Understanding the First AIF: a Brief Guide
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Major General James Harold CANNAN CB, CMG, DSO, VD
Major General James Harold CANNAN CB, CMG, DSO, VD [1882 – 1976] Major General Cannan is distinguished by his service in the Militia, as a senior officer in World War 1 and as the Australian Army’s Quartermaster General in World War 2. Major General James Harold Cannan, CB, CMG, DSO, VD (29 August 1882 – 23 May 1976) was a Queenslander by birth and a long-term member of the United Service Club. He rose to brigadier general in the Great War and served as the Australian Army’s Quartermaster General during the Second World War after which it was said that his contribution to the defence of Australia was immense; his responsibility for supply, transport and works, a giant-sized burden; his acknowledgement—nil. We thank the History Interest Group and other volunteers who have researched and prepared these Notes. The series will be progressively expanded and developed. They are intended as casual reading for the benefit of Members, who are encouraged to advise of any inaccuracies in the material. Please do not reproduce them or distribute them outside of the Club membership. File: HIG/Biographies/Cannan Page 1 Cannan was appointed Commanding Officer of the 15th Battalion in 1914 and landed with it at ANZAC Cove on the evening of 25 April 1915. The 15th Infantry Battalion later defended Quinn's Post, one of the most exposed parts of the Anzac perimeter, with Cannan as post commander. On the Western Front, Cannan was CO of 15th Battalion at the Battle of Pozières and Battle of Mouquet Farm. He later commanded 11th Brigade at the Battle of Messines and the Battle of Broodseinde in 1917, and the Battle of Hamel and during the Hundred Days Offensive in 1918. -
RUSI of NSW Paper
Jump TO Article The article on the pages below is reprinted by permission from United Service (the journal of the Royal United Services Institute of New South Wales), which seeks to inform the defence and security debate in Australia and to bring an Australian perspective to that debate internationally. The Royal United Services Institute of New South Wales (RUSI NSW) has been promoting informed debate on defence and security issues since 1888. To receive quarterly copies of United Service and to obtain other significant benefits of RUSI NSW membership, please see our online Membership page: www.rusinsw.org.au/Membership Jump TO Article INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS The Australian Army’s 2nd Division: an update1 an address to the Institute on 24 September 2013 by Brigadier Peter Clay, CSC Deputy Commander 2nd Division, on behalf of Major General S. L. Smith, AM, CSC, RFD Commander 2nd Division Vice-Patron, Royal United Services Institute, New South Wales Brigadier Clay details how the Australian Army’s 2nd Division, which contains most of the Australian Army Reserve, has progressed in achieving its force modernisation challenges under Army’s Plan Beersheba and outlines the delivery of a multi-role Reserve battle group for Army by the year 2015. Key words: Plan Beersheba, Total Force, Multi-role Reserve Battle Group, Exercise Hamel/Talisman Sabre, Army Reserve. On behalf of Commander 2nd Division, Major General very little change to their respective organisational Steve Smith, in this paper I will provide an update on the manning, with the exception of 11th Brigade, which has Division’s progress in integrating into the Army’s ‘Total inherited the vast majority of 7th Brigade’s Reserve assets Force’1 under Plan Beersheba2. -
“Come on Lads”
“COME ON LADS” ON “COME “COME ON LADS” Old Wesley Collegians and the Gallipoli Campaign Philip J Powell Philip J Powell FOREWORD Congratulations, Philip Powell, for producing this short history. It brings to life the experiences of many Old Boys who died at Gallipoli and some who survived, only to be fatally wounded in the trenches or no-man’s land of the western front. Wesley annually honoured these names, even after the Second World War was over. The silence in Adamson Hall as name after name was read aloud, almost like a slow drum beat, is still in the mind, some seventy or more years later. The messages written by these young men, or about them, are evocative. Even the more humdrum and everyday letters capture, above the noise and tension, the courage. It is as if the soldiers, though dead, are alive. Geoffrey Blainey AC (OW1947) Front cover image: Anzac Cove - 1915 Australian War Memorial P10505.001 First published March 2015. This electronic edition updated February 2017. Copyright by Philip J Powell and Wesley College © ISBN: 978-0-646-93777-9 CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................. 2 Map of Gallipoli battlefields ........................................................ 4 The Real Anzacs .......................................................................... 5 Chapter 1. The Landing ............................................................... 6 Chapter 2. Helles and the Second Battle of Krithia ..................... 14 Chapter 3. Stalemate #1 .............................................................. -
The 9Th Divisional Ammunition Column by Liz Walton
