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?
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