The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #46011 Message #1122422
Posted By: Bob Bolton
24-Feb-04 - 04:32 AM
Thread Name: Origins/Chords-Band Played Waltzing Matilda(Bogle)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Bogle)
G'day The AK Sailor,
The last surviving Australasian ANZAC died (~) last year - or the year before. He was only a lad of 16 at Gallipoli - and mostly carried water to the frontline troops ... but you can't get killed just as dead doing that!
I remember looking closely at the picture of the last ANZAC (Alex Campbell ... ?) in a Sydney newspaper. I measured the Lee Enfield rifle he was holding (Rifle #1 mk. 3) ... and worked out, by scaling, that he was only 5' 4" - in his army boots. I was amazed he even got past the enlistment medical (Though they weren't so picky a bit later!)
It's remotely possible that a Turkish veteran of Gallipoli is still around ... but I think we would have heard if that was so.