Category Archives: Diggers of First AIF

Hit in No-Man's Land

The 8th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division formed the left of the attack, in the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July. The Australian units were (from north to south): 8th Brigade Assaulting battalions 32nd (WA) and 31st (Qld, Vic) … Continue reading

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Uncle Harry's Charm

The 5th Australian Division units involved in the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July were (from north to south): 8th Brigade: Assaulting battalions 32nd (WA) and 31st (Qld, Vic) with Reserve battalions 29th (Vic) and 30th (NSW) 14th Brigade (NSW): … Continue reading

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I regret to inform you

As the Battle tactics of the Battle of Fromelles reveals, there the planning for the July 1916 was characterised by changes and included a 7 hour artillery bombardment prior to the infantry assault. The outcome of the battle was a … Continue reading

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Dignified Burial Call

The battle for the missing diggers from Fromelles is far from over.  As the Background to the Battle of Fromelles reveals, there had been an unsuccessful battle at Fromelles in May 1915 with heavy casualties and the planning for the July … Continue reading

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Commemoration

The Fifth Division of the AIF was formed in February 1916 and consisted of the 8th Brigade – 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd Battalions; 14th Brigade – 53rd, 54th, 55th, 56th Battalions and 15th Brigade – 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th Battalions. … Continue reading

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Three Lads Go To War

Allan Eldridge, Ernest Hopkinson and Justin Breguet were all 18 years old when, with parental permission, they enlisted in the AIF in July 1915. They embarked together aboard HMAT Ballarat from Melbourne on 18 February 1916 as members of the … Continue reading

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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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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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