2020 Calendar of events
Due to the Corona Virus the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, ANZAC Memorial in Sydney, Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne and National ANZAC Centre in Albany were closed to the public but have now re-opened with restrictions on numbers and the times of visits. Please check each venue for the current opening times and any other requirements.
Gatherings such as lectures, meetings and Commemorations can no longer be conducted as they have been in previous years. Events planned by FFFAIF and kindred organisations are impacted and in some cases alternatives are being considered.
This Calendar of events is therefore indicative of key dates and events and will be updated to advise of alternative arrangements, deferrals and cancellations.
Tuesday 1 December, FFFAIF AGM
Zoom Meeting
7:00pm Australian EDT
8:00 am Greenwich Mean Time
9:00 am Central European Time
RSVP to agm.rsvp@fffaif.org.au
Dates in History
August
1 August 1917 Third Battle of Ypres begins.
3 August 1914 Australia offers assistance to Great Britain in the event of War.
3 August 1916 Australian Light Horse in Battle of Romani, Egypt .
4 August 1914 Great Britain Declares War on Germany.
6 August 1915 Battle for Lone Pine, Gallipoli.
7 August 1915 Australians charge at the Nek, Gallipoli.
8 August 1916 Battle for Moquet Farm.
8 August 1918 Battle for Amiens begins.
10 August 1914 Voluntary recruitment for the 1st AIF begins.
13 August 1914 Establishment of the Australian Red Cross.
19 August 1914 Expeditionary force sails from Australia to capture German possessions in the Pacific.
21 August 1915 Last major fighting on Gallipoli takes place at Hill 60.
24 August 1916 Official inauguration of the Australian Comforts Fund (ACF).
26 August 1916 6th Australian Brigade attacks Moquet Farm on the Somme.
31 August 1918 Battle of Mont St. Quentin begins.September
1 September 1918 Battle of Mont St. Quentin continues
11 September 1914 Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force lands at Rabaul.
14 September 1914 HMA Submarine AE1 lost off New Guinea
17 September 1918 Australian attack on Hindenburg Line in the Picardy region of France.
19 September 1918 5th Light Horse brigade capture Nablus.
20 September 1912 Official formation of the Australian Flying Corps.
21 September 1914 German New Guinea surrenders.
25 September 1918 Anzac Mounted Division capture Amman.October
1 October 1918 Australian Light Horse take Damascus.
5 October 1918 Capture of Montbrehai, France by AIF.
10 October 1917 Battle of Poelcappelle, Western Front. (Third Battle Ypres).
21 October 1915 Australian Red Cross Missing & Wounded Bureau established.
21 October 1916 5th Australian Division enter the front line near Flers, Somme.
28 October 1916 First conscription referendum.
30 October 1918 Armistice with Turkey.
31 October 1917 4th Light Horse charge at Beersheba, Palestine.November
1 November 1914 1st AIF Convoy sails from Albany, Western Australia.
7 November 1916 Third Battle of Gaza.
9 November 1914 HMAS Sydney sinks the Emden.
11 November 1918 Germany signs the Armistice. REMEMBRANCE DAY.
11 November 1941 Opening of the Australian War Memorial
14 November 1917 End of Third Battle of Ypres, Western Front.December
2 December 1914 First Australian military aircraft despatched to war.
3 December 1914 First AIF disembarked in Egypt
3 December 1915 Siege of Kut begins in Mesopotamia.
7 December 1915 Evacuation of ANZAC troops from Gallipoli begins.
9 December 1917 Jerusalem occupied by the Desert Mounted Corps.
12 December 1917 HMAS Australia damaged in a collision with HMS Repulse.
13 December 1915 Australian Light Horse fight at Um Rakham.
20 December 1915 Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli.
20 December 1917 Second conscription referendum held in Australia.
21 December 1916 Australian Light Horse capture El Arish
23 December 1916 Battle of Magdhaba, northern Sinai
31 December 1914 The second convoy of the First AIF departed Albany Western Australia.January
9 January 1917 Light Horse captures Rafa.
17 January 1917 No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps sail for France
18 January 1919 Versailles Peace Conference opensFebruary
