George Walter JOHNSTON

Australian War Stories ANSWERING THE CALL When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, as a dominion of the British Empire, Australia was also at war. The outbreak of hostilities was greeted with enthusiasm by the Australian public. George Walter JOHNSTON was one of the 414 chaplains, or padres, who joined the AIF. They were among the more than 330,000 Australians, including 3,000 nurses, who volunteered to serve overseas between 1914 and 1918 – an extraordinary number from a population of under five million. Their wartime journeys took them to far-flung battlefields at Gallipoli, on the Western Front and in the Middle East. For the ANZACs, the adventure would become a nightmare. In the quagmire that was Belgium and Northern France – where more than 295,000 Australians served – 46,000 lost their lives and more than 130,000 were wounded. For those who returned to Australia, many bore the scars of their experience for the rest of their lives. 📄 ‣ Recruitment poster (Courtesy: State Library NSW) 🎞 ‣ Soldiers’ voices, dramatised and archival footage of the Western Front campaign (Courtesy: Sir John Monash Centre, © Commonwealth of Australia 2018)

Australian War Stories ALL SIGNED UP George Walter JOHNSTON signed up to join the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) Chaplain’s Department. George duly completed the ‘Application for a Commission’ form. He confirmed his date of birth, educational qualifications and marital status. As part of the application he agreed to provide a ‘satisfactory certificate of moral character’. George was recommended to be appointed to the Chaplain’s Department by the Senior Army Chaplain. 📄 ‣ Document image © Commonwealth of Australia (National Archives of Australia) 2019.

Australian War Stories THE GREAT ADVENTURE Australia had been at war for 136 days when George JOHNSTON departed Melbourne, Victoria aboard the troopship HMAT Berrima on 22 December 1914. ‘HMAT’ stood for ‘His Majesty’s Australian Transport’ and HMAT Berrima was one of many ships requisitioned by the government for wartime service transporting the troops, more than 139,000 horses and the odd kangaroo. George and the soldiers and nurses on-board were headed for Egypt and beyond where they would make final preparations for war. Most had never ventured out of their home state and were looking forward to the “adventure of a lifetime”. Many of the troopships that departed from the eastern seaboard stopped at King George Sound in Albany, or further up the coast at Fremantle, where they took on supplies. For some of the troops, the WA coastline would be their last view of Australia. The epic four-week voyage across the Indian Ocean to Egypt has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world”. On board, George and his fellow Chaplains conducted religious services, while Officers organised rigorous training drills and exercise sessions for the enlisted men. Three hearty meals a day were served: breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew and tea; lunch included soup, meat, vegetables and pudding; and dinner was mostly meat, bread with jam and tea. Many on board experienced bouts of seasickness. To alleviate boredom, sports carnivals were held with boxing matches, pillow fights and wheelbarrow races. The Equator-crossing ceremony ‘Neptune’s Journey’ was held on each troopship. 🎞 The voyage from Australia to Egypt (Courtesy: National Film & Sound Archive)

Australian War Stories EGYPT & BEYOND George and the contingent of troops arrived at Aden on HMAT Berrima before sailing up the Suez Canal to Egypt – a land that had seen more armies than almost any other. It was here, in the shadow of the pyramids, that the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps would be first grouped together under the now hallowed acronym ‘ANZAC’. The Australians travelled to camps at Maadi on the Nile and Mena, situated near the pyramids of Giza. The training for the soldiers was arduous: marching through sand, digging and attacking trenches for eight hours a day, six days a week. George and the other Chaplains provided spiritual support and counselling to the troops during their training. From mid-1916, many of the Australian troops and some of the Chaplains continued on to England where they trained at camps on the Salisbury Plains, near Stonehenge. Others completed their training in Egypt and sailed directly to Marseille, joining their units in Northern France and Belgium. 📷 Australian troops arrive at Alexandria in Egypt aboard HMAT Orvieto, December 1914 (Photo by Phillip Schuler, courtesy Australian War Memorial, PS0375) 📷 Kangaroo mascot and lines of the 4th Infantry Battalion, Mena Training Camp, Egypt (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, C0258) 📷 Prime Minister Billy Hughes (centre) inspects Australian troops on the Salisbury Plain, England, 1916 (Alamy, 2BW2J3R)

