Families and Friends of the First AIF

Families and Friends of the First AIF member and ‘Froggie Cobber’ Yves Fohlen shares his 2010 Anzac Day experiences in the following report. The photos in the report were provided by Yves and fellow French member Carole Laignel.

On 25 April I awoke at 2 am…. left home at 2.30 am and reached, by motorway, Villers Bretonneux at 3.30 am. As in past years I parked in Fouilloy village and walked up to the VB Memorial. To march the 2 kms to the Australian VB memorial is my very private way to “enter that Holy ground”….a way to really GO OVER THE TOP.

 
Photo: View across the fields to the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux [Yves Fohlen]

At the memorial I met good old Australian friends Major General Paul Stevens AO Director of Australian Office of War Graves & Mr Rodney Muir from Australian Embassy in France. Both are deeply involved in the Bullecourt Museum project and are true Friends of France. Rodney obliged me to take a sit among the officials !!!! So for the first time I attended VB “among the Missings”. Weather was especially warm. (Last year the wind was very cold and we almost froze).

 
Photo: Australian NAtional Memorial at Villers Bretonneux [Yves Fohlen]

Ceremony went on with perfect timing. Crowd was quite big even if many could not come due to the volcano cloud.
I took this photo when the catafalque party left (Note that they had no weapons because of new strict rules & regulation about the transport and storing of weapons !!).

Photo: Catafalque Party, Australian National Memorial  [Yves Fohlen]

The soldier passing by me is from Dubbo…and I had been given by Greame Hosken the mission to meet him. Imagine his surprise to speak with a Froggy about Dubbo. I told him that he is now a star in Dubbo… ahahha.
I also spoke in German with German attaché de défense who had laid a wreath. I told him that it is of importance to see Germans laying a wreath at VB I do think that this German officer appreciated my words.

Many have noted that trees had been removed at VB because tree roots could damage the headstones.

Photo: Villers Bretonneux Cemetery [Carole Laignel]

Then I left around 7.30 am to drive north to Bullecourt. On my way I stopped at Warlencourt British cemetery to visit the graves of Pte Thomas Kitchen 3rd Inf Bn & Pte Reg Benson 3rd Inf Bn…

At Bullecourt after a strong breakfast Jean and I welcomed at the Museum an Australian high school class from Perth.

At 12, as every year, I enjoyed a lunch with the French flag bearers most of them are Franco Algerian War Veterans. Then I went with President of Souvenir Français association d’Arras to the Little Cross Memorial to the Missing.
At 1.30 pm arrived our Australian VIPs. The ceremony at the Little Cross is never on the Official Program but the Australian authorities and French Locals are meeting there to remember the Australian missing of the Bullecourt tragedy.
Among the VIPs at the Little Cross were Senator John Hogg , President of Australian Senate, Lieut Gen Ken Gillepsie AO DSC CSM and several others you may be able to recognised.
The airman is the Australian Attaché militaire in France Colonel Green. Major General Paul Stevens and Mr Rodney Muir were also there.

Photo: Colonel Green, Australian Military Attache, France [Yves Fohlen]

Claude Durrand AM gave an account of the Memorial’s creation.

Photo: Claude Durrand [Yves Fohlen]

Peter Norton [FFFAIF member] told the moving story of Private King.

Photo: FFFAIF member Peter Norton [Yves Fohlen]

After the speeches wreaths were laid at the Little Cross for the Missing:

Photo: Senator John Hogg , President of Australian Senate, laying a wreath at the ‘Little Cross’, Bullecourt [Yves Fohlen]

Photo: Lieut Gen Ken Gillepsie AO DSC CSM laying a wreath at the ‘Little Cross’, Bullecourt [Yves Fohlen]

Then we went to the village for the official ceremony.

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Read more about Anzac Day at Bullecourt in ANZAC Day in France Pt 2

Families and Friends of the First AIF Belgian member Johan Durnez’s report and photos form the basis of this account of the Dawn Service held on Anzac Day 2010 at Polygon Wood. 

You will probably recognize this place : Polygon Wood. I made the photo at 6.30 am, almost at the end of the Dawn Service when the red coloured sky announced that the sun would soon start to appear at the horizon……..It was the second time (for as far as I know) that a Dawn Service was organized in Buttes New British Cemetery. 

A shuttle bus service was provided from Zonnebeke to the cemetery – although Johan noted it was not a very efficient service. 

