2023 Calendar of events
Saturday 22 April WFA Seminar, with FFFAIF John Laffin Memorial Lecture
Tuesday 25 April Anzac Day
FFFAIF has traditionally supported AWWOD organising descendants’ participation in the Sydney Anzac Day March.In 2023 FFFAIF will encourage “Dawn drive-way vigils”.
The RSL is promoting ‘Light up the Dawn’ gatherings on driveways and balconies and ABC Radio coverage of the Canberra Dawn Service and National Ceremony will be heard on local ABC Radio, RN and on the ABC Listen app from 5.30am – 6.00am. This will incorporate a minute’s silence at approximately 5.50am to synchronise the dawn drive-way vigils.
TV broadcasts of Sydney Dawn Service, Canberra Dawn Service and National Ceremony and Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance Service will all be live from 4.30am AEST on ABC TV and ABC NEWS channels, on iview, and streamed live on ABC Australia Facebook and YouTube.
State TV broadcasts of capital city marches and dawn services will also be streamed live on ABC capital city Facebook accounts and on the ABC’s capital city local radio websites.
Every capital city will have live coverage of a local march, however coverage of capital city dawn services will vary in each state. Broadcasts times can be found on the ABC Anzac Day website.
Gallipoli Day /ANZAC Day services will be held in the UK, including:
a Dawn Service at Hyde Park Corner and later the annual Service of Commemoration with a wreath laying at the Cenotaph followed by a Service held at Westminster Abbey;
Baverstock, Codford, Fovant and Sutton Veny on the Salisbury Plain; and
at about 15 other locations in England and Scotland;
Also at the Menin Gate, Ieper; and
Fromelles FranceWednesday 19 July Fromelles Day Commemoration in Sydney at the Anzac Memorial and
Melbourne Wreath-laying at the Shrine of Remembrance and Ipswich in QueenslandSunday 23 July Pozieres Service St Columba Woollahra TBC
Tuesday 26 September Commemoration of the Battles of 3rd Ypres
Thursday 19 October War Widows Day
Saturday 21st October FFFAIF AGM and WFA Lecture Day
Venue: Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park, Sydney and AGM On-line Zoom MeetingSaturday 11 November Remembrance Day
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Recent News
- Fromelles Day Sydney 19 July 2023: Commemorative Procession from the Archibald Fountain to the Anzac Memorial
- DIGGER 83
- DIGGER 82
- DIGGER 81
- DIGGER 80
- Commemorating the 105th anniversary of the Battles of 3rd Ypres in 2022
- Fromelles Day Sydney 19 July 2022: Commemorative Procession from the Archibald Fountain to the Anzac Memorial and Commemorative Service
- DIGGER 79
Category Archives: Members First AIF
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
9 Fromelles Diggers named
DNA tests have identified nine more soldiers killed in the Battle of Fromelles on 19th July, 1916. The graves of these soldiers will now be given their identity in the Pheasant Wood, Fromelles Cemetery. Their names are: Private Leonard Broadhurst (3013) , Sydney, … Continue reading
Fighting Nineteenth
Fighting Nineteenth History of the 19th Battalion, AIF by Wayne Matthews and David Wilson Formed in Sydney in March 1915, 19th Battalion AIF, had many recruits who had already served with the Australian force that captured German New Guinea. This … Continue reading
Fromelles' Dedication
Bright sunshine and clear blue skies shone over the northern French village of Fromelles on the 19th July 2010, the 94th Anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles, as more than 5,500 people gathered to witness the burial of the 250th … Continue reading
FFFAIF WF Tour Report
Members of The Families and Friends of the First AIF took part in the inaugural Western Front Commemorative Tour from 14th to 27th July 2010. The Tour started in Ieper, Belgium and over the next 14 days followed the Anzacs’ trail … Continue reading
More Fromelles names
Photo: 3047 Private Robert Arthur Dewar, 55th Battalion The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel, Alan Griffin, on Saturday 8 May announced the names of a further 19 soldiers who were recently reburied in Fromelles, France. The men’s … Continue reading
*K.I.A. 25th April 1915
The 95th anniversary of the first Anzac Day will be commemorated around Australia and across the world. Photo: Anzac Service at Oatley War Memorial in Sydney, 18th April 2010 [Chris Munro] The ANZAC acronym is formed from the initials of … Continue reading
Bench for Talbot House
On Saturday 10th April 2010 members of the Laffin Family gathered at Talbot House in Poperinge for the unveiling of a commemorative bench for John and Hazelle Laffin in the gardens of TochH. Belgian FFFAIF member Johan Durnez reports on … Continue reading
Fromelles ID profiles
The list of 75 Australian soldiers whose remains were recovered from the burial pits at Pheasant Wood and whose identities have been established by the Fromelles Joint Identification Board was released on Wednesday 17 March 2010. The list is available on the … Continue reading
Uncle Jack Morley
Being one of the oldest soldiers and having a height in excess of six foot, and possibly DNA matches with relatives, contributed to the identification of the remains recovered from the burial pits at Pheasant Wood as No. 258, Private John Morley of … Continue reading