Military history

Warwick O'Neill. Imagine you’re a young 20 year old bloke. You’ve just struggled across sixty miles of some of the toughest terrain on earth. You’ve had bugger all training, your weapons are obsolete because you’re “just Militia” and all the best stuff is being used by the Second AIF in North Africa. But here you are on the pointy end of the attempt to defend Australia from direct attack.

Fergus O'Sullivan, History Guild. The North African campaigns of WW2 were two years of back and forth action across Libya and Egypt ... When the end eventually came to this seesaw action at El Alamein in 1942, again it was Australians were integral to carrying the day. In this article we’ll see this pivotal battle through the eyes of veterans from rural and regional Australia.

For a small town Tennant Creek always seems to have an excellent turnout for ANZAC Day. Community volunteers, service organisations, visiting serving Defence Force members, former service personnel and family members of those who had served gathered at the Transit Centre for the march to the RSL for the Main Service.

Born and raised in Shepparton, Brian joined the Army when he was just 16-years-old ... After returning to Australia and a couple of postings as a Major, Brian was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel before becoming Commanding Officer in March 1992 - Sixth Signalman Regiment in Simpson Barracks in Melbourne. Brian and his men were then sent on a secondment mission to Cambodia to assist the defence force with communications after a United Nations intervention.

"Today we remember the men and women who never made it home - today is their day and that of their mates. We do not glorify war as it is certainly the darkest side of mankind. Today we honour those who died to protect our way of life - today is simply a day of remembrance" : Sgt Daniel Johnson, RAAF Wagga.

“Some 2,000 Australians were killed or wounded on 25 April. It was a day of confusion and fear. One soldier called it ‘a day of sorrow’ as he remembered the dead and wounded ... In December, the Anzacs were evacuated. By then, about 8,700 Australians and almost 2,700 New Zealanders had been killed. They were some of at least 130,000 soldiers on both sides who lost their lives at Gallipoli” : Greg Hall, Barham RSL.

Coleambally resident John ‘Wilko’ Wilkinson made his annual pilgrimage to Sydney for the city’s annual Anzac Day march. The New Guinea veteran is now 101 years old and the last one left of his unit, Australia’s PNG Battalions during World War 2 ... There were 567 Australians spread over the three battalions and Wilko is the last survivor.

Warwick O'Neill. During World War 1, military court proceedings against Australian troops were kept out of British hands. Only Australian officers could court martial Australian soldiers, much to the disgust of senior British soldiers, particularly Old Douggie Haig. It’s widely believed that the reason behind this was the trial and execution by an English Court Martial of Harry ‘Breaker’ Morant and Peter Hancock. And while this may be at least partially correct, there was another scandal in 1901 involving British military justice against Australian troops. It was known as the Wilmansrust Affair ...

Richard Malawkin managed to take some stunning photos of the F/A-18F Super Hornet flying over Kyogle on April 25. The jet was fast yet Richard captured an image. Here’s how he did it ...

Emma Pritchard ... Following the Anzac Address, which was read by Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis, wreaths were respectfully laid at the base of the cenotaph and alongside a plaque commemorating the many animals who also served in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

We could all learn a thing or two from humble war hero Les Cook. The top-shelf gardener, proud dad and gym regular is still living his best life in a quiet suburb near the Canberra Hospital. Earlier this year I found myself in the nation’s capital at the historic Australian War Memorial and had a lightbulb moment – for Anzac Day this year I should write a piece on a World War II veteran.

The Emu Plume Trek which started in Narrandera last weekend is now in the latter stages of its journey to Wagga Wagga after visiting Grong Grong, Ganmain, Coolamon and other villages along the route to Wagga Wagga.

Kirstin Nicholson. The memorial park in King Edward Street has another memorial in the form of a colourful yet poignant mural ... With the theme of compassion to your fellow man, the mural features four Australians who have served over our country’s wartime history, standing in front of a field of poppies.

Narrandera will be the starting point for a re-enactment of the 131st celebrations of the Riverina Light Horse Association on the last weekend in March. Riders will mark the occasion by taking their mounts in a trek from Narrandera to Wagga to raise funds for a bronze statue.

Warwick O'Neill. Let me regale you all with the tale, specifically, of Leslie Redford Clisby, henceforth referred to as Les, and more generally the involvement of Australian members of the Royal Air Force who took part in the Battle of France.

The wreck of a Japanese submarine destroyed during a dramatic battle with a Royal Australian Navy corvette 80 years ago today, can now be explored through a virtual reality dive into deep sea.

Warwick O'Neill. In 1939, it was on again. The Australian Army Nursing Service was placed on an active footing. As their predecessors had done in 1914, volunteers flocked to the AANS to go abroad in support of the Second AIF. This time around though, the nurses would be operating in a much more dynamic environment. Rather than spending their war in fixed hospitals, behind front lines which barely moved, the Second AIF nurses would be subjected to the Blitz, emergency evacuations, they would become prisoners of war and would need to cope with conditions ranging from freezing desert nights to humid tropical jungles. 

Warwick O'Neill. In England a young lady by the name of Florence Nightingale read of the conditions and wanted to do something about it. As a high-bred lady of Victorian England, society’s expectations of her was to marry well, breed well, and produce many little upper-class mud-magnets for her husband. Fortunately for the world at large she said, in what I assume was a well-educated and well-enunciated voice “Bugger that. You can shove your Victorian standards up your Kyber. I’m off to the Crimea.” Or words to that effect.

South Australian based group ‘The Headstone Project’ recently dedicated the graves of 18 veterans of WWI who lay in the Port Pirie cemetery in unmarked graves with a dedication ceremony held on 20 November 2021.

Avoca’s iconic War Memorial will be celebrated this week, following months of restoration work ... Built in 1921, the Avoca War Memorial was constructed by the local community to remember those who fought in the First World War. The memorial was later rededicated in 1988 to also commemorate soldiers who served in the Second World War.

Warwick O'Neill. There are very few upsides to war. But one very faint silver lining is that most wars tend to throw up personalities of the type you just don’t see in peace time. People who, for that short period, capture the imaginations of their countrymen for whatever reason ... people such as the notorious Australian Souvenir King of World War I, John ‘Barney’ Hines.

Warwick O'Neill. A quick question for you, Dear Readers. Apart from the bombing of Darwin and Northern Australia, and the torpedo attack in Sydney Harbour, on what other occasion did Japanese and Australian troops clash on the mainland? ... But why did up to 900 prisoners charge the barbed wire and bullets? Where did they think they were going to run to? And who were the Australians who suddenly found themselves staring down hundreds of charging Japanese?