We missed the opening prayers by Father Ray Jones and the welcome by the mayor and alderman of Zonnebeke and the address by the New Zealand Ambassador………..We think that about 100 people were attending and the ceremony happened at the warstone, with the crowd facing the butte and 5^th divisional memorial and with their backs to the graves…….There were candles at the warstone, they also marked the path to the place of the service with two lines of these burning candles from the entrance of the cemetery to the place of the service ……. 

Here are some of the photos that we made. Some will give the impression that it was still almost dark, some will give the impression that it was already light. It was in between the two. The darkness had already gone (I would have preferred 5.30 or 5.45 am as the start of the service) but it was not as light as it looks on some photos.  

We covered the headstone of Private Martin Neagle but in our minds we had the names and the stories of so many diggers and their relatives that we have known for the past fifteen years.  

A most beautiful salute to the diggers was the compilation of several Australian folksongs, combined with a religious hymn, played on the flute by Australian Wendy Quinlan. Sounded great in combination with the hundreds of birds singing in the wood at that moment !  

After the ANZAC dedication, there was the laying of the wreaths, followed by the Ode and silence. 

  

Then there was a volley by a firing party of the Belgian Army and the sounding of the Last Post  

and Reveille by the buglers of the Last Post Association. 

There were the national anthems of Australia, New Zealand and Belgium and then there was the blessing and benediction by Father Ray Jones.  

On the order of service was “immediately after the parade is dismissed the coaches departing for Zonnebeke Chateau”.  Yep… that was right ! Our coach was gone (again) ! ………….After the service we did not want to rush away but wanted a moment on the cemetery to wander and greet the graves where we usually go.  Not that this was a problem for us, we could have walked back to the town centre, but we had a saving angel: one of the Ozzie Wozzie colleagues also attended the service, together with his oldest son – the three and a half year old Stan ! Colleague Bert came with his own car, parked it round the corner at Polygon Wood and that’s how we got back in Zonnebeke.  

Here he is, little Stan at uncle Martie’s grave and of course… Ozzie ! 

We did not count them, but several Australian participants made photos (and then hurried to the coach.)  

A pity that so many missed this beautiful moment : the sun rising over the graves of this cemetery…  

A free breakfast was served in Zonnebeke Chateau gardens. There were plenty of danishes and good strong coffee.  

And I had a chance to introduce Ozzie (and the Ozzie Wozzie project + the Connecting Spirits project) to a few people. Maybe you will recognize some of them :  

Dr Brendan Nelson, the Ambassador of Australia and his wife and daughter.  

The members of the Last Post Association and an alderman of Zonnebeke………………………..  

On the way back home, we stopped in Harelbeke as we wanted to greet the Australian soldiers (no New Zealanders buried there) in ‘our’ cemetery.   

There are the three men of the 48Battalion with aboriginal Rufus Rigney in the middle of the three.

And there is of course Willie Leggett serving in The Life Guards and the first Australian who got killed in the defence of Ypres. 

Lest We Forget

Many thanks to Johan from his fellow FFFAIF members for sharing his Anzac Day experience.

Anzac Day is commemorated each year on 25^th April.

The Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs provides the following information on Anzac Day for 2010:
The soldiers who served on the Gallipoli Peninsula created a legend, adding the word ‘Anzac’ to our vocabulary, and creating the notion of the Anzac spirit.

Anzac Day in Australia:
Anzac Day services are held in almost every city and town across the nation. Major ceremonies are held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, and at state memorials. For details on regional and local Anzac Day ceremonies, contact your local RSL Sub-branch or ex-service organisation.

Anzac Day Overseas
Australian Embassies and High Commissions around the world conduct their own Anzac Day ceremonies. For information regarding Anzac Day commemorations in a specific country, please visit the Department of Foreign Affairs website. Click on the relevant country to link to their webpage and visit the Events section. For questions, or to attend an event, please contact the Embassy or High Commission directly.

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FFFAIF member Stuart Curry promotes Digger Heritage by supporting the Sydney Anzac March dressed as a member of the Australian Field Artillery. Stuart is looking for liked minded people to join him on Anzac Day. He has available a number of World War 1 uniforms available including an Australian Nurse and an Australian Stretcher Bearer. If you would like to find out more please contact Stuart on email@curryww1.com .  

The Families and Friends of First AIF  (FFFAIF) supports local Anzac Day marches but does not provide a contingent to the marches in the State capital cities as these are viewed as primarily for veterans and descendants.  

The Australian World War One Descendants (AWWOD), is a group of like minded people who have joined together to organise a group of descendants to march on Anzac Day in remembrance of our forebears who served in World War One.