Bert's relationship with his mother is both sweet and sour, but mostly sour. He has been toughened by years of hard work which has made him almost totally self-reliant.
At nineteen, powerfully built from his years of manual labour, Bert joins Mickey Finn's Boxing Troupe as a prize fighter. Touring Australia as a heavyweight, he never loses a bout. When World War I breaks out, Bert rushes to enlist.
