Australia - Expeditionary Force

Category: Australia - Expeditionary Force --- See Latest World War I news here. See also 'Militaria, Memorabilia', 'Touring Battlefields', 'Great War Medals', 'Warbirds'.

Battle of Hamel - The first time the Allied coordinated tanks, aircrafts and artillery
July 4, 1918 Allied forces - Led by Australian Corps commander Lieutenant General John Monash - began an all-arms battle against the Germans south of the River Somme on the Western Front. The Battle of Hamel lasted just 93 minutes, but it was the first time the Allied forces coordinated tanks, aircraft, artillery and machine guns. Historian Nigel Steel says this was a model for larger offensives which lead to victory. "What you see over the course of 1916 and 1917 and 1918, is a very painful... learning process whereby all of these tactics and new weapons are brought to the field." [ abc.net.au :: 2008-07-05 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Photo exhibition showcases experiences of WWI, WWII
"Icon and Archives: photography and the worlds wars" -exhibition featuring photos from World War I and World War II showcases the importance of photography in capturing Australian history. The 400 images at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) offer an insight into the experiences of both service personnel and those who were left behind. Curator Shaune Lakin hopes visitors will leave with an understanding of the role of photography during wartime. The photos have been selected from the AWM's collection of nearly 1 million and include images never showed before. [ abc.net.au :: 2008-06-07 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Last First World War digger Jack Ross in for a quiet Anzac Day
Australia's last living World War I soldier, Jack Ross, will be spending a quiet Anzac Day with his daughter at his nursing home. He last went to an Anzac Day march 2 years ago at Kangaroo Flat, but now finds it difficult to even get in or out of a car. His daughter Peggy Ashburn said her father will be watching the Melbourne Anzac Day march from his bed. "He will be watching the march from the nursing home this year... It's always a very sad time for him. He would like to be in the march but there is no way he can do it." Jack Ross enlisted in Jan. 1918, but never left Australia. [ theage :: 2008-04-24 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

The Australian War Memorial seeks photos of every fallen Australian
The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is seeking individual photos of every man and woman listed on its Roll of Honour, which lists 102,000 Australians who have perished in conflicts. The memorial only has 6,600 images and wants to put faces to the names of the remaining 95,400 persons. Senior curator of photographs Shaune Lakin says photos make a personal link between the names on the roll and their stories. "Actually having a face to put to that name adds a lot of significance to the record of their service and sacrifice." The pictures will be used on the AWM's Roll of Honour online database. [ abc.net.au :: 2008-04-17 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Gallipoli hero John Simpson may get Australian-issued Victoria Cross
Gallipoli war hero John Simpson, who rescued injured Diggers with his donkey, could be among the first recipients of an Australian-issued Victoria Cross. The Federal Government will set up a war medals tribunal to evaluate cases of Australians who were denied Victoria Crosses by the British. Until 1991, the British granted the Victoria Cross, with Australians being entitled as part of the Commonwealth. 96 Australians have been awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour for bravery; 6 in the Boer War, 64 in WWI, 2 in North Russia, 20 in WWII and 4 in Vietnam. Several Australian war heroes were recommended for VCs but rejected by British authorities. [ thewest :: 2008-01-23 :: Victoria Cross Medal ]

Australia to have its own version of the Victoria Cross medal
Australia is to consider retrospectively granting its own version of the Victoria Cross to war heroes who were neglected by Britain. The government will set up a special war medals tribunal to review cases of Australian servicemen who were refused VCs. Almost 100 Australians have got the VC in conflicts since the Boer War. In 1991, Canberra decided it would award its own version of the medal, rather than deferring to Whitehall. No Australian VCs have been awarded since then, but the tribunal could change that from early next year, reevaluating cases such as Pte John Simpson Kirkpatrick - nearly mythical figure in Australia - who was killed at Gallipoli in 1915. [ telegraph :: 2007-12-24 :: Medals: Most Decorated Soldiers ]

Australia claims it captured Damascus before T E Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence's claim that he and Arab guerrillas were the first to enter Damascus has angered Australians ever since. An exhibition, at the national war museum in Canberra, strives to put the record straight and show that Lawrence, a self-promoter, took away Australia's glory in order to give the Arabs a propaganda boost. The Australian War Memorial aims to show that it was the legendary Australian Light Horse, and not Lawrence, who seized Damascus in October 1918. Tim Fischer said Lawrence's failure to acknowledge the essential role played by the slouch-hat wearing troopers of the Light Horse was an omission repeated by British historians. [ telegraph :: 2007-12-17 :: Lawrence of Arabia ]

