AustLit

The second part of this poem which begins 'We've just got a letter/cable to tell us', was published widely in Australian newspapers in 1917 during the lead up to the second conscription referendum. The extract was titled variously 'A Voice from the Trenches', 'The No Vote', 'The Call For Help', 'The Crowd Who Said No', etc. Most newspapers claimed the poem had been written by a digger in France on hearing news of the defeat of the first conscription referendum in 1916. However, some of the regional newspapers went even further and attributed it to a soldier from the district who was serving overseas. The Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser stated the poem was written by Private J.M. Hamlyn. The Grenfell Record claimed the poem had been written by a blind soldier who had lost his sight at Gallipoli. The Brisbane Courier used the extract in an advertisement promoting a conscription rally which was held at the Exhibition Hall.