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4. Egypt 1915, Miracles and Gossip This is the letter that Charlie's mother received from the War Department: J. Bourke, Vale Street, Lithgow. (N.S.W) "REGRET REPORTED SON PRIVATE C. BOURKE IN 1ST AUSTRALIAN FIELD HOSPITAL HELIOPOLIS JULY 9TH WOUND SCALP WILL ADVISE UPON RECIEPT OF FURTHER PARTICULARS." Secretary Defense 14/7/15.
By now a static existence of trench warfare settled in. Both armies had strict orders not to push an offensive but if ground were to be taken by opportunity the task should be done. It must also be said that, despite the defensive nature of the mindset beholding the generals it was the infantrymen on the ground who endeavored to kill as many of each other as possible and as quickly as possible. The head of Monash Valley and the outposts guarding them was the extreme of dangerous places to live. Daily bombing, snipping, and disease kept the tension unbearably high. From late June and through early July the Turkish line sent over an almost constant layer of rifle and machine gun fire. Very little is reported specifically about these few days regarding the 3rd Battalion or D Company. Much is said however about the climate of fear, tension and sickness that had settled into every corner of the battlefield. The Turks, nervous about a pending attack, the fighting at Helles beach is heavier than at any point in the war and the Australians around Lone Pine are preparing to launch an offensive of their own. It seemed the order of the day was to sit tight "Lay low and say nothing". The section of the line, held by D Company was directly in front of the Lone Pine land marker. An area to be included in an August planned offensive. Initially the offensive was designed to be a diversionary attack to relieve the assaults on Helles Beach but later it was deemed to be an all out attack by 1st Australian Division. Private Bourke, once again found himself in the middle of the thick of it. July 2, 1915 Bourke somewhere in the vicinity of Lone Pine is hit seven times by bullets fired from what is reported by The Forbes Gazette to be sniper bullets. Ten weeks on the line and Bourke, at last is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He receives frontal wounds to the left bicep, shoulder and trapezius. The remaining four wounds were grazing over his scalp. The impression would be that of a machine gun rather than a sniper. Depending on what report is read, newspaper or hospital, the actual wound and how it was received is somewhat unclear. The clear fact is that the incident took place on July 2, 1915. This date is supported by all reports including the 1st Australian field hospital at Heliopolis. The General Hospital surgeon report, transcribed from the document handwritten on July 9, 1915 is somewhat hard to understand but gives a much clearer and less romantic reporting of the incident than that of a phantom sniper able to fire seven rounds hitting the target each time.
Medical Case Sheet 10 July, 1915 Bullet wounds of head and shoulder. Received 7 days ago. Four bullet wounds in head. Sinus leading to skull. The wound over lft the temporal bone just subcutaneous for about 1''. Wound over vault of skull near front parietal surface with bone apparently depressed. 2 wounds in neck just over and border of trapezius muscle. Small wounds over front of left arm. The bullets causing wounds are apparently still present but can not be felt.
Menu Charles Bourke. July 10, Diet Ordinary 1, Porridge, 1 Pudding, 1 Supper, 2 Eggs, 2 Bananas Copied from Army Form I. 1202
The number of times Bourke is hit during this incident would not have been a typical sniper shot. Based on the number and location of the wounds, the first two being in the bicep shoulder and trapezius, front of the body then the last four being grazing wounds over the back top of the scalp and skull would indicate possibly the Bourke was caught off guard by a hidden machine gun nest and as he moved forward the gun opened fire surprising him. As he turned to escape or retreat the same gun hit him another four times possibly as he fell or ran to cover and safety. The exact nature of the action will remain with history. The remarkable testament is that my Uncle even recovered at all. The loss of blood and risk of infection alone should have killed him. But it didn't. On November 13, 1915, Bourke returned to ANZAC and his unit. |
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