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Share DZ Season 013 Part 03 ANZAC Day Fighting Mac (William McKenzie). Ever heard of the Battle of Wassa, before the ANZAC landings?
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DZ Season 013 Part 03 ANZAC Day Fighting Mac (William McKenzie). Ever heard of the Battle of Wassa, before the ANZAC landings?
The most famous Australian that you’ve never heard of is William “Fighting Mac” McKenzie. He is known as the man who the ANZAC’s revered. Don’t worry, don’t feel embarrassed that you haven’t heard of him. It’s highly unlikely that you’ve heard of him or that anyone you know has because sadly we’ve let this man’s story be forgotten.
But back in the day, in Australia, between the wars and through to soon after World War II when Mac finally found eternal peace, there wouldn’t be anyone who hadn’t heard of him, and vast numbers of Australians, living and dead, then were in his debt. In these programmes I’m talking about this sadly forgotten legend whose memory I’m trying to revive.
On Good Friday 2 April 1915, one of the lesser known battles of the Australian soldiers took place. The landings at Gallipoli were just a few weeks into the future then. That battle was in Cairo, Egypt, it was the day when the Battle of Wassa took place. Wassa was the Red Light district of Cairo. It was an area where the worst of the brothels were located. It was an area where Mac had gone many times, including into the brothels themselves, to confront young Australian soldiers who he found inside these establishments and persuaded them to come back to leave what they were intent on doing there and to come back to the camp with him.
Legend has it that Mac, driven to distraction by what the brothels in this area was doing to our young men, to protect them, took matters into his own hands. He led a group of ANZACs into the red-light district and burnt the place to the ground. To make sure that that was going to be the result, the men slashed the fire-hoses so that the blaze couldn’t be put out.
Is that just a colourful story, or did he really do that? Certainly the red-light district was burnt down by the Australians, but could really a chaplain have led the raid?
Well I’m going to tell you.
Thank God for the Salvos - the Salvation Army.
Tag words: Fighting Mac; William McKenzie; ANZACs; Battle of Wassa; Salvation Army; Lance Shilton; adultery; Commissioner James Hay; War Cry; Sir Ian Hamilton; The Fountain of Public Prosperity; Stuart Piggin; Robert D Linder; World War I; Christians; Gallipoli; Psalm 23; Private Henry Thorpe; Aboriginal soldiers; Military Medal; Dublin Core; Lake Michigan; Lemnos; Mudros; Colonel MacLaurin;
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By Paul FordyceThe most famous Australian that you’ve never heard of is William “Fighting Mac” McKenzie. He is known as the man who the ANZAC’s revered. Don’t worry, don’t feel embarrassed that you haven’t heard of him. It’s highly unlikely that you’ve heard of him or that anyone you know has because sadly we’ve let this man’s story be forgotten.
But back in the day, in Australia, between the wars and through to soon after World War II when Mac finally found eternal peace, there wouldn’t be anyone who hadn’t heard of him, and vast numbers of Australians, living and dead, then were in his debt. In these programmes I’m talking about this sadly forgotten legend whose memory I’m trying to revive.
On Good Friday 2 April 1915, one of the lesser known battles of the Australian soldiers took place. The landings at Gallipoli were just a few weeks into the future then. That battle was in Cairo, Egypt, it was the day when the Battle of Wassa took place. Wassa was the Red Light district of Cairo. It was an area where the worst of the brothels were located. It was an area where Mac had gone many times, including into the brothels themselves, to confront young Australian soldiers who he found inside these establishments and persuaded them to come back to leave what they were intent on doing there and to come back to the camp with him.
Legend has it that Mac, driven to distraction by what the brothels in this area was doing to our young men, to protect them, took matters into his own hands. He led a group of ANZACs into the red-light district and burnt the place to the ground. To make sure that that was going to be the result, the men slashed the fire-hoses so that the blaze couldn’t be put out.
Is that just a colourful story, or did he really do that? Certainly the red-light district was burnt down by the Australians, but could really a chaplain have led the raid?
Well I’m going to tell you.
Thank God for the Salvos - the Salvation Army.
Tag words: Fighting Mac; William McKenzie; ANZACs; Battle of Wassa; Salvation Army; Lance Shilton; adultery; Commissioner James Hay; War Cry; Sir Ian Hamilton; The Fountain of Public Prosperity; Stuart Piggin; Robert D Linder; World War I; Christians; Gallipoli; Psalm 23; Private Henry Thorpe; Aboriginal soldiers; Military Medal; Dublin Core; Lake Michigan; Lemnos; Mudros; Colonel MacLaurin;