That Doug Nicholls's Photo And Its Story by John Tognolini

 I need to share this photo of Doug Nicholls.

                             Photo courtesy of Michael Riley.

The famous Aboriginal activist and Yorta Yorta Man and Pastor, Sir Doug Nicholls and future Governor of South Australia, in the Victorian Football Association Team against New South Wales in Sydney, 1931. The man in front of him is George Hunt. George Hunt is the son of of George Campbell Hunt. 

This is the cover of my 2014 historical novel Brothers Part One: Gallipoli 1915. I will be re-publishing and updating it later this year, George Hunt’s father George Campbell Hunt is in front of my uncle Stephen Tognolini in the photo. George Campbell Hunt was killed in the Battle of Hamel eight days later on July 4th 1918.

The book’s cover photo is from the Australian War Memeorial’s Group Portrait of the 21^st Battalion’s Non Commission Officers on 27th June 1918. I sent this part of the group portrait to Philippa Scarlett, who wrote the excellent book Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Volunteers for the AIF [Australian Imperial Force] and has a great website called Indigenous Histories because I thought George Campbell Hunt was an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Man. Philippa published it on her website (WHAT WOULD CHARLES BEAN HAVE SAID ABOUT GEORGE CAMPELL HUNT AIF). George Campbell Hunt’s great grandson Michael Riley, sent her information about his great grandfather. 

Phillipa wrote, “The records located by Michael and others show his father also George Hunt was from Antigua in the West Indies and had arrived in New South Wales by 1877.”

 

George Campbell Hunt with unidentified Comrades wearing fezzes with children. Photo courtesy Michael Riley.

Are the soldiers in this photo fellow members of the 21^st Battalion? Chances are they are his Comrades. Is the photo taken in Alexandria, Egypt before they sailed to Gallipoli in 1915? Or before sailing to Marseille, France in 1916? Or is it at Tel El Kebir when they were guarding the Suez Canal after Gallipoli? Is it in Cairo when they garrisoned it? Did any of the six with George die amongst the 14 from drowning when their troopship HMT Southland was torpedoed going to Gallipoli?  Were any of them among the 18 dead at Gallipoli from sniping? Would any of them be amongst the 23,000 killed or wounded Australians at Pozieres? Were any killed during the fighting at Mouquet Farm? Part of the Pozieres battlefield described by Charles Bean as “so densely sewn with Australian blood.” Or killed at Bullecourt? Did any drown in the mud at Passchendaele in 1917? Or the battles of 1918 such as Hamel and Mont Saint-Quentin? Do all six of them have their names on the Wall of Honour at the Australian War Memorial with the over 100,000 other names of Australia's war dead? 

The one link between the six in the Egyptian Picture is George Campbell Hunt. We know that he was wounded four times before he won the Distinguished Conduct Medal on the Hindenburg Line, 

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the assault on the Hindenburg Line. He led his platoon forward in an attack with great coolness and courage. And although twice wounded assisted to evacuate the wounded, resuming his command after his own wounds had been dressed.  Recommendation Distinguished Conduct Medal.

After his death at the Battle of Hamel it was written and widely said that he was, “ Loved by all who knew him.” The colour of his skin did not matter not to his Army Comrades.

Yet this picture of his son George Hunt in front of Doug Nicholls, suggests that George Campbell’s son was not accepted as an equal. Phillipa wrote, “This is not a complete photo but is a section cut out specifically to show Hunt and Nicholls. Although normally playing for different teams, Brighton and Northcote respectively – both were from Northcote which could explain the connection and the friendship which the cut out photograph indicates. …. Richard  Broome says,

“Doug tried out unsuccessfully for Carlton in 1927. He signed with the Northcote Victorian Football Association team,…[Then]. He played fifty-four games for [VFL/AFL Club] Fitzroy”

Broome’s comments suggests that the colour of their skin could also have forged a bond between the two men.” 

Neil Smith who wrote the history of the 21^st Battalion The Red And Black Diamond points out there were Aboriginal Anzacs in the 21st Battalion such as Lawrence Booth Dow and Percy Pepper, there was at least 1,200 in the Australian Army during World War One.

I will also be putting this in the updated edition of my book.

When Iris Clayton (1945 – 2009), a Wiradjuri Woman and member of the Stolen Generations, inspired by her father Cecil Clayton, a Rat of Tobruk in World War Two in the 2/13th Battalion, 9th Division 2nd AIF. She wrote about his return home to Australia.

The Black Rat

He lived in a tin hut with a hard dirt floor.

 He had bags sewn together that was his door.

 He was a Rat of Tobruk until forty five,

 He was one of the few that came back alive.

 

Battered and scarred he fought for this land,

 And on his return they all shook his hand.

 The price of fighting for the freedom of man

 Did not make any difference to this Blackman.

He returned to the outback, no mates did he find.

If he had a beer he was jailed and then fined.

 He sold all his medals he once proudly wore:

 They were of no use to him any more.

Confused and alone he wandered around,

 Looking for work though none could be found.

 The Anzac marches he badly neglected,

Would show to his comrades how he was rejected.

 

He fought for this land so he could be free.

 Yet he could not vote after his desert melee.

 And those years in the desert they really took their toll,

 He went there quite young and he came home so old.

This once tall man came from a proud Black tribe,

Died all alone – no one at his side.

Iris’s description of her father experiences applied to World War One Indigenous Veterans as well and she dedicated her poem The Black Rat to all Indigenous Soldiers in all of Australia’s Wars. Her son Bruce Clayton/Brown gave me permission to put it to music and reproduce it. World War One Veterans like World War Two Veterans as demonstrated by Iris Clayton had their children taken off them as well and became part of the Stolen Generations.