05 - News From No Mans Land by James Green

James Green (1864-1948), a dedicated Methodist minister and chaplain to Australian troops during the Boer War and World War I, offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a soldier through his compelling memoir published in 1917 amidst the ongoing conflict. In his foreword, he expresses a heartfelt hope ‚AúIn spite of necessary suppression, or vagueness of names of localities, my comrades of the Fifty-fifth Battalion, to which I was attached, will recognize many of the incidents described. I can only hope that reading what the padre has to say may cheer them in some lonely places, or help them to be happy though miserable in some indifferent billets.‚Aù Green served valiantly at Gallipoli and in various campaigns across Western Europe, fostering a profound respect for the common fighting man throughout his life. Notably, the term Padre (Latin for father) reflects the way military chaplains were addressed, and Bomb refers to what modern times would call hand grenades. Horseferry Road, the London site of the A.I.F. headquarters and a recreation center for Australian soldiers founded by Green, serves as a backdrop to his experiences. (Summary by David Wales)