Author Archives: FFFAIF

The McAulay Brothers

Families and Friends of the First AIF member Ross St.Claire in his book, Our Gift to The Empire – 54th Australian Infantry Battalion 1916-1919, describes Fromelles as: the 54th Battalion’s baptism of fire. Not a sterner trial could have been … Continue reading

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Father & Son

Father & Son at Fromelles  Research by FFFAIF member Stephen Brooks has so far revealed 24 sets of brothers and one father and son who fought together at the Battle of Fromelles. Today we are proud to introduce a unique … Continue reading

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Together in Battle

The Battle of Fromelles took place on 19th July 1916. The 8th, 14th & 15th Brigades of the 5th Division, AIF took part in this disastrous attack. The work undertaken by Lambis Englezos to identify the Missing Diggers of Fromelles … Continue reading

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French Gift to Australia

French Gift to Australia On Saturday 28 June the French community in Australia commemorated the contributions of Australian soldiers in France in World War I with the unveiling of a plaque at Memorial Park at Matraville, a suburb of Sydney.  Just … Continue reading

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Same Digger?

The Battle of Fromelles took place on the evening of 19th July 1916. The battle is described in an article by Ross McMullin in The Australian War Memorial magazine Wartime (issue 36) as the worst 24 hours in Australia’s entire … Continue reading

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A Lucky Survivor

Four Australian at War edited by FFFAIF members Maurice Campbell and Graeme Hosken tells the story of four young men fighting on the distant battlefields of WW1 through the letters they sent home to country New South Wales.  One of … Continue reading

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Rev. dies at Fromelles

The 54th Battalion was formed in Egypt February 1916 from men of New South Wales including reinforcements from Australia and experienced soldiers from the 2nd Battalion. The Battalion first went into action on the Western Front at the Battle of … Continue reading

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From Red Cross Files

The 55th Battalion was part of the 14th Brigade of the 5th Division, AIF which took part in the ill fated Battle of Fromelles on the evening of 19th July 1916. Research undertaken by Lambis Englezos using the Red Cross … Continue reading

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Cobber Rescuer KIA

The 14th Brigade of the 5th Division of the AIF took part in the Battle of Fromelles. Sixty three members of the Brigade are numbered amongst the ‘missing’ of Fromelles. This includes 14 from the 53rd Battalion, 30 from 54th … Continue reading

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Memorial Services in Au

Saturday 19th July is the 92nd anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles. In its first battle on the Western Front, the Australia Imperial Force suffered 5,533 casualties in a single night with 1,917 killed.  The Diggers who made the ultimate … Continue reading

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