The “Old Contemptibles Window” in St John’s Cathedral

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Denzil Scrivens

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During the First World War, it was not until 1916 that Australian soldiers fought on the Western Front in Europe. Initially, the burden of the war effort against Germany in France and Belgium was shouldered by the French and British.

In the early stages of the war, the British Army was known as the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) which left England for Belgium in August 1914. Although a professional, highly trained army, proficient in rapid and accurate rifle fire, the BEF was a much smaller force than Germany's or that of France. It was also deficient in shell power and in the first four months in Europe was almost totally wiped out in the Battles of Mons, Le Cateau, Marne and Aisne and the ferocious Battle of First Ypres. Some regiments lost almost 90 per cent of their original strength.

Despite this, the BEF, with their French allies, remained undefeated, maintaining the front line against the Imperial German Army, inflicting high casualties on the enemy and destroying their expectation of a quick victory. The BEF held out until the British and French contingents in Europe were eventually reinforced by volunteer British troops, and by soldiers from British Empire units including, from 1916, the Australians.

When the war broke out in 1914 the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, allegedly issued orders to his generals to "exterminate...the treacherous English and march over General French's contemptible little army". The Kaiser was referring to the BEF under their English commander Field Marshal Sir John French. Over time the name "contemptible" stuck and the BEF wore it as a badge of honour, forming an Association after the war known as the "Old Contemptibles".

After the war, some of the survivors of the BEF migrated to Queensland, forming a Queensland branch of the Old Contemptibles which regularly took part in Anzac Day marches until the last surviving members of the Association passed away. But before the Queensland Association dissolved, its members erected a stained glass window in St John's Cathedral in Brisbane commemorating their BEF colleagues who had fought and died on the Western Front.

The window depicts two BEF soldiers in battledress kneeling in front of an altar, receiving a blessing from a priest before going off to war. Four battle honours, "Mons", "Marne", Aisne" and Ypres", are inscribed on the window at the bottom. The window was designed by William Bustard (1894-1973), one of Queensland's foremost artists, who had also fought with the British Army during the war.       

At one point, the Old Contemptibles had 178 branches in the UK and 14 overseas. They held their very last parade in England in 1974, taking tea with Queen Elizabeth II.  After that, they passed quietly into history.  

Denzil Scrivens

denzil.scrivens@bigpond.com

 

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