Albert Jacka should have been awarded 4 Victoria Cross medals
War hero Albert Jacka's relative has declared the army captain was "punished for his outspokenness" and should have been awarded 4 Victoria Cross medals. On the 90th anniversary of the battle of Polygon Wood - a wasteland near Ypres captured by the Australian infantry's 5th Division on Sept 26, 1917 - Ken Jacka said the battle should have fixed Albert Jacka's position as Australia's most decorated soldier. Instead senior command conspired to deny Jacka a Victoria Cross for his command of troops in the 4th Division's 14th Battalion. "the battalion commanders obviously found a nice safe dugout somewhere ... that was why there were no awards given." [ theaustralian :: 2007-09-26 :: Victoria Cross Medal ]

Australia's first Anzac Day dawn service in France in 2008
Australia's huge losses on the Western Front in World War 1 will be recognised with the nation's first Anzac Day dawn service in France in 2008. The April 25 service - to be held in Villers-Bretonneux in the Somme - will mark the 90th anniversary of Australians liberating the village on Anzac Day in 1918. It will also herald the 90th anniversary of the armistice which ended the Great War. The service "marks a huge shift for Australia's commemorative tradition. But the 90th anniversary is the year to make the break with tradition," says Paul Stevens. The service is likely to have a big impact on the village, whose narrow streets have no hotel. [ theage :: 2007-09-08 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Lost for 90 years, Passchendaele diggers identified by DNA
They were lost for 90 years, killed in the Passchendaele battlefields of 1917. Now DNA technology has identified the remains of two Australian World War 1 diggers unearthed last year in the Belgian hamlet of Westhoek, east of Ypres. Sergeant George Calder and Private John Hunter will be overlooked no more. The remains matched with DNA taken from living descendants of the two soldier. They will be buried with full military honours at Belgium's Buttes Cemetery on October 4. The remains of 6 Anzac bodies were unusually well preserved when uncovered, buried in blankets tied up with signal wire, dirt-smudged rising sun badges pinned to the uniforms. [ theage :: 2007-09-05 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Diggers' bloody role in Irish uprising - Anzacs and Ireland
The year was 1916. Australian soldiers involved in the fighting on the Western Front had been granted leave and went to Ireland for a break. But instead of resting up, the Australian troops were pressed into more action by the British: to help crush the Easter Rebellion in Dublin. Some of the Anzacs involved were Gallipoli veterans prized by the British for their sharp-shooting skills. One group was ordered onto the roof of Dublin's Trinity College to snipe at Irish dispatch riders delivering messages to the the headquarters of the rebels. Historian Jeff Kildea has researched the episode and described the colonial soldiers' dilemma in a book Anzacs and Ireland. [ theage :: 2007-08-15 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Australia: History students may skip Gallipoli and the Anzacs
Australian high school students would be able to avoid studying Gallipoli and the Anzacs under the draft Australian history curriculum prepared as a result of history summit. A 4-member committee that includes controversial historian Geoffrey Blainey and social commentator Gerard Henderson will now review the curriculum. Professor of history and politics Gregory Melleuish, author of one of the background papers for the Australian History Summit, criticised the curriculum as providing a patchy view of the nation's history. [ theaustralian :: 2007-06-27 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

160 World War I Diggers, medallions buried at Fromelles battlefield
A survey of site of the Battle of Fromelles suggests 160 Australians may be buried there. The scientific survey, which involved no excavations, revealed subsurface anomalies with wartime aerial photos. "The survey also found some compelling evidence that Australian war dead, possibly more than 160, were buried on the site, after the battle, by the Germans. The most dramatic evidence, two copper alloy amulets or medallions with inscriptions clearly identifying them as belonging to Australians, were located ...close to the light railway that wartime photos show the Germans using to move the dead." [ ninemsn :: 2007-06-08 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

4 brothers served in WW1 and WW2 - Australia's military history
Four Aboriginal brothers hold a unique place in the military history of the British empire. Frederick, Leonard, Edward and Herbert Lovett from Lake Condah saw action in WWI. All re-enlisted and served in WWII. Nigel Steel from Imperial War Museum in London says that as far as he is aware, the Lovett brothers' record of military service is unequalled. "And the Imperial War Museum as a Commonwealth institution - which looks at the military history of not just Great Britain, but also Australia, NZ, Canada, South Africa, India - brings in a lot of references and a lot of stories, it's certainly not something I've come across before." [ abc :: 2007-05-06 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Australian World War I Hero Marcel Caux deserted mates
The deceptions of Harold Katte, aka Marcel Caux, have led to red faces among Australia's defence forces because an image of the WWI soldier "hero" appears on a recruiting poster. In fact, Marcel Caux had twice deserted his comrades. Historian Lynette Silver, author of Marcel Caux: A Life Unravelled, said: "In many ways, Harold Katte was representative of a number of young Australians who enlisted in WWI. While we may view his incredibly colourful life with some amusement, and marvel at the way in which he managed to sustain so many lies for so long, his irregular private life and his two attempts at desertion make him a most inappropriate choice for a recruiting poster." [ brisbanetimes :: 2007-04-15 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Australian World War One service Records Online
The National Archives of Australia has put its WWI service records online. This includes more than 376,000 records, 12.3 million pages of material, digitally scanned from the original paper records. Including enlistment documents, injuries sustained during the war, correspondence from family members, and even disciplinary documents - and They include records of service in the: First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF), Australian Flying Corps, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train, Australian Army Nursing Service, Home or Depot units for personnel who served within Australia during World War I. [ naa.gov.au :: 2007-04-14 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

