Category Archives: WW1

The Battle of Fromelles – 19-20 July 1916, Australia’s darkest day

Posted on by June 26, 2017

And all this madness [WWI], all this rage, all this flaming death of our civilisation and our hopes, has been brought about because a set of official gentlemen, living luxurious lives, mostly stupid, and all without imagination or heart, have chosen that it should occur rather than that any one of them should suffer some infinitesimal rebuff to his country’s pride – Bertrand Russell For many Australians, Australia’s contribution in the Great War is defined almost entirely by the Anzac … Continue reading

From Longreach to the Western Front – Kenneth Selby Henderson

Posted on by May 30, 2017

  1914-15  England and France are in conflict against Germany and Austria in northern France and Belgium – the Western Front. The war is deadlocked. The Gallipoli campaign, conceived by Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, is an attempt to break the deadlock by invading Turkey through the Dardanelles to reach Constantinople (Istanbul), establish a supply route to Russian troops fighting the Germans on the Eastern Front. 1915-1916  The Gallipoli campaign fails – poorly executed, the defensive capabilities and determination of … Continue reading

Treasures in the Trove – October 2015

Posted on by October 26, 2015

The Middle Eastern sun beat down on my head, its powerful warmth seeping through my shoulders, stinging my nose and cheeks.  My eyes were continually adjusting to the glare as I walked row upon row, line upon line, of the graves lying in the British Military Cemetery on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus.  The imposing entry gates are made of wood and the local limestone that is sometimes a yellow cream or dusty pink hue depending on the time of day and … Continue reading