Plaque Dedications at AWM

Posted on 26/01/2012 by FFFAIF

During February 2012 two special dedication services will take place in the grounds of The Australian War Memorial, Canberra for Battalions of the First AIF.

Dedication of plaques to commemorate the service and honour of the 2nd, 54th, 13th and 34th Battalions will be held at 10:00am on 14th February 2012. For further information please contact The Friends of the 2nd Battalion by emailing John at rossjr@idl.net.au

The dedication of a Memorial Plaque to the 45th Battalion will be held at 10:00am on 21st February 2012. Any enquiries may be directed to the Secretary at P.O. Box 292, Rozelle NSW 2039.

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Abide With Me

Posted on 24/09/2011 by FFFAIF

FFFAIF member and film maker, Damian Madden has a short documentary film (4m:19s) about a World War I soldier, Lt John Gotch Ridley MC (53rd Infantry Battalion AIF), named as a finalist in a Sydney Film Festival ‘Ignite Film Fest’.

John Ridley [left] started a bible study group on the battlefields of The Western Front to help his fellow troops get through those tough times. He was awarded a Military Cross for acts of bravery in action at Bellicourt in 1918, risking his own life to bring ammunition and rations to the front line and for rescuing the wounded.

The film, ‘Abide With Me’ – along with 11 other finalists – is up on their website http://www.ignitefilmfest.com/ at present for the people’s choice award part of the competition.  

It is worth a look and should you choose, you are able to vote for the film.

Voting closes at 5pm on Thursday, 29 September (AEST) with the winner announced on the website at 9am the next day.

FFFAIF wishes Damian all the best for the competition and offers its thanks for his part in perpetuating Digger Heritage and Keeping The Memory Alive. 

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2011 AGM

Posted on 10/09/2011 by FFFAIF

The Annual General Meeting
of the
The Families and Friends of the First AIF
will be held in
Singleton, New South Wales

at
Royal Australian Infantry Corps Museum

Singleton Army Barracks
on
Saturday 29th October 2011

Registration:  2:15pm
Meeting:        2:30pm

This year’s AGM venue is located about 10-15 minute’s drive south of Singleton NSW at the Singleton Army Barracks, at the junction of  Range Road and Army Camp Road.

For more information on the museum click here.

Light refreshments are available at the museum kiosk if you decide to arrive early to check out the collection.

The AGM Dinner will be held at the Country Motor Inn (Busby’s Wine Bar Café) on Saturday 29th October.
Members of the FFFAIF wishing to find out more about the 2011 AGM please refer to the September edition of DIGGER or contact secretary@fffaif.org.au.

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Fromelles Services

Posted on 02/07/2011 by FFFAIF

FROMELLES DAY – COMMEMORATIVE SERVICES 

SYDNEY – ANZAC Memorial Hyde Park (Eastern side of the Memorial building.)

Tuesday, 19 July 10.45am for 11am start 95th Commemorative Service for the Battle of Fromelles. The first battle fought by an AIF Division on the Western Front with a loss of 5,533 casualties in a single night. The worst night in Australian history.
The Trustees of the ANZAC Memorial and Families and Friends of the First AIF

 *****

MELBOURNE – Shrine of Remembrance

Tuesday, 19 July 2011 @ 1.30pm Wreath Laying at ‘Cobbers’ statue on the Shrine Reserve near the Domain Interchange. [Friends of the 15th Brigade (Battle of Fromelles)]

This annual pilgrimage commemorates the battle at Fromelles, fought on July 19, 1916.  This was the first major action involving Australian troops on the western front. It proved disastrous, with nearly 2,000 Australians killed in attacks on strong German positions.

[ Shrine Representative : Shrine Governor Colonel John Coulson OAM RFD ED; Shrine Governor Major Maggie ]

*****

FROMELLES – Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) CWGC Cemetery
Service commences
at 7 pm

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New Association Act

Posted on 02/07/2011 by FFFAIF

The NSW Government revised the Incorporated Association Act in 2009 under which the Families and Friends of the First AIF Inc. is incorporated and its rules have authority. The Incorporated Association Regulation became effective on the 1st July 2010. An Association’s Rules are now called its Constitution and are required to address matters listed in a Schedule of the Act.

 The NSW Department of Fair Trading developed a model constitution covering all of these matters as well as a number of additional matters. Existing associations may adopt all or parts of the model constitution or modify parts of the model constitution. If an association’s constitution fails to address a matter outlined in the Schedule, the model constitution will apply in respect to that matter and will form part of the association’s constitution. Once a revised Constitution is adopted it is binding to both the association and its members.

The proposed Constitution for the Families and Friends of the First AIF will be considered at the FFFAIF’s Annual General Meeting in October. A copy of the proposed Constitution can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here.

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Fighting Nineteenth

Posted on 02/07/2011 by FFFAIF

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 history covers training in Egypt, four months on Gallipoli, then defending the Suez Canal.
The men then moved to the Western Front in France in early 1916 where it participated in all the major campaigns in France and Flanders.
A Victoria Cross was awarded, when Lieutenant Percy Storkey demonstrated his bravery at Hangard Wood in 1918 – and many other awards were made to battalion men.
The authors, both FFFAIF members, had access to private photographs, letters, diaries, the official history and war diaries. This also has a nominal roll and much biographical information on a CD that comes free with each book. 

