AUSTRALIAN UNITS

Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 85, 12 April 1920, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN UNITS

REFUSAL TO DISBAND

A PIECE OF SECRET HISTORY

Mr F. M. Cutlack, one of the Australian war correspondents in France, commenting in th© Sydney Morning Herald about tlie disbandment of some of the Australian brigades, mentioned by Sir John Monasli in his book, says that the incident has hitherto been regarded as "secret history." In September, 1938, the War Office ordered certain brigades to be disbanded because of the lack of recruits. General Mqnash politely "noted" the order until he recived a peremptory fnstruction. Mr Curlack says that "by a system of communication between the men of the units concerned—a system which still excites the amzement of their officers when they recall those electric days—the action of all 'other ranks' in the 'marked battalions' was perfectly synchronised. It was as if someone had touched a button at an arranged contact centre. The battalions, informed on special parade of what was to happen (the most pairfful and diagreeable duty that fell to their commanding officers during the war), received the news with deadly calm, and then refused to obey the usual order to dismiss. For the day or two which followed, it was.nearly tcuch and go in .soma cases. Officers were ordered to leave their units and to join others specified; they had to obey, and their men informed them that they recognised that there was no option in the officers' cases; but the officerless battalions appointed 'acting officers' from their N.C.O's, and carried on for a time." Mr Cutlack stresses the fact that the action of the "diggers" was not lack of discipline, but intense love of their battalions. Tlie incident was entirely due to the inadequacy of recruits, nnd to the chagrin of the men at hearing their glorious battalions had to be disbanded.