(What Will We Do With) Maud Butler

Words and music:  John Thompson

Mark Cryle was kind enough to tell me about the amazing Maud Butler, a seventeen-year-old girl who was so keen to help the war effort in 1915, that she bought up a uniform one piece at a time and then stowed away on a troop ship.  Twice!

Her amazing story is well worth telling.  There are some especially good links online to original news stories about her exploits:

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/129568967?

and for her persistent offending:

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/109949097?

Maud Butler had a brother in the army

And so she made her way to Sydney town

At 17 she knew her mind

She wouldn't just be left behind

And so Maud tried to join the army

Chorus:
Oh, what will we do with Maud Butler?

She dresses as a soldier and she wants to go to war

She jumped a ship to cross the foam

Better than any stay-at-home

The prettiest little soldier-boy the Army ever saw.

A lovely farmer's daughter from old Kurri Kurri town

When she tried to sign on as a nurse they turned the poor girl down.

So she bought herself some soldier's gear

Cut her hair and wiped her tears

And she climbed up a rope to board a transport

Three days in a life-raft with not a bite to eat

Til bold as brass she walked the decks, the sailor-boys to meet

An officer saw her walking about

Her boots were wrong, they found her out.

Poor Maud was put ashore in dear old Melbourne

Only two months later, Maud was back on board again

Another attempt to see the front, in the company of men

“I'll do my bit to help the war”

She told them when she was back on shore

"I just want to be a soldier"

This young girl's an example to all of those who shirk

Where other's would have given up, Maud Butler went to work

A lesser girl would have had enough

But Maud was made of sterner stuff

So raise a cheer and sing of Miss Maud Butler