intelligent soldier.”

‘The letter is signed John Monash,’ concluded the Brigadier as he set the letter aside. ‘Monash may not be everyone’s cup of tea,’ he acknowledged, ‘but he is a skilful soldier and a first-class judge of men. I remind you gentleman the purpose of this Board is to establish Major Cook’s culpability in an incident that cost the lives of several of his men, not this Corporal Green fellow.’

A low rumble of accent greeted these words and another member of the Board loudly proclaimed, ‘Sounds to me this Green fellow is just the sort of soldier we need, whereas Major Cook…’

The Brigadier smiled. ‘Then I think we have reached our decision, gentlemen…’

It was no surprise to anyone except Major Cook when the Board found him to be negligent and unfit for further command. It was recommended he be quietly repatriated to Australia and then discharged from the Army.

Cook, however, was not so easily defeated. He had powerful political friends and after some earnest lobbying at the very highest levels, the recommendation of the Board was set aside. However, when he had recovered fully from his injury, he was not returned to his battalion and was instead moved to England and established in his current appointment.

Of course, Major Cook should have been thankful to his highly placed patrons, but he was not. He believed their influence should have been used to secure him a posting as the Commanding Officer, a CO, of a battalion. The position of Second in Command, or 2ic as the position was referred to in Army circles, was just that…second to someone else, and the refusal of his benefactors to push for such an appointment puzzled and embittered him to the point of madness.

In the months that followed, Cook introduced a similar administration to the School to that he had employed as a company commander. His singular pleasure became inflicting frustration on all those of lesser rank than he. As Second in Command of the School, this made just about everyone other than the CO, his target. A few others, such as the RSM, were also immune from his malevolence, but as for the rest… they became Cook’s playthings, to be manipulated and taunted at his whim. He would cancel leave, insist on surprise inspection of the lines, and inflict harsh punishments for those who failed to meet his standards. On one occasion, he delayed signing the contracts with civilian suppliers for the School’s rations, resulting in a shortage of food for the men.

Then one day soon after the main evacuation from Gallipoli, as Cook reviewed a list of those to be posted to the School, he noticed a familiar name: “Sergeant R. Green.” Surely, Cook thought, it could not be the same man, but some discreet inquiries confirmed that it was indeed his nemesis.

At first, Cook was full of righteous indignation that a black fellow should be posted to such a prestigious unit as the Musketry School, an opinion he expressed publicly. Privately, however, he was fearful that Green’s presence at the School would revive the whole Gallipoli incident fiasco and render his position at the School untenable. He determined not to go quietly.

‘Surely,’ he complained to his CO, ‘the history between this man and myself is known. Green assaulted me! He may well do so again! And beside any personal concerns I have, the fellow is a bloody native and should never have been allowed to join the AIF. I realise there is now nothing that can be done about his enlistment, but I must point out he is totally unsuited to any work here!’

The CO was fully aware of how Cook had come to be removed from command and placed in the posting he currently held. He had also heard rumours as to how Cook had been injured, and that Green may have had something to do with it. However, the CO was a practical man and he saw no reason to challenge the findings of a properly convened court of inquiry. His response to his 2ic was hardly supportive: ‘I don’t agree with you,’ he responded. ‘An expert marksman is exactly what we need here. I’m afraid you will just have to get used to Sergeant Green being here, Major.’ Privately, the CO felt that if he had to make a choice between either Cook, or Green, he would far rather see the back of his 2ic.

Cook was incensed with the CO’s attitude, but a few days later he was astonished to learn that Green was almost as unhappy as he was with his posting. Green had written a formal letter requesting an immediate transfer to a battalion in France and in the normal course of administrative events, this letter landed on Cook’s desk. ‘I’m amazed the fellow can write!’ he had joked to the Chief Clerk.

‘Want me to bin it then, sir?’ the Chief Clerk asked, gesturing toward a wastepaper bin.

‘Good Lord, no!’ Cook had exclaimed in horror, ‘leave it with me.’

Cook lost no time in forwarding the letter, along with his own letter of recommendation supporting the request, to the AIF’s newly formed 3^rd Division’s Headquarters. A few days later, both letters were returned and Cook was dismayed to see stamped across the pages “NO FURTHER ACTION TO BE TAKEN.”

Cook made some discreet inquiries and found that someone at the Headquarters had vetoed Green’s transfer.

