The Innocent Crusaders

The annotated diary and notes of World War 1 AIF Field Ambulance serviceman, Ralph DeGaris. This book traces the service of Ralph, and his two closest friends, Eric Kidman and Alec Blackwell. The 3 lads from Naracoorte, South Australia, enlisted in the AIF, and had consecutive service numbers. This book traces their adventures from enlistment and training in Mitcham, South Australia, to their subsequent service in Egypt, Gallipoli, France and Belgium. Based on the recently discovered diaries and notes of Ralph DeGaris, OBE, MSM this book is fully annotated, with extensive historical referencing to guide the reader through the actual events these "Innocent Crusaders" experienced. The diary and notes form the basis of this book. The adventures of the "Innocent Crusaders" are set against the backdrop of the horrors they experienced in the Great War. When they left Naracoorte in March, 1915, they expected to be home in time for Christmas. Instead, they were away for over 4 years. They left as innocent young men and came home seasoned war veterans. Their story is typical of a generation of young Australian men who went to war expecting an adventure; a rite of passage. This book reinforces that what they actually experienced was vastly different.

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Notă biografică

Bill DeGaris, a lawyer and author, lives in Mount Gambier South Australia. Bill has extensively researched the history of the AIF in World War 1, and particularly the Medical and Ambulance Corps. The history of the 7th Field Ambulance, formed in South Australia in 1915 was researched painstakingly to produce this book. The role of stretcher bearers and ambulance men in war is not often glorified, but they worked at the fronts, retrieving the wounded and providing first aid often in highly dangerous situations. The history Bill traces in "The Innocent Crusaders" augments the events described in his grandfather's War diaries. The historical background provides vital links to explain and contextualise Ralph's diaries and notes. Bill is working on a second book, an historical novel, based on the experiences of his grandfather, and his cobbers who served with him in the AIF, from May 1917 to the end of the War and beyond.