John «Barney» Hines. WW1 character

[Lusekofte]

THE SOUVENIR KING..AKA WILD EYES...

John “Barney” Hines, whose World War I army file details remarkably few wounds and remarkably many breaches of military discipline.On one level, Private Hines was a thief and scrounger with a propensity for violence that verged on the psychopathic. But in a place where even brave men were terrified, especially of showing fear, he excelled.He also happened to be one of the most deadly infantrymen of the war.He loved his lewis gun.At a time when hardly anyone but sailors had tattoos, “Barney” had plenty.he was regarded as big – a touch over six foot but a genuine “16 stone”  heavyweight with a barrel chest and muscle from a lifetime of manual labour.

He had black hair, dark eyes and a look that made people nervous,this earned him another nickname, wild eyes. At a later date the commanding officer said "I always felt secure when Wild Eyes was about. He was a tower of strength in the line- I don't think he knew what fear was and he naturally inspired confidence in officers and men."

The Diggers called him  “Souvenir King” because even in an army with its share of thieves, scally wags and “foragers”, he stood out. Among young recruits, he was a seasoned veteran. When he first enlisted in 1915 he claimed to be 28. He was in fact 42 and had been fending for himself for 30 years, as a seaman, a labourer, a Boer War guide and other things all over the world

In a battlefield of horrors beyond imagination, Hines seemed to reduce brutal combat to a sort of macabre sport. “souveniring” German loot was maybe a way of keeping score, a logical thing to do in a place with no logic, where men lived miserably and died terribly and at random.

He killed and captured dozens of Germans because he was good at it and he robbed them because he needed the money. He’d had his pay docked so often for brawling, drinking and going absent without leave that he was effectively fighting for nothing.He would take money, watches ,rings, knives ,anything he could sell was taken 

His fame spread beyond his own battalion as stories of his exploits passed along the lines.

There might have been snipers with more known “kills” but some suggest Hines single handedly killed or captured more Germans than any other foot soldier — and certainly robbed more of them

On one occasion he rushed a german pill-box, he ran straight at it, leapt on it's roof and preformed a war dance while taunting the Germans to come out. When they failed to comply, Hines lobbed a couple of Mills bombs through the gun port. A few minutes later the 48 Germans who had survived staggered out with their hands above their heads. Hines collected his "souvenirs" before herding his prisoners back to the Australian lines.Later the same day, he went back into the field and “knocked out” a German machine gun post.He preferred to leave his rifle behind and make solo raids lugging two bags stuffed full of “bombs”.The bags came in handy for bringing back loot.

Another time he returned from amiens with suitcases full of French francs, apparently “found” in a bank. British military police arrested him but he caused so much trouble he was returned to his unit.

at passchendaele, a shell burst killed every man in his Lewis gun crew. Hines was thrown 20 metres, had the soles ripped from his boots but still managed to crawl back and keep firing until he fainted from his wounds. After he recovered in hospital he returned, to be wounded again and gassed.He was sent back to Australia a month before the Armistice and discharged in 1919. He went back to doing the best he could – droving, prospecting and timber cutting...When a new war broke out in 1939 he tried to join up again, aged 66, but this time he couldn’t fib his way in. “Barney” died broke in 1958 at 85.photo below shows him  with his "loot"  from the fighting at Polygon Wood, Belgium