RRP $60 available from:

The War Book Shop
13 Veronica Place,
Loftus. NSW
Australia
02 9542 6771

Contact the publishers at : warbookshop@bigpond.com 

FFFAIF members contact Clive at the War Book Shop for a Special Members Offer.

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2011 Memorial Lecture

Posted on 04/06/2011 by FFFAIF

John Laffin Memorial Lecture

An invitation to attend the Annual John Laffin Memorial Lecture to be held in Sydney on
Sunday 3rd July 2011
10.30am – 3.00pm
Ashfield RSL Club
374 Liverpool Rd
Ashfield

This year’s speakers will be Mr John D. Cox and FFFAIF member Tony Cunneen.

John delivered the NSW Governor’s Inaugural Anzac Oration at Government House on 18th April 2011. He will speak on ‘The Last Great Cavalry Charge: The Charge at Beersheba’.

Tony will be speak on ‘The Legal Profession in the First World War’. See more on Tony’s research by visiting The Francis Forbes Society for Australian Legal History website. Another interesting article on the website is Getting to know CEW Bean, Barrister and Judge’s Associate.

Cost: $15 per person, includes a light lunch. Tea and coffee.

The Lecture is open to Members and Guests.

RSVP: Monday 27th June to secretary@fffaif.org.au or by phone (leave a message) to 0448 266 634 or by mail to FFFAIF, PO Box 4208, OATLEY WEST NSW 2223.

Please note the venue is on the first floor of the club and access is by stairs only.

To find out more about the John Laffin Memorial Lecture click here.

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Pozieres Service

Posted on 04/06/2011 by FFFAIF

Pozieres Day Commemoration

The First Battalion Association is commemorating the Battle Pozieres at their annual service. This is a most impressive service conducted under the Cross of Pozieres. This service has been continuous since 1935, passed on from the 1st Battalion 1st AIF to the 2nd / 1st Battalion 2nd AIF and finally to the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment.

9:30am   Sunday 24th July 2011
at
Saint Columba Uniting Church
cnr Ocean and Forth Street
Woollahra

RSVP: Secretary 1st Battalion Association by email: firstbnassnnsw@yahoo.com.au

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MHS June Lecture

Posted on 04/06/2011 by FFFAIF

Military History Society of NSW Inc.
Next meeting:
Saturday 18 June 2011
2.00 pm

The lecture will be delivered by Brigadier Philip Carey, Patron MHS of NSW Inc.
The Prussian/German General Staff, 1806 to 1918:

The evolution of the Great German General Staff; its successes and failures; and its contributions to Total War against the paradigm of Industrialised Inter-state War in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Venue: The Conference Room, 1st Floor, Building 96, Victoria Barracks. Sydney.

The lecture is free of charge.

RSVP is necessary for catering and Victoria Barracks security conditions require a list of names of those attending.
Contact vashtif@bigpond.net.au

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ANZAC DAY 2011

Posted on 04/05/2011 by FFFAIF

ANZAC Day and Easter Celebrations coincided this year resulting in a series of ANZAC Commemorations being held on alternative dates as well as the traditional 25th April.

In Fromelles, France the inaugural Dawn Service was held on 21st April 2011.

The following photo report of the service was provided by FFFAIF member and Secretary of Secretary Fromelles & Weppes Terre de Mémoire 14-18 (Fromelles Museum) Carole Laignel.

The ceremony commenced at 5:30am at the Australian Memorial Park in front of the Cobber Statue with Martial Delebarre, President Fromelles & Weppes Terre de Mémoire 14-18 acting as the MC. Wreaths were laid by Mayor of Fromelles Monsieur Hubert Huchette; Colonel Mark Green, Military Attaché to the Australian Embassy in Paris and representatives of the Australian Army.

Photo: Standard bearers from the l’Union des Anciens Combattants

The standard bearers then lead a procession of about 50 people along the road to VC Corner Cemetery where a short service was held. Amongst those in attendance were descendants of Pte Leslie Gordon Walsh, 31st Battalion, recently identified as being one of the Australian soldiers who had been buried at Pheasant Wood following the Battle of Fromelles.

Photo: Descendants of Private L G Walsh
 at VC Corner Cemetery Memorial Wall

At 6:00am in the dawn light, the final Commemoration of the day was held at the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery.

Photo: Dawn at the Cross of Sacrifice Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery

On the 25th April ANZAC Day services were held in major cities around Australia as well as in country towns across the Nation.

Photo: ANZAC Day Service held at
Albury, on the New South Wales – Victorian border [Gary Clift]

The traditional ANZAC Day Dawn Service was held at Gallipoli, Turkey.
Special services were also held at Villers Bretonneux and Bullecourt in France. See our report from FFFAIF French member Yves Fohlen by clicking here.

Photo: Anzac Day at Bullecourt, France
[Carole Laignel]

FFFAIF Western Front representative, Anny DeDecker attended the service at Menin Gate, Ieper and Belgium member Johan Durnez also attended the Dawn Service at Polygon Wood, Belgium. To find out more on these services click here.

*****

If you have a photo or story of an ANZAC Day commemoration you would like to share, please email to enquiries@fffaif.org.au. The FFFAIF would like to hear from you.

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