They called him Barney. Private John Hines 45th Battalion a name whispered with a mix of awe and amusement. Right here stood a man a legend etched in the annals of Australian military history.
Private John Hines wasn’t your average soldier. He was born Johannes Heim in Liverpool England a German immigrant’s son. He wasn’t always a soldier. He was a sailor a drifter a man with a penchant for trouble and a remarkable knack for acquiring souvenirs. He arrived in Sydney in 1915. He initially failed his medical examination. He tried to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. His persistence paid off. He eventually joined the 45th Battalion.
He wasn’t just brave. He was reckless bold aggressive. In battle he was a tower of strength. He was an effective fighter. His commander Arthur Samuel Allen described him as such. Outside of combat he was a different story. Hines faced charges for drunkenness. He went absent without leave. He even forged entries in his pay book. He was a two pains in the neck.
But it was his pilfering that made him famous. The “Souvenir King” they called him. He was a master thief. He plundered German goods. He took watches jewelry francs and even a piano a grandfather clock. The clock didn’t last long. Its chimes attracted German fire.
His most famous heist took place at the Battle of Polygon Wood in 1917. War photographer Frank Hurley captured the moment. He took a photo of Hines surrounded by his loot. This photo became iconic. It showed Hines in a German cap surrounded by spoils of war. Four thousand francs one million marks Iron Crosses enough to fill a sandbag. The photo enraged the Kaiser who put a 100000 mark bounty on his head.
Hines’s luck ran out in 1918. He suffered a gas attack. He was sent for treatment. The facility was bombed. Hines suffered further injuries. Shrapnel lodged in his heel. But even then his bravery shone through. He helped move other patients to safety.
He never fully recovered. He returned to Australia. He lived in poverty. He sold his souvenirs. He lived in a tent-like dwelling. German helmets hung from his fence. He was a complex man. Reckless and gallant aggressive and kind. He was known for his weekly donations to the veterans hospital.
He tried to enlist in World War II. He was too old. He even tried to stow away. He was discovered. John Hines died in 1958 at Concord Repatriation Hospital. His life was a testament to a man of contradictions. A man of war a thief a hero a legend. That’s Private John Hines. That’s his story. That’s the legacy of Private John Hines 45th Battalion.