Saturday 25 April 2009

Don't quote me

  • "They are profiteering on the goodwill of others and are using Anzac Day as a day of remembrance to improve their bottom line."

    - Peter Turner, Cairns RSL president commenting on the Railway Hotel that will have a lingerie pageant on ANZAC Day.

    Give me a break Mr Turner. I'm sure it will improve the bottom line, actually ;-) Surely diggers would not really find this offensive, and why is such a show 'disrespectful' to the legacy of the ANZACs?

12 comments:

No Digger I said...

I've often been amazed that Australian and Kiwi soldiers embrace the term "digger". It's an expression of cowardice. General Patton showed in WWII that only consistent attack was a proper strategy. "Digger" was awarded to the ANZAC's by British General Birdwood, who concluded that we were too lacking in heroism to do anything but dig trenches and hide. That's what a "digger" is. And that's what the "diggers" did, at Gallipoli.

Why would this disgraceful term be embraced by this country? I personally find it appalling.

The RSL is busy pumping alcohol into all these "diggers" today, along with fleecing them of their KRudd bonus at the pokies. Guess they're only angry at the competition.

Syd Walker said...

Anyone who isn't shocked to the core by consensus-busting may like to check out Anzacs, Gallipoli and the ABC of Bellicose Futility, written in sadness more than anger.

Noj Nedlaw said...

Not sure that General Birdwood actually said it either

Have a look at this link

Digger (soldier)

Mustafa was a Genius said...

Nedlaw,

It's the depths of ignorance to substitute Wikipedia for REAL knowledge. I've read several authoritative books (you might remember what a book is, don't ya Noj?) on the Gallipoli campaign including the "official" histories published by the Australian War Memorial. Quoting Wikipedia marks you forever as an intellectual lightweight - a "virtual" intellectual, if you will.

Birdwood is clearly the source of our "digger" reputation.

Noj Nedlaw said...

I only suggested that one should look at Wikipedia for other possibilities as to the origin of the term "digger". The original assertion may well be true.

Yes, I do know about books, and not just those of Australian origin. NZ historian Chris Pugsley in the 1995 hardcover edition of "The Maori Battalion in the First World War" claims (page 55 in relation to August 1916) that

"the New Zealand Pioneers work in building the communications trenches … would earn them the sobriquet "the diggers". The British units they served coined the term on account of the Pioneers exploits as the "Digging Battalion".

Pugsley asserts that the term "Digger" was adopted by the rest of the New Zealand Division in 1916. Further, by 1917 the name had spread from just from the New Zealander across the entire ANZAC Corps.

Is Pugsley correct?

What is more important it the sociological effect that has had on our Nation ever since.

Tom Asquith said...

No Digger I said .... misses the point entirely.
In the same way that people embrace with pride their convict forebears, so do Aussie soldiers embrace the moniker "digger".
That it was created from a derogatory description by an English General makes it ESPECIALLY appealing. I was once a digger, and am proud to have been. Tom Asquith

Tell the Truth about the ANZACS said...

That's an appalling explanation, Asquith. So if our military were described by a brit as "the assholes", we would cheerfully adopt this moniker as APPEALING?

Read your history. Australians were mostly poorly-trained cowards at Gallipoli, which is why our British masters ordered them ashore. You can almost hear the Australian officers telling these young Australian men "she'll be right" and "no worries, matey" at they pushed them off the boats to be slaughtered.

ANZAC day is important, but the re-writing of our pathetic military history is a joke. You apparently don't know your Asquith from a hole in the ground.

Monty said...

That's the point 'Tell the Truth about the ANZACS said...' That's why we remember one of our worst military disasters on ANZAC Day.

That and the derogatory term 'digger' is a part of a thing called irony, something you seem to know nothing about.

How sad that you feel the need to support your argument with nasty put downs of other commenter's opinions.

T. Asquith said...

Tell the Truth, you are right that the diggers at Gallipoli were mostly poorly trained, but cowards? Easy to say whilst you hide behind your pseudonym (and how cowardly is that?). I bet you wouldn't have been game to say it in the RSL yesterday, you'd have got General Birdwood's history of Gallipoli shoved down your throat.
Why ever the term Digger was originally given, it is now a badge of honour.

KitchenSlut said...

"poorly trained cowards"?

Rather their response would seem to indicate an adequately rational response to be able to independently respond regardless of flawed leaders.

Great stuff.

KitchenSlut said...

P.S. Poor old Syd, even Anzac Day can't be posted without a reference to JEWS?

How pathetic!

Syd Walker said...

No, Kitchenslut. What is pathetic is your consistent hounding of me on this blog using the vile tactic of systematically distorting and misrepresenting my views - without ever daring or showing yourself able to respond to the substance of what I write.

However, it does provide people with an opportunity to visit the article that apparently so offends your sensibilities and judge for themselves whether they think it's fair comment. For that, I suppose, I should be grateful.