CONTENTS
Articles
Captain Alick Burgess, 11th Bn, Graeme Hosken with Ross Burgess 3-16
Post-traumatic stress disorders and shell-shock in WWI, Jessica Bourke, JLMHP recipient 17-20
Book release: ‘The Little Stowaway’, Vicki Bennett 21-22
Soldier’s letter: Pte (later Lieut) 927 Vincent Callen, 34th Bn, contrib. by Bill Durrant 23-24
Battle of Hamel, Pte Percy 2183 Koosachi [served as Kookoosachi], 13th Bn 24
2nd Lieut Hugh Massie, 22nd Bn, Contrib. by Darryl Massie 25-26
Sgt 3509 George Miller DCM, MM, 26th Bn, Val McKenzie 27-29
Spr 3988 Patrick Minogue, 2nd ATC, Graeme Hosken 30-32
Extracts from 29th Bn unit diary for 28/29 July, 1918, Lieut Col J McArthur 32
Letter: Lieut Harold Neumann (HP Nyman), 44th Bn, contrib. by Sandra Playle 33
The devoted Anzac: Pte 1146 Tasman Millington, 26th Bn, contrib. by Charles Davis 34-37
The 9th Brigade at Villers-Bretonneux, 4 April, 1918, contrib. by Bill Durrant 38
Tpr 2947 Wilfred Steele, 3rd LHR, contrib. by Bill Durrant 39
Soldier’s letter 1917: Pte 6319 Thomas Dobson, 22nd Bn, found on Trove 39
Memoirs of Pte 2639 Verdi Schwinghammer, 42nd Bn (Part 1), edited by Graeme Hosken 40-47
Member profile: Danielle Roubroeks, photographer, Belgium, Danielle with Geoff Lewis 48
Pte 2594 Bertie Knight, 7th Bn, Stephen Brooks 49
‘A war-wrecked generation’, Nathaniel Sgambellone, JLMHP recipient 50-54
‘The Drink Evil’, unknown WA soldier, found on Trove 54
For Valour: Australian VC recipients 1918 (Part 3: August), Geoff Lewis 55-64
Battle of Chuignes – Monster Gun captured, Lieut Gen Sir John Monash, found on Trove 64
Rededication of City of Liverpool Cenotaph, Sue Tongue 65
Letter: Spr 522 Jack Fahey, 2nd ATC, found on Trove 66-67
The Americans at Hamel, found on Trove 67
Soldiers’ letters from 1918, found on Trove 68
After the war – ‘the Amiens Three’, contrib. by Charles Davis 69-73
Diggers who want work, found on Trove 73
Abstract: Memorialisation of Queanbeyan’s service history, Jodi Adams, JLMHP recipient 74
Regular features
Trench Talk and Contact/Membership details 2
Etched in Stone, Russell Curley and Jim Corkery 75
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.