Episode 1.2 Definitions
Mar 31, 2016
“Don” Company: in this case is “D” Company of the 3rd Battalion, AIF. In the Great War, the Military alphabet differed quite a bit to later years: The four companies are A for Ack, B for Beer, C for Charlie and D for Don. Len refers to a mate as “Toc” Oates and his CO later in the war as “Don Toc Emma”. These were their initials.
SAA: is small arms ammunition. I wonder if the Turkish authorities ever found that dump!
‘Crimed’: means having someone charged
MG: means machine gun
‘Johnny Turk’, ‘Johnny’ or ‘Jacko’: are the Australian nicknames for the Turkish soldiers. The diggers had a lot of respect for their adversaries, so this was not derisive.
Beachy Bill was a Turkish gun emplacement trained on the ANZAC Cove beach. This is from the 1916 ANZAC Book:
There’s a certain darned nuisance called ‘Beachy,’
Whose shells are exceedingly screechy;
But we’re keeping the score,
And we’re after your gore –
So look out, ‘Beachy Bill,’ when we meet ye.
‘Cripes’ and ‘crikey’ are exclamations. These are occasionally used today. ‘Crikey’ was made world famous by Steve Irwin in recent decades.
‘Dinkum’, ‘dinki di’ or ‘fair dinkum’ mean good or honest. These terms are still used today.
‘Chocolate over green’: refers to the unit identification patches worn on the shoulders.
Chats: are lice.
‘Cocky’s Joy’: is golden syrup, a sugar extract.
OC: is officer commanding (or CO if you watch American movies)
Maconachies is a brand of tinned vegetables.
A ‘Billy’: is a metal bucket with a lid.
Chit: is a written request.
DADOS: is the Deputy Assistant Director of Ordinance Supply. Now, that is a couple seconds of yours and my life we won’t get back!
The ‘Jacks’: were military police.