WWI Digger Jack Ross turns 108
Australia's only surviving World War 1 Digger, Jack Ross, celebrates his 108th birthday in Bendigo. Mr Ross was planning a quiet get together with family and friends. "He's too deaf for much conversation and he's in a wheel - chair now, but he's still got his sense of humour," said his daughter. Mr Ross joined up for the Great War too late to serve overseas and was a wireless operator on Sydney's North Head. "I never talked much about the war. No one ever won anything out of wars." [ adelaidenow :: 2007-03-11 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Battle of Villers-Bretonneux worthy of Anzac tradition: 90th anniv.
The legacy of Sergeant Charlie Stokes, an Anzac in the pivotal World War I Western Front battle for Villers-Bretonneux, lives on in the small French village. A banner declares: Never Forget Australia. With Lieutenant Cliff Sadlier, Stokes charged German machinegun nests that had pinned the battalion down. Sadlier was injured, leaving Stokes to take out the remaining posts. Controversially, Sadlier received a Victoria Cross, whereas Stokes was awarded the citation of Distinguished Conduct Medal. Many believe that Villers-Bretonneux is as deserving of honour on Anzac Day as Gallipoli. Next year a dawn service will for the first time be held at the war memorial. [ theaustralian :: 2007-03-01 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Gallipoli is national symbol - For Australians, a Turkish pilgrimage
9 decades after 130,000 people died in the great allied fiasco of WW1, the hills of Gallipoli peninsula are still littered with shrapnel. The trenches where the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) fought still riddle the hillsides, in places so close to the Turkish lines that the soldiers could lob hand grenades back and forth 3 times. Today no one swims in the waters of the Aegean out of respect; the Australians and New Zealanders who come to visit go to the nearby "Brighton Beach" instead. And come they do, in numbers that have exploded since the last diggers, or Anzac soldiers, died. [ iht :: 2007-01-10 :: Anzac Day - Gallipoli ]

The Western Front of death - Australia's war losses in France
Les Carlyon's monumental The Great War asks us to accompany him on the geographical, intellectual and emotional journey he took in researching "the story", as he defines the Great War. The enormity of Australia's losses in France and Belgium are worth contemplating. At Gallipoli, 8709 soldiers were killed whereas 48,671 died in France and Belgium. Out of a population of 4.97 million, Australia lost 61,700 in the Great War with another 155,000 wounded. But the number who died as a direct result of their wounds in the decade after the war doubled the official killed in action figures. [ couriermail :: 2006-11-15 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Book admits Australia's mistakes: naive militarism in World War I
World War I, cane toads and the stolen generation are the most monumental stuff-ups in Australian history, according to a book "The Great Mistakes of Australian History". The biggest blunder was the naive militarism surrounding World War One, which cost 60,000 lives and wounded 150,000 men, Dr Crotty said. "World War I just cost us so much in so many ways. It resulted in incredible suffering among the soldiers and it just about tore Australian society apart." The Anzac legend was remembered as a time where Australians came together "but nothing could be further from the truth" as bitter debates raged over the issue of conscription. [ news :: 2006-10-28 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Jacka VC - Victoria Cross winner stood out for his courage
Albert Jacka was the first Australian soldier in World War One to win the Victoria Cross. On the night of May 19, 1915, at Gallipoli, a dozen Turks captured a vital trench. He recaptured it singlehandedly, killing two of the enemy with his bayonet and five by rifle fire. The others fled. Robert Macklin's biography Jacka VC is a straightforward account of military exploits. There are vivid descriptions of his feats of valour: at Gallipoli, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Messines and Polygon Wood. Macklin details some dreadful failings of leadership. Vainglory and personal cowardice were all too common. Few senior officers led from the front. Jacka did. [ smh :: 2006-10-11 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Gallipoli battlefield study to reveal hidden secrets
Australia is to be part of a major 3-nation archaeological survey of the Gallipoli battlefield. It will combine conventional mapping with electromagnetic surveying to produce the most comprehensive historical and archaeological study ever conducted at the site. "One of the things we'll be spending a great deal of time on is the mapping of the trenches to see how they cohere with maps of the trenches and exploring what lies beneath." Professor Mackie says there is a "distinct possibility" that a wealth of material dating back to the days of antiquity lies buried beneath the battlefield. [ abc :: 2006-09-21 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Australia's most decorated soldier honoured with display
Australia's most highly-decorated soldier Harry Murray, who fought in both world wars, has been honoured with a special display at the Australian War Memorial. Lieutenant Colonel Murray won the Victoria Cross and a host of other medals for his courage at Gallipoli and France. Lobbying has prompted the Australian War Memorial to return a display of Tasmanian Harry Murray to the World War I section of the museum. [ abc-au :: 2006-07-23 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

