The liverpool nobody knows

[James Curry]

I found this on a face book page.
What a brave man.
The picture below is one of the best known photographs of an Australian soldier taken during the First world war-it is entitled - Wild eys-the souvenir King.
The man in the picture is John 'Barney' Hines and he was actually born in Liverpool to Irish parents. He was born in the city in 1873 and tried to join the Army aged just 14-but his mother prevented his enlistment.
John Hines later served in the Royal Navy and the Kings Liverpool Regiment. Later in life he emigrated to Australia.
When the first world war broke out in 1914he enlisted in the Australian army- he claimed to be 27years old but was in fact 42.He was medically discharged a year later but managed to join up again.
He was described at the time as being powerfully built, he was covered in tattoos and speaking with a strong accent.
John Hines was then sent to fight on the western front. He proved to be a brave and fearless soldier. One Army officer said that his presence inspired calm in his commrades. John Hines refused to carry a standard issue rifle , instead he carried a bag full of hand grenades instead. And no one , not even his officers , told him what to do. When he saw a Lewis gun light machine gun , he armed himself with one saying. That'll do me, I can hose the barstewards down . He could (on occasions )get in trouble for fighting , drunkenness and forging Army pay books. Others remarked on his often sstrange and erratic behaviour.
But John Hines had one great obsession collecting German war souveniors , most of collecting from German prisioners .On one occcasionhe brought back a Grandfather clockback from enemy lines, on another he brought back a piano!
He became very well known for this and the famous photograph of him was taken in September 1917


The Liverpool nobody knows.jpg

Legend has it that the German Kaiser became enraged on seeing the photgraph and placed a bounty on John Hines head.
John Hines was later discharged from the Army and went back to Australia to live . It was believed that John Hines had been terribbly tramatised by his war time experiences . The war had also taken a physical tollon this brave gentleman. He was to spend the next 40 years living in a shelter made from cloth bags on the side of Mount Druitt near Sydney
He lived on his army pension , doing odd jobs and occasionally selling some of his souvenirs. Once a wekk he would collect vegetables from his garden and deliver them to a local army hospital.
In 1934 , when his situtation was made public many of his old comrades , who had always had respect for him , sent him money. The australian government doubled his pension.
When the second world war broke out in 1939 , John Hines tried to join up again but was rejected . The quiet now teetotaler was interviewed by an austraian newspaper in 1950. The interview seems to show that Mr Hines never lost his Liverpool accent.
John 'Barney' Hines died on the 29th January 1958 aged 85.
He now rests in Sydney's Rockwood cementery.

What an amazing guy and story of a brave man.
Hope you enjoy the read. I found it quite moving.