Australian War Stories ARMY CHAPLAINS DEPARTMENT George was a member of the Australian Army Chaplains Department. The Department formed in 1913 and represented Anglican, Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations. Chaplains, known as “padres”, had no special training or military induction. Their main purpose was to tend to the physical and spiritual needs of the troops. By 1915, chaplains were appointed for either “continuous” or “voyage-only” service. In the field, chaplains conducted church services, games, concerts, lectures and tours to improve the morale of the soldiers and to keep them away from brothels and bars. Others accompanied troopships to Egypt or England. In addition to the entertainment and diversion activities, chaplains censored the soldiers’ letters. Service was also an opportunity for ministry through church parades, religious services and individual counselling. Chaplains also spent a large amount of time conducting burials. For some, this included writing to families of the deceased. By the end of the war, 72 honours and awards were bestowed upon chaplains on active service and a total of 414 clergymen served. 📷 Chaplain Walter Dexter (far right) conducting a service on the Western Front in June 1916. (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, EZ0038) 🎞 ‘Australians in France’ 1916 (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial)

Australian War Stories WE ARE HERE, TOO George and the troops who served overseas experienced the care and compassion of the Australian nurses who volunteered for active service. In Egypt, the nurses were posted to the 1st Australian General Hospital, established in the grand Heliopolis Palace Hotel in Cairo, or the 2nd Australian General Hospital in Mena House, a former royal hunting lodge. During the Gallipoli campaign, nurses served on hospital ships off the coast and in primitive hospitals on Lemnos Island. From 1916, they experienced the horrors of the Western Front, serving at Casualty Clearing Stations on the frontlines and the Australian General Hospitals at Rouen and Wimereux. As well as providing medical treatment to the wounded, the nurses offered emotional support. Many wrote poignant letters to the mothers of soldiers who had died in their care. 📷 Sister Olive Haynes from Adelaide was one of nearly 3,000 nurses who volunteered to serve overseas. 🎞 Dramatised and archival footage of nurses on the Western Front (Courtesy: Sir John Monash Centre © Commonwealth of Australia 2018).

Australian War Stories TAKING IN THE SIGHTS On his days off, George and the Australians in Egypt took in the sights of Cairo, rode camels and climbed pyramids. Many had their own cameras and took photos at the top of the Grand Pyramid and in front of the Sphinx. The Chaplains who went to England would take sightseeing trips to Stonehenge, visit London or go to “the pictures”. 📷 Chaplain Walter Dexter explores the pyramids near Mena Camp. (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, PS0463) 📷 🔎 Zoom-in to view detail of more than 685 members of the 11th Infantry Battalion, taken at the Great Pyramid in January 1915. Tragically, a large number of the men were killed on the first day of the Gallipoli landings (Courtesy: State Library of Western Australia) 📷 Australian footy exhibition match held in London in 1916 to raise funds for the Red Cross (Courtesy: AFL)

Australian War Stories PEACE AT LAST At 11am on 11 November 1918, Germany signed the Armistice that would bring the war to an end. In cities and towns across Australia people celebrated in the streets. The headline on the front page of Melbourne newspaper The Argus read: 'The City Rejoices', and a report in The Sydney Morning Herald noted that the Inspector of Police had instructed his officers "to give reasonable latitude to persons who may be inclined to be somewhat boisterous in their peace celebrations". And so it was across the country, finally at peace after a war that had left more than 60,000 Australians dead and 156,000 wounded - proportionally one of the highest casualty rates of any of the Allied countries. 📷 Returned soldiers and supporters celebrate Armistice in Sydney (Fairfax Photos) 🎞 Armistice on the Western Front – dramatised and archive footage (Courtesy: Sir John Monash Centre, © Commonwealth of Australia 2018)

Australian War Stories ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Australian War Stories and Memories gratefully acknowledge the support of News Corp Australia in honouring our first ANZACs. 📄 Enlistment and embarkation details sourced from digitised records in the public domain held at the National Archives of Australia and the Australian War Memorial. Images and/or video from the Australian War Memorial, National Archives of Australia, National Film & Sound Archive and the Sir John Monash Centre, © Commonwealth of Australia and reproduced using Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia and International 4.0 licences. Content curated and produced by Mediality Pty Ltd, © 2022. IMPORTANT NOTE: While every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this memorial Timeline content, including personal data, enlistment and embarkation details, on occasion primary sources contain conflicting detail and omissions. 📷 The Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre at Villers-Bretonneux, France (Courtesy: Sir John Monash Centre)