Mongrel Warriors – Les and Bill the Bastard: Tough Buggers!
Let me introduce Bill the Bastard. You have already met my Uncle Les in my previous Postcard ‘National Myths – Bastard Horses and Scared Heroic Young Men’. Les was a country lad: riding, shooting, and living rough was part of his way of life. Leslie was like all Aussie Lighthorseman of the First World War, rough, tough, adventurous, brave, courageous – And that was the horses I am describing! Bill the Bastard was an Aussie War Horse, a Lighthorse Trooper. Les and Bill spent the War chasing Turkish cavalry around the Palestine Desert. Other Australian Light Horsemen were dispatched to the battlefields of Gallipoli and France. Their stories are accessible for reading through this provided link.
What a contrast. Turkish troopers represented the upper segments of their society, mounted as they were on highly trained thoroughbred horses. Australian’s troopers, Les and Bill, well they were the other end of the social spectrum. They had the characteristics required for success. What Australians will still describe as: “You gotta have some mongrel in you to succeed.”. By example, my previous Post, ‘Lawrence of Arabia and other Lying Bastards’, describes another adventure of the Australian Waler. You can read their story by following this link.
The language we speak is ever evolving, and a brief historical example explains this. At the 1066, English Battle of Hastings, we would not recognize the English, French, or German languages being spoken. The English of 1066 used words, and changed their meanings in a manner we would recognize. A ‘bastard’, who we know as William, was present at the Battle of Hastings.
Another right Bastard called Bill.
William the Conqueror, led the successful Norman Invasion of England in 1066, which changed the course of British history. British King Charles 3 is directly descendent from William, consequently the ruling British Monarchy actually took the British Throne by force of arms. Try doing that in Europe in 2024, without creating an awful fuss. The Pre-Norman English, preferred to call William ‘Bill the Bastard.’ Not all was wine and roses in 1067, England.
Jumping forward to 1914, the year Australia entered World War 1.
1914, the Aussie subjects of George 5, King Charles 3’s, Great Grandfather: Well, they had turned the ‘Kings English’ on its head. ‘Bastard’ had become a salute of honour, praise, and respect. Only Australian’s would take another country’s derogatory terminology, spin it, give it a completely opposite meaning. Aussie’s still do this. It’s origins?
Perhaps started with British convicts, those from the ‘back blocks’ of London, those transported to Australia for petty crimes. Such people created a coded language ‘rhyming slang’, intended to be their own, intended to confuse those in authority.
Definitely an Australian motivation for such colloquial language is in large part a ‘thumb your nose’ approach to those who get above their station. Australians still aspire to an egalitarian society where no man is king, and no man’s fine language makes him better than the rest.
Up steps ‘Bill the Bastard’! A horse who really represented this Australian Mythology of the ordinary bloke, being as good as the next, and capable of extraordinary achievements.
Australia’s War Horse – No they weren’t all called Bill.
Bill was an Australian ‘Waler,’ a War Horse. A Waler is an Aussie Iconic image: stout, ugly, tough, loyal, and resilient war horse unique to Australia. Troopers, like my Uncle Les, consider them mates. Bill had his origins in the English Thoroughbreds and Arabs the English Government shipped Down Under, along with an awful lot of Convicts. This was a tough new land; no fine English blood line would cut it. After introducing some ‘mongrel’ blood from South Africa and Timor: Bill appeared. A tough new breed, just the thing for: Beating the toffs at the Local Races, pulling the wife and kids in a buggy to Sunday Mass, riding to the pub: And fighting a war!
Bill fought in and survived the Battle of Romani 1916. He and his rider, raced through Turkish gunfire to collect four wounded Aussie Troopers. Two wounded troopers climbed up in the saddle behind the rider. Bill’s stirrups each supported another. It was fortunate for all, that the Turkish soldiers were consistently poor marksman. Bill galloped 1.6 miles back though soft sand, with Turkish rifle fire cracking around their heads.
This old horse was tough, he was a ‘Ridgee didge ewe beaut Bastard!’
Bill, the now tired old bastard, had earned his rest. Withdrawn from combat, he worked on Gallipoli, retrieving the fallen bodies of Aussie and Turkish boys. He retired on a farm in Gallipoli, and now rests in a marked grave with other fallen heroes. Bill has not been forgotten and recently a large bronze statue has been created in his honour.
How these Australians bastardize the King’s English.
(Another diversion to discuss Australian slang. I did warn in 'Time Travel and Me' of my unapologetic Aussie voice. The Aussie use of the derogatory 'Bastard' is the finest example of what my Countryman have done with the King's English. As follows a famous quote to illustrate)
(During the 1932-33 cricket test between England and Australia , English captain, Douglas Jardine, walked into the Australian dressing room to complain about being called a bastard. The Australian captain asked his team):
“Which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard?”
Bill Woodfull, Australian Captain
Bill and Les – Leadership lessons.
What is the point of this Postcard? It’s a ripping good yarn. National Myths, Values and Ethos develop and are sustained by such yarns. Language changes and morphs with time and context. Another reason explaining my interest in Time Travel, or the study of history. And,
It is a Leadership Lesson, about the risk of underestimating the underdog, the rough trade, low breed, back blocks stock, non-establishment types: They are often the heroes!
And, if it is just a good story, you can find ‘Bill the Bastard’ by Roland Perry, on ABE Online Books, for as low as $3.60 AUD, bloody good read about a real tough bastard!