The 9th Divisional Ammunition Column By Liz Walton The 9th Divisional Ammunition Column (DAC) was one of the longest serving volunteer units in France and Flanders, spending nearly four years on active service. Raised in Guernsey in March, 1915, it consisted originally of officers and men of the Royal Guernsey Artillery and Engineers plus a considerable number from the Royal Alderney Artillery and Engineers Militia, totalling about 400 in all. They volunteered at the same time as the infantrymen who formed Guernsey’s contribution to the two Irish Battalions. The original idea was that they would form a Heavy Artillery Battery, but the War Office refused the offer (as they refused the offer of an Infantry Battalion at that stage) so instead they were formed into the 9th DAC, Royal Field Artillery (RFA). Attestation papers refer to the unit as the Guernsey Artillery Contingent, 9th DAC. The men of the 9th DAC went first to Scotland for training, then to Salisbury Plain, before moving to Bordon in Hampshire. In May, 1915 they left for France as part of the 9th (Scottish) Division which had been formed in late 1914 as part of Kitchener’s New Army. La Gazette de Guernesey, the island’s official newspaper (which was published in French) carried a photograph of the Officers who went with this first group of trainees. They were Lieutenant-Colonel HdeL Walters, Captains WR Powell and T Perry, Lieutenant RC Sowells, 2nd Lieutenants CJ Braye and RM Nicholls, all from Guernsey, and 2nd Lieutenants HF Ozanne and W Bainbrigge from Alderney. They did well at their training camps. -
Lessons in Leadership the Life of Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD
Lessons in Leadership The Life of Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD By Rolfe Hartley FIEAust CPEng EngExec FIPENZ Engineers Australia Sydney Division CELM Presentation March 2013 Page 1 Introduction The man that I would like to talk about today was often referred to in his lifetime as ‘the greatest living Australian’. But today he is known to many Australians only as the man on the back of the $100 note. I am going to stick my neck out here and say that John Monash was arguably the greatest ever Australian. Engineer, lawyer, soldier and even pianist of concert standard, Monash was a true leader. As an engineer, he revolutionised construction in Australia by the introduction of reinforced concrete technology. He also revolutionised the generation of electricity. As a soldier, he is considered by many to have been the greatest commander of WWI, whose innovative tactics and careful planning shortened the war and saved thousands of lives. Monash was a complex man; a man from humble beginnings who overcame prejudice and opposition to achieve great things. In many ways, he was an outsider. He had failures, both in battle and in engineering, and he had weaknesses as a human being which almost put paid to his career. I believe that we can learn much about leadership by looking at John Monash and considering both the strengths and weaknesses that contributed to his greatness. Early Days John Monash was born in West Melbourne in 1865, the eldest of three children and only son of Louis and Bertha. His parents were Jews from Krotoshin in Prussia, an area that is in modern day Poland. -
10Th Battalion (Australia)
Article Talk Read Edit View history Search Wikipedia Participate in an international science photo competition! Main page Contents 10th Battalion (Australia) Featured content Current events From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Random article Donate to Wikipedia For other uses, see 2/10th Battalion (Australia). Wikipedia store The 10th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army that served as 10th Battalion part of the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force during World War I. Among the first Interaction units raised in Australia during the war, the battalion was recruited from South Help About Wikipedia Australia in August 1914 and formed part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. After basic Community portal training, the battalion embarked for Egypt where further training was undertaken until Recent changes the battalion was committed to the Gallipoli campaign. During the landing at Anzac Contact page Cove, it came ashore as part of the initial covering force. Members of the 10th Battalion penetrated the furthest inland of any Australian troops during the initial Tools fighting, before the Allied advance inland was checked. After this, the battalion What links here helped defend the beachhead against a heavy counter-attack in May, before joining Lines of the 9th and 10th Battalions at Mena Camp, Related changes Egypt, December 1914, looking towards the pyramids. the failed August Offensive. Casualties were heavy throughout the campaign and in Upload file The soldier in the foreground is playing with a Special pages November 1915, the surviving members were withdrawn from the peninsula. In early kangaroo, the regimental mascot Permanent link 1916, the battalion was reorganised in Egypt at which time it provided a cadre staff Active 1914–1919 Page information to the newly formed 50th Battalion. -
Rustin Military Collection
Richard Rustin Military Books Donated 3 October 2009 THE RUSTIN MILITARY COLLECTION The Rustin Military Collection consists of nearly a thousand military books and periodicals collected by Richard E. Rustin during his lifetime. His wife, Ginette Rustin, donated this collection from his estate to the Archive Center and Genealogy Department, Indian River County Main Library, in October 2009 – April 2010. Richard E. Rustin passed away July, 2008. His wife considered him a genius regarding military history. He was a brilliant writer, a former reporter, manager and assistant chief of the New York news bureau. He edited coverage at the heart of the Wall Street Journal’s financial and economic news operations. He served in the U. S. Navy as an officer from 1956 to 1959. The focus of his collection centered on World War I and World War II. The collection also includes books on the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Mexican War, Korean War, and Viet Nam War, among others. Regimental histories and books of detailed campaigns, military science, military equipment and biography predominate. The library is very fortunate to have such a magnificent research collection containing many rare, out of print and hard to find volumes. It should be of great interest to anyone exploring military history. To date, the complete collection has been processed and is available to the public in the Genealogy Department. Use the online catalog at http://www.irclibrary.org or browse the list below. Title Author Publ Date 106th Cavalry Group in Europe J. P. Himmer Co. 1945 10th Royal Hussars in the Second World War 1939-45 Dawnay, D., etc. -