3 February 1915 Turkish forces attack the Suez Canal
5 February 1917 Captain H.W. Murray wins Victoria Cross in France
19 February 1915 Allied warships shell DardanellesMarch
17 March 1917 Australians occupy Bapaume, Western Front
18 March 1915 Allied fleet second attempts to breach Turkish defences of Dardanelles
20 March 1916 Anzac Corps land in France
21 March 1918 Final German offensive begins
26 March 1917 Captain Cherry, 26th Battalion wins VC at Lagnicourt
28 March 1918 Sergeant McDougall, 47th Battalion wins VC at Dernancourt
31 March 1921 Formation of the Australian Air Force-
Recent News
- Patron-in-Chief – His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
- Inaugural Patron-in-Chief – The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO
- Fromelles Day Sydney 20 July 2020: Commemorative Procession from the Archibald Fountain to the Anzac Memorial and Commemorative Service
- Fromelles Day 2020 Commemorations @ Fromelles, Melbourne and Sydney
- DIGGER 71
- ANZAC Day in the time of Coronavirus
- DIGGER 70
- DIGGER 69
Topics
Past News
Photos
- The Families and Friends of the First AIF supports DNA testing on the remains of Australian and British soldiers found on the battlefields of the Great War and efforts to identify as many of the fallen as is possible.
Category Archives: Events
“Fromelles Family” Gathering, Sydney, Saturday 23 June 2018
More than 70 descendants of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Fromelles, members of the Families and Friends of the First AIF, the Fromelles Association, the Australian Branch of the Western Front Association and World War One Descendants gathered … Continue reading
2014 Annual General Meeting
2014 FFFAIF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The AGM this year will be held on Saturday 11th October, 2014. Registration from 2:15pm Meeting Commences: 2:30pm Venue: Penrith RSL Club 8 Tindale Street Penrith NSW RSVP: 03/10/2014 Financial Members: If you are attending … Continue reading
Historian Peter Barton @ Memorial Lecture
Peter Barton, battlefield archaeologist and film maker is visiting Australia to launch his latest book The Lost Legions of Fromelles. Peter will make a guest appearance at the 2014 John Laffin Memorial lecture at 10.00am Sunday 29 June at Harbord … Continue reading
2014 John Laffin Memorial Lecture
Members and their guests are invited to Sunday, 29 June 2014 Speakers:The John Laffin Memorial Lecture. Jim Munro: The Road to the Great War. Richard Wright: Not by DNA alone: the role of archaeology and anthropology at the Pheasant Wood … Continue reading
2013 John Laffin Memorial Lecture
Members and their guests are invited to The John Laffin Memorial Lecture Sunday, 7 July 2013 Speakers: Michele Bomford: Beaten Down by Blood: The Battle of Mont St. Quentin–Peronne 1918. and Graham Wilson: Australian Railway Units of the AIF during … Continue reading
Johan Durnez OAM
In Ieper Belgium, on 4 June 2013 FFFAIF member Johan Durnez was presented with his Order of Australia Medal by Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Patron in Chief of the Families … Continue reading
Fromelles Association AGM
Meeting of the Fromelles Association The Fromelles Association will be holding their annual meeting on 20 July 2013 at the Wallsend Diggers Club, Tyrrell Street, Wallsend, NSW, between 10am and 4pm. The meeting is in the form of a workshop … Continue reading
Gallipoli 2015 Ballot
Are you interested in finding out about attending the centenary celebrations at Gallipoli on 25th April 2015? The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of Anzac Warren Snowdon provided the following information on 13 May 2013: “A ballot … Continue reading
ANZAC DAY
98th Anniversary of Gallipoli Landing 25th APRIL 2013 Read more about Anzac Day and it’s traditions by visiting the Australian War Memorial website. Read about and watch the Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial by clicking here.
Museum Opening Delayed
Construction continues on the new Fromelles Museum commemorating the Battle of Fromelles, 1916 . Delays in the project have resulted in a postponment of the opening of the museum as it will not be completed in time for the 97th anniversary … Continue reading