Story 86 - 1ATF Shorthand Writer
By Ian Granland OAM
Introduction
In
1970 I was working at 104 Signal Squadron as a GD/Hygiene man.
Sometime in May 1970 a circular came round
from Task Force Headquarters. It said that the
Brigadier in charge of the Task Force wanted a shorthand writer and
was making inquiries with all units to ascertain if anyone had
shorthand skills. I said nothing.
However later I joked with some of my
colleagues that in fact I was a shorthand writer, learning the task
as a NSW police cadet. At my prime I could write 100
words per minute – which was not that fast comparing me with my
cotemporaries of the time. I never used this
skill whilst in the police force.
“Tell
someone, you’ll get the job” they urged me. I
had always remembered the old adage to never volunteer in the army,
so I didn’t. However, my colleagues did and soon
after that Second Lieutenant (2Lt) Bevan Turner approached me to ask
if it was true. I told him it was and he
nominated me to the Brigadier’s office as someone who could do the
job.
I remonstrated with 2Lt Turner that it had
been 4 years since I had taken shorthand and my proficiency rate was
way down on what it should be. Nevertheless, the
fact that I could and probably because no-one else in the 5000
strong Task Force volunteered, I got an audience with Brigadier Bill
Henderson. Prior to our meeting I began
practicing that lost art, but struggled to get over about 40 wpm or
so. What, I thought, had I got myself into?
Audience with the Brigadier
“Come in
soldier” was his greeting. I entered his
office and saluted.
“So, you are a shorthand
writer, are you?” he asked.
“Well
sir, I used to be able to write shorthand, and I suppose I still can
(not wanting to put myself down)
but I’m nowhere near the
speed I used to write.”
“That’s OK, I want you to write some for me and see how you go.
I’ll dictate a few passages from this book and you write them
down. Do you have a note pad?”
When I said I didn’t, he left the room
returning a short time later with a pen and spiral notebook.
I didn’t
have the heart to tell him that serious shorthand writers only use
pencils!!!
Well off he went, going 13 to the dozen and I
was left trying to catch up.
“Are you getting all this?”
He asked.
“Most of it sir”.
“Good”, then he
continued.
After about 5 minutes he had dictated a few
pages and my shorthand/longhand notes took up several pages in the
notebook.
“Now
go back to your unit soldier, transcribe what you have and bring it
back to me”.
I trundled off across the road to where our
unit was located. Asked if I could use the
Orderly Room typewriter and started to decipher what I had written.
I guess I got 90% of it right so I just made
up the rest. I knew he wouldn’t read it all.
I took it back all typed up and ship shape.
He began to read it, then dismissed me with a “Good.
That’s very good, I’ll call you when I need you.”
So I saluted and went back to my duties
cleaning dunnies, forgetting all about it.
Artillery Incident
On 20 July a platoon of infantry
reinforcements attached to 1ARU were taken some distance outside the
wire to give them experience in night time activities and possible
involvement in what they could expect in a real live contact with
the enemy.
During the evening the person in charge
called in artillery fire from the New Zealand 161 Artillery Battery
based in Nui Dat to provide a demonstration of how to use artillery
and what the sensation was like when ordinance was being used.
1ARU Patrol 52 from 1ATF Log.
Extract from AWM95-1-4-193, Page 123
Unfortunately, ‘someone’ botched the map ref.
co-ordinates and the shells landed amongst the platoon, killing 2
and wounding several others. One of my good
friends with whom I had spent 3 years in the police cadets, Jimmy
Walker, was one of those wounded. Luckily his
injuries were superficial, apart from some temporary deafness and he
was subsequently posted to Headquarters, 1ATF as a barman rather
than being returned to
Preliminary Hearing
As a result of this terrible incident, the
army held a preliminary hearing into the event the following month.
I was called to take shorthand at the enquiry where evidence
was given by the witnesses and those involved.
This initial inquiry was chaired by a captain only.
This was a huge task for me.
I was not prepared nor was I trained to do this type of work.
I spoke to 2Lt Turner telling him that I could not possibly
take shorthand notes and then transcribe for days on end.
I did suggest though that I was a reasonably proficient touch
typist and could type the depositions of the hearing almost as fast
as they talked, so maybe if I did that, then my notes given to
another typist who could possibly retype them without error.
Luckily 2Lt Turner had a small portable
typewriter which made the job all that much easier.
The
captain in charged agreed to the arrangements and for the next three
days I sat as the deposition taker in this pre-formal hearing.
On the first day Jim Walker walked into the
room. “Jimmy, what are you doing here” I exclaimed.
Then he explained that he was one of the group of soldiers
that were injured.
Of course this work was a big change from
what I was normally doing of a day – I even had to wear a shirt!!!
I took the evidence from those involved, the lieutenant in
charge of the platoon, some of the survivors, including Jim Walker,
the NCO who received the radio instructions and co-ordinates and the
soldier who plotted the co-ordinates.
I quickly gained the opinion that there could
have been manipulation of the facts, particularly concerning the
young NZ gunner who was very nervous and under extreme pressure
during the hearing. He provided a very poor
recount of the situation and his part in it. I am
not attributing any blame on anyone here.
Conclusion
After it was over, I was thanked and never
heard any more of it. I have no idea if charges
were proceeded with against anyone nor if anyone was found guilty.
Footnote
Later
in my life, Jim Walker, who returned to the police force after his
two years national service, moved to the Central Coast of NSW where
I got him playing Aussie Rules Football with my local club.
Jim became a detective sergeant and later
worked as an instructor in the detective course in Sydney.
Jim and his wife Merle, were extremely decent
people who, besides their own children adopted several to whom they
were exceedingly committed. You could not find a
more decent bloke than Jim.
In due course, Jim undertook a university
course and subsequently resigned from the police force to become a
successful solicitor at Woy Woy, NSW.
Unfortunately he died as a result of contracting leukaemia in about
2002. Apparently, a number of his colleagues with
whom he worked at 1st Australian Task Force Headquarters at Nui Dat
during that time, also succumbed to cancer in their forties and
fifties.
Makes you think doesn’t it?
Was it the water? Was it something else?
Why them and not us?