Military history

As our nation struggles with the ambiguity and to some the divisive nature of 26th January as a national day of celebration young Australians have turned to Anzac Day for a sense of clarity in what it is to be Australian? The sight of Australian High School students shedding tears over the graves of their ancestors in the cemeteries of Gallipoli or the sense of pride they feel when hearing their National Anthem played in Anzac services in Villers Bretonneux in France or the Menin Gate in Belgium, suggest there is a need to know our nation has contributed to a higher moral cause and so generates a sense of pride in their country.

Corryong local, Vicki Kane, has created a YouTube channel titled ‘Hidden History of the Upper Murray’ which delves into past incidents and events in the region ... "With an increase of tourism due to Easter visitors and The Man from Snowy River Festival I wanted to create some clips that told more about the Upper Murray," Vicki said. "We have such a rich history. It took resilience and community spirit to survive in this remote area."

There’s always something happening at the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre ... Last Tuesday, members of the Rolls Royce and Bentley Car Club called in on their way home from a rally in Hahndorf. They spent several hours hearing the stories of the men and women who trained at the Nhill RAAF Base during the ‘40s ... Another mid-week Melbourne visitor was Tania Jacobs, who has been working with the NAHC Board to help with tourism ideas.

Honor Auchinleck. Timing and circumstances ensure some wartime tragedies are more defining than others and so it was with Malcolm Chisholm. He was the first Australian to die and the first of some 60,000 Australians who lost their lives on the First World War battlefields. His death has resonated through more than a century and well beyond the Upper Murray.

Nobby might only have around 600 residents but it has gained a reputation for properly commemorating its heroes ... Another lesser known memorial, but in the eyes of Nobby residents of 1915, of equal importance, is the memorial in Nobby Cemetery to Private Victor Denton.

A special commemorative service will be held at Spring Bluff station on Friday, March 17, 2023 to remember the 1000 brave soldiers who left the station at night on their way to serve in World War II. The service marks the 81st anniversary of the historic day the Darling Downs’ 25th Infantry Battalion boarded trains at Spring Bluff station at the start of their journey to New Guinea. 

Gini Gale. Padthaway and Lochaber branches shared our guest speakers Kym and Hass Palka who are former residents of Naracoorte ... Kym’s father, Wally, was Ukrainian born in a village near Lviv, in western Ukraine near the Polish border. During World War II, as a 15 year old, he was taken back to Germany by the retreating Nazis and made to work in labour camps.

The Shire of Broome, in collaboration with several community organisations, will host a program of events to commemorate the Broome Air Raid on Thursday, March 2 and Friday March 3, 2023, marking one of the deadliest wartime attacks on Australian soil ... "March 3 marks tragedy for Broome, although it is also a story of inspiration for those that helped the victims of this brutal attack and those victims that survived and lived to share the tale": Shire of Broome President Harold Tracey.

While Sir John Monash rightly holds the distinction of being Australia’s greatest ever General, there was another Australian who came a close second to Monash in the annals of Australian Military History. And it was his humility which partially smoothed Monash’s bumpy road to command of the Australia Corp in 1918. But because of this, he is quite often overlooked when the Great War Generals are discussed.

In November 1917 Maldon was bitterly divided over the question of military conscription. On 28 November the Tarrangower Times reported that the Maldon Anti-Conscription League had constructed a 20-foot long sign reading ‘VOTE NO’ on a hill off Parkins Reef Road. 

Chris Oldfield. A bright red rose named Fields of Fromelle is one of Hynam hybridist George Thomson’s most famous roses. It is the first and only Australian bred rose ever to be planted in France.

Kate Foran ... did you know that there are also purple poppies? These are worn to recognise the service of animals to our Australian Defence Force ... Most of the animals who served alongside our soldiers, whether officially in service, or casually in trench mateship, ended up losing their lives in both World Wars ... Lest we forget.

The previous Battles of Menin Road and Polygon Wood had involved troops from 1st Anzac Corps. Those troops were still in place and because of the comparatively light casualties suffered they were good to go again at Broodseinde Ridge. The big excitement of this battle was the fact that 2nd Anzac Corps was going to be joining in as well ... This was going to be the first time where an Anzac Corps would have another Anzac Corps going into the fight alongside them.

You may have seen a bunch of military-style vehicles tooling around Maldon on the weekend. The cars in question are Austin Champs, a British army jeep-like vehicle that was manufactured in the 1950s.

A book by two authors, one of them an Allora local, delves into the war years of the brave men of the 2/26 Battalion. Read through the personal interviews, family stories and archive research of the military history and personal history of the men compiled by two dedicated women, daughters of two of the soldiers - Norm Newport and Bill Anderson - who were mates in the 2/26 Battalion.

Before we get too far into this battle, let me take this opportunity to advise you to banish all images of trees and lush undergrowth when you think of Polygon Wood. This may have been true in early 1914. But remember this is part of the Third Battle of Ypres.

Nowadays, as a Vietnam Vet, I have come to notice that more people are acknowledging us for what we did as Australian soldiers representing our country ... Coming up is Vietnam Vets Day 2022 and even if your local RSL is not being involved, you can always contribute to this special day by saying g’day to a Vet. You know you know one, don’t do?

Riverina Express ran through the Narrandera area at the weekend. The Express is a full time tourist train to service the Riverina-Murray area. It is regarded as superstar in passenger train evolution, offering speed, comfort and air-conditioning.

Emma Pritchard. After celebrating his 100th birthday earlier this year, Clarence Valley resident and World War II veteran George Smith enjoyed another distinguished occasion on July 29 when he was presented with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) commemorative memento to honour him as an RAAF centenarian. Born in Strathblane, Tasmania, on March 1, 1922, Mr Smith grew up on his family’s dairy farm and joined the RAAF as an 18-year-old following the outbreak of WWII.

During Jumpers and Jazz the Allora and District Historical Society organised an amazing Military Display which was held in the Community Hall last Saturday. A piece of equipment that was exhibited created a lot of interest as it could not be identified.

You may or may not have guessed, but the Australian involvement in World War 1 is my personal area of interest. And the next three articles will focus on a series of battles from 1917 which, in my humble opinion, were the battles which cemented the reputation of the AIF on the Western Front. Sure, the previous years had shown that they were resilient, hard fighters and men who could be trusted to get the job done. But these three battles showed them to be among the best, if not the best, assault troops in the Allied armies.

Fergus O'Sullivan, History Guild. The Battle of Cape Spada was a short, violent encounter on the 19th of July, 1940 where the cruiser HMAS Sydney of the Royal Australian Navy sank one Italian cruiser and severely damaged another off the coast of Crete. In this article, we go over the events of that day, as well as what life was like for the crew of the ship.