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Alice
Springs wasn't a bad area to be in really. The food was good
and there was even a reasonable beer
supply for the troops. They were given a ration in the
evening and they had a permanent two-up school in the dry
bed of the Todd River. That was supervised to a degree and
they used to go there by the bloody hundreds to play two-up.
There was even a picture-theatre later.
There
were occasions when the troops were permitted to visit nearby
places of interest when they weren't required for duty and
the two-up school was always well attended. Although regular
infantry training was required, there was often an opportunity
to lighten the situation, even on the firing range. This made
for largely contented troops although, of course, there are
always instances when the troops and the officers are at odds
in how each would like to see things happen, but discipline
was usually strong enough to ensure that soldiers adhered
to expected behaviour.
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28
September, 1942 - Alice Springs
Brigadier N.M. Loutit, DSO, Commander of No.11 (Central Australia)
(Image courtesy of Australian War Memorial)
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In 1942 brother Darrell and I went to Port Adelaide and signed up
for the Navy - we didn't know at that time that we were going "north
next year" with the Army. Several weeks after arriving at Alice
Springs we got the call to report at Port Adelaide and we had a
health test, which we passed. At Alice Springs we were ordered to
parade to Major Forster. At the time several officers from other
Units were holding a meeting concerning a truck rollover up
the Track. Forster saw me and when he knew what we were there
to see him about [transferring to the Navy], "he did his ally"
and ordered "get out Croser". He seemed to have a habit
of doing that. I stepped around, saluted and said, "No Sir,
Darrell and I have received our call to join the Navy". I think
if he had a gun he might have shot me. The next morning we went
up to Headquarters and he drove us across river to "Bullshit
Castle", and we met Colonel Murphy. He told us we were too
good as soldiers to let us go! After that I lost interest in the
Army. I tried to get out from that day on.
Outback Corridor, Alan C. Smith
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Painting
from Alice Springs 1942
Title: Temperature 104 degrees
Maker: Hodgkinson, Roy
Object type: Drawing
Place made: Alice Springs (Place executed)
Date made: 1942
Physical description: watercolour and gouache with crayon
Measurements: 52.8 x 68.2 cm
(Image courtesy of Australian War Memorial, Canberra)
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