The Somme - French connection
We are standing on a grassy rounded hill overlooking a small French village. It is a picture of bucolic peace. Yet 88 years ago, the village was in ruins, the fields were churned-up mud, scarred with trenches and strewn with barbed wire and shells. The German army commanded the ridge while below in the darkness the Australian infantry, supported by Americans who were fighting there for the first time, lay waiting. A hill at Le Hamel: Here was the scene of one of Australia's greatest military victories. The panoramic panels that surround this hilltop monument tell the story of Le Hamel, a brilliantly fought battle and a turning point in WWI. [ escape.news :: 2006-05-03 :: Battle of the Somme ]

Diary of a WW1 Digger
On Saturday the 8th of August 1915, Edward Gregg Cochrane left Australia to fight in the First World War. A journalist with the Bega Standard, he sent home regular reports and kept a detailed diary of his days at war until his death by shell fire near the Butte of Walencourt in France on the 25th of Feb 1917. The diary, which contains a fascinating account of life in the trenches, was sent home on his death and has since disappeared but fortunately copies were made by his family. The full version can be viewed at the Bega Valley Pioneer Museum. Here are some extracts: [ abc :: 2006-04-27 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

All too quiet on the Western Front - The only all-volunteer army
Gallipoli may have a dearly held place in the national psyche, but this honour really belongs to the Western Front. For never have so many Australians fought so hard in the one campaign to achieve such great results. The 8709 brave young Australians who were killed at Gallipoli, out of the 50,000 who fought there for 8 months before retreat, cannot be forgotten. The numbers from the Western Front, however, are even more staggering - 42,270 Australians were killed, out of the 250,000 who fought there for 2 years before they won. Australians won Victoria Crosses and military medals in battle after battle. It was the only all-volunteer army to serve the entire war. [ smh :: 2006-04-25 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Military madness of diggers lost in legend
Buried alive four times - once at Gallipoli and three times in France - by 1916 "Private A" could not stop the tremor of his head or limbs. Madness and the Military: Australia's Experience of the Great War, by Michael Tyquin is the first comprehensive study on mental illness in WWI. It shatters the stereotype of the tough Anzac, an icon that Australians look up to - but which never existed. Major Tyquin says of the soldiers who were "mentally shattered" by the war - some of whom recovered, though many did not - "I think we've erased them from our public memory. We like to celebrate Anzac, and there's no place in that myth for anyone that's less than perfect." [ smh :: 2006-04-24 :: Medics, Nurses & Health ]

Australia: First Anzac Day without a surviving WWI combatant
Australians observing their first Anzac Day without a surviving WWI combatant have been urged to remember not only those who served but those still serving. Australia has been without a living WWI fighter since former sailor William Evan Crawford Allan died in Melbourne six months ago. He was the last of 330,000 Australians who saw active service in the Great War. "It is important that we pause to thank those who survived wartime and are still among us, and to remember those who gave their lives and didn't come back. We should also remind ourselves that the commitment of Australian men and women overseas in uniform is ongoing." [ aap :: 2006-04-24 :: Anzac Day - Gallipoli ]

Brutal battles that created a legend
When Australians gather to remember those who paid the supreme sacrifice for our freedom, most will think of the landing at Gallipoli on the morning of April 25, 1915. Few will know that exactly three years later, in the muddy fields of northern France, Australian soldiers fought a battle which cost three times as many lives as the Gallipoli landing. This was Australia's other Anzac Day - and it turned the tide of the war. [ thesundaymail :: 2006-04-23 :: Australia - Expeditionary Force ]

Somme: Australia's bloodiest battle is overshadowed by Gallipoli
It was July 23, 1916, and Australian soldiers were in hand-to-hand combat in the ruins of the French village of Pozieres. It was an inferno of machine-gun fire, shouts and falling shells. Australians were throwing bombs into holes, bayoneting Germans, taking others prisoner. In just six weeks at Pozieres, Australia suffered 23,000 casualties, including 6000 to 8000 deaths. By contrast, 8500 died in the whole eight months of the Gallipoli campaign. An Australian Government website says 23,000 Australians died in the 1916 and 1918 campaigns on the Somme, half of all those who died in France. [ theage :: 2006-04-22 :: Battle of the Somme ]

First World War in the News is an edited review of hand-picked World War I 1914-1918 articles.