In the weeks that followed, Green with Cook’s active support made repeated requests for transfer, each one meeting the same fate, and eventually a despondent Green gave up. Strangely, Cook did not take advantage of the situation to inflict his malice on Green, preferring instead to leave well enough alone in case his Gallipoli folly would become more widely known. Nevertheless, he watched Green closely, hoping against hope that the sergeant would make some kind of error that would allow him to pounce.

Then the very morning that the Sergeants’ Mess phone was out of order, and Private Ellis and his mates were rostered on for guard duty, a signal marked “URGENT” was delivered to Cook’s desk. On reading the document’s brief content, Cook was suddenly elated.

A knock on Cook’s office door interrupted his reverie: ‘Come,’ he called sharply.

A relieved Chief Clerk peered around the half-opened door. ‘You sent for Sergeant Green, sir?’

‘Yes.’

‘He’s here, sir.’

‘He is?’ Cook’s face positively beamed with anticipation. ‘Excellent. Thank you, Chief, show him in please.’

Green marched into Cook’s office, halted in front of the desk and saluted.

Cook ignored Green’s salute and waved him toward a chair. Military courtesy demanded that an officer should either return the salute of a soldier, or if he was seated, or hatless, that he should at the very least assume a position of attention, or brace. Cook had no intention of being courteous to Green.

Green sat in the offered chair and waited for Cook to speak.

Cook made a show of tossing something into a wastepaper basket, before turning his attention to Green. He smiled happily. ‘Well, Green,’ he said, ‘I have some very good news.’

Green already on his guard regarded Cook with even greater suspicion. ‘You have, sir?’

‘Yes, indeed,’ Cook continued smugly, ‘it seems we are going to lose you.’

Green felt a surge of joy, but he kept his face expressionless and replied, ‘That is good news, sir.’

‘Yes, but not,’ Cook continued smugly, ‘I suspect, so good for you, Green.’

‘It’s not, sir?’ Green felt a pang of alarm.

‘No. You have been unsuccessful in all of your preferred posting requests, but it seems someone at Headquarters 3 Division wants you. The posting order doesn’t provide any details, so it could be anything. I don’t suppose you cook, do you?’ Cook chuckled at his own joke.

Green was horrified. ‘No sir, I don’t cook.’

‘Didn’t think you did. Still, I doubt they will have any positions in your preferred line of work. Not many snipers at a Divisional HQ, eh?’

‘No sir, I don’t suppose there are,’ Green muttered in reply.

‘But plenty of tins of peaches, I imagine,’ Cook said dangerously.

Green had never admitted his part in the Gallipoli assault on Cook to anyone. The few who were close enough to have possibly witnessed the assault were either dead, or were as determined as Green to bury the event so that no others were aware of the facts.

‘Peaches, sir…why would tins of peaches interest me? I have no idea what you are talking about, sir,’ Green replied evenly.

Cook smiled. ‘Of course, you don’t…well, that’s all, Green. They seem to be in a hurry to gain your services for you are to report no later than nine tomorrow morning. The orderly room clerk will have some papers for you to sign. Shut the door when you go out.’

Cook immediately turned his attention to another of the papers on his desk. The interview had clearly ended.

Green got to his feet, saluted, was ignored again, and marched from the room. He was shattered. What indeed was he going to do at Divisional Headquarters? At least at the School he was outside and working with soldiers.

A clerk waiting in the outer office beckoned Green forward. ‘Here you go, Sergeant,’ the clerk said happily, ‘important stuff first.’ The clerk indicated a small pile of documents. ‘These papers change your pay station…these others send your Q records…’

It took some minutes to process the paperwork during that time the clerk prattled away about the importance of the various forms, few of which made any sense to Green, but nevertheless, he signed wherever the clerk indicated. ‘Only one to go now, Sarg. It’s your receipt of the posting order. Oh, and you take this with you of course. There is this memo attached. You are to meet with Lieutenant Colonel Law tomorrow at 1000 hours, at his office in the headquarters.’ The clerk paused for a moment and rummaged through a folder. ‘Ah yes, here it is…most unusual for an NCO. You aren’t to travel by train; a car will pick you up at eight in the morning.’

Green raised his eyebrows in surprise. Car travel was indeed unusual. He had expected to use the light rail system that linked the cities of huts and suburbs of tents that punctuated the military presence on Salisbury Plains.

‘Well, good luck with your new posting, sergeant,’ the clerk said as handed Green the posting order. ‘Maybe they will give you an important job like being a clerk!’

Green frowned as he took the offered order. ‘Very funny,’ he growled, then with a curt nod to the clerk, he left the office and walked back to his hut to pack his gear.