In 1981 John Austin met and became friends with 91 year-old Ern Smart. What followed was a series of fascinating recorded conversations between the two men where Ern recalled his experiences of being with the 22nd Battalion, from enlistment and training at Broadmeadows, sailing to and living in Egypt, and the life and death experiences of an Australian infantryman in Gallipoli, France and Belgium. Ernest Charles Smart was one of just a handful of men that served with the 22nd Battalion that was neither wounded nor hospitalised through sickness, and as a result was with the Unit throughout the war, thus his record is extensive and was of help to Captain Eugene Gorman when he wrote the battalion history ‘With the Twenty-Second’. In his interviews with John, Ern recalls his friendships and many of the characters with the Battalion.
The following sixteen tapes are as recorded and unedited, to enable complete accuracy and authentication of these historic tapes. It is with great thanks to John for making these valuable recollections available to us all.
Tape Number 1: Ernest Smart, his early life, family and growing up in and around North Melbourne and Preston.
Following the Twenty-Second 