The Forgotten Fronts the First World War Battlefield Guide: World War Battlefield First the the Forgotten Fronts Forgotten The
Ed 1 Nov 2016 1 Nov Ed The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 2 The Forgotten Fronts The First Battlefield War World Guide: The Forgotten Fronts Creative Media Design ADR005472 Edition 1 November 2016 THE FORGOTTEN FRONTS | i The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 2 The British Army Campaign Guide to the Forgotten Fronts of the First World War 1st Edition November 2016 Acknowledgement The publisher wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the following organisations in providing text, images, multimedia links and sketch maps for this volume: Defence Geographic Centre, Imperial War Museum, Army Historical Branch, Air Historical Branch, Army Records Society,National Portrait Gallery, Tank Museum, National Army Museum, Royal Green Jackets Museum,Shepard Trust, Royal Australian Navy, Australian Defence, Royal Artillery Historical Trust, National Archive, Canadian War Museum, National Archives of Canada, The Times, RAF Museum, Wikimedia Commons, USAF, US Library of Congress. The Cover Images Front Cover: (1) Wounded soldier of the 10th Battalion, Black Watch being carried out of a communication trench on the ‘Birdcage’ Line near Salonika, February 1916 © IWM; (2) The advance through Palestine and the Battle of Megiddo: A sergeant directs orders whilst standing on one of the wooden saddles of the Camel Transport Corps © IWM (3) Soldiers of the Royal Army Service Corps outside a Field Ambulance Station. © IWM Inside Front Cover: Helles Memorial, Gallipoli © Barbara Taylor Back Cover: ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ at the Tower of London © Julia Gavin ii | THE FORGOTTEN FRONTS THE FORGOTTEN FRONTS | iii ISBN: 978-1-874346-46-3 First published in November 2016 by Creative Media Designs, Army Headquarters, Andover. -
The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945
University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 Karl James University of Wollongong James, Karl, The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945, PhD thesis, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 2005. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 This paper is posted at Research Online. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctor of Philosophy from University of Wollongong by Karl James, BA (Hons) School of History and Politics 2005 i CERTIFICATION I, Karl James, declare that this thesis, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, is wholly my work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Karl James 20 July 2005 ii Table of Contents Maps, List of Illustrations iv Abbreviations vi Conversion viii Abstract ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 ‘We have got to play our part in it’. Australia’s land war until 1944. 15 2 ‘History written is history preserved’. History’s treatment of the Final Campaigns. 30 3 ‘Once the soldier had gone to war he looked for leadership’. The men of the II Australian Corps. 51 4 ‘Away to the north of Queensland, On the tropic shores of hell, Stand grimfaced men who watch and wait, For a future none can tell’. The campaign takes shape: Torokina and the Outer Islands. -
Bull Brothers – Robert and Henry
EMU PARK SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR I – THE GREAT WAR FROM EMU PARK and SHIRE OF LIVINGSTONE The Bull Brothers – Robert and Henry Sergeant Robert Charles Bull (Service No. 268) of the 15th Infantry Battalion and 1st Battalion Imperial Camel Brigade Robert was born on 17th May 1895 in a railway camp at Boolburra, the 9th child and 3rd son to Henry and Maria (née Ferguson) Bull, both immigrants from the United Kingdom. Henry from Whaplode, Lincolnshire, arrived in Rockhampton in 1879 at the age of 19. Maria was from Cookstown, Tyrone, North Ireland, arrived in Maryborough, also in 1879 and also aged 19. Robert spent his early years at Bajool before joining the Railway Service as a locomotive cleaner. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) on 16 September 1914 at Emerald where he gave his age as 21 years & 4 months, when in fact he was only 19 years & 4 months. Private Bull joined ‘B’ Company of the 15th Infantry Battalion, 4th Brigade which formed the Australian and New Zealand Division when they arrived in Egypt. The 15th Infantry Battalion consisted on average of 29 Officers and 1007 Other Ranks (OR’s) and was broken up into the following sub units: Section Platoon Company Battalion Rifle section:- Platoon Headquarters Company Battalion 10 OR’s (1 Officer & 4 OR’s) Headquarters (2 Headquarters (5 Officers & 57 Officers & 75 OR’s) Lewis Gun Section:- 10 3 Rifle Sections and OR’s) OR’s and 1 Lewis gun Section 4 Companies 1 Light Machine Gun 4 Platoons He sailed for Egypt aboard the HMAT (A40) Ceramic on 22nd December 1914. -
CHAPTER S1V the First Attack on the 1St Australian Division's New Front At
CHAPTER S1V THE BATTLE OF THE LYS-(11) APRIL llTH-%TEI THE first attack on the 1st Australian Division’s new front at Hazebrouck was made shortly after midnight of the 13th’ when a company of Germans came marching up a cross- country lane leading from Verte Rue to the Rue du Bois, across the Australian front. Behind a hedge bordering this lane was a Lewis gun post’ of Lieutenant Murdoch’s’ platoon of the centre company (Captain Fox’sS), 8th Battalion. The approaching troops, who were seen at some distