CONTENTS
Articles
The impact of the Great War, Sue Tongue 3-4
‘Overheard on a train’, anon. reporter, ‘Burnie Advocate’, 1931 4
Report on 2018 John Laffin Memorial Lecture Day, Paul Simadas 5-6
1917 letter: Pte 3774 Fred Chin, 19th Bn, found on Trove 6
2nd Lieut Jacques d’Alpuget, 54th Bn, Matt Smith 7-11
Memories of Amiens in 1916,
‘AIF’ (anon. Digger), found on Trove 11
1916 letter: Pte 433 Joseph Smith, 5th MG Bn, found on Trove 12-13
1917 letter: WOI George Whitehead, AAMC, found on Trove 13
Battle of the Lys Centenary at Merris, John Payne 14
Boy soldier stowaways, contrib. by Bill Durrant 15-16
1918 letter: Pte 3762 Bert Bishop, 55th Bn, contrib. by Pam Goesch 16
Memoirs of Pte 2369 Verdi Schwinghammer, 42nd Bn (Part 3), edited by Graeme Hosken 17-21
Pte 1926 Clarence Gordon, 54th/1st Bns, contrib. by Lesley Abrahams 22-24
How soldiers go to bed: (probably) Dvr 1620 James Hodson, contrib. by Bill Durrant 24
Pte 2653 Harold Edwards, 20th Bn, Val McKenzie 25-26
1917 letters: Pte 3312 Eric Millard, 3rd Bn, found on Trove 26
‘Murphy of Anzac’: Simpson’s donkeys, by ‘Ex-Captain’, contrib. by Bill Durrant 27-29
Armistice Day memories, (probably) Pte 2871 Harold Preston, found on Trove 29
Account of trench raid, Sgt 2682 Albert Green, 9th Bn, and AWM artefacts, found on Trove 30-33
Spr 868 Alec Gollan, 19th Bn/5th FCE, Trevor Munro 34-35
‘I got you those’, ‘Hplar’ (unknown Digger) in ‘Smith’s Weekly’, found on Trove 35
‘Sandbags’: Lieut RSM Sturges, British Army, contrib. by Bill Durrant 36-37
‘Stiffness’, ‘Franzac’ (unknown. Digger) in ‘Smith’s Weekly’ 37
How the Diggers in France reacted to the Armistice, Graeme Hosken 38-41
When did Australia receive news of the Armistice? Graeme Hosken 42-44
Armistice Day sadness for Cumnock family, Val McKenzie 45
Captain Ken Millar, 2nd Bn, and the Armistice, contrib. by Patric Millar 46
For Valour: Australian VC recipients 1918 (Part 5), 18 Sep to 5 Oct, Geoff Lewis 47-56
Ned’s nephew: Pte 2002B Fred Foster, 17th Bn, David Creenaune & Graeme Hosken 57-60
‘Some gargle’, ‘Musha’ (unknown Digger) in ‘Smith’s Weekly’, found on Trove 60
The men from Myrrhee: a town’s pictorial honour roll, Evan Evans 61-73
The Armistice: memories and hopes, Gnr 3289 Edwin Davidson, 13th FAB, found on Trove 73
November 11, 1918: The Armistice in Syria, Captain Hector Dinning, AASC/WRS 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.