Barney Hound was based partly on John ‘Barney’ Hines, an Irish immigrant who travelled to Australia, where he joined the AIF. He was considered the ‘King of Souvenirs’, and a photo taken of the man seated around one of his enormous hauls from the Battle of Polygon Wood in 1917 would become famous.
There is a rumour that the Kaiser saw this image and became so outraged that he put a price on Barney’s head—though there is no evidence this ever actually happened. Barney was an effective soldier who survived the war, despite being disciplined several times. There is also a rumour he robbed a bank in Amiens, and that he returned to his unit with suitcases full of French francs.
The Canadian Mounties have been in existence in some form or another since the 1870s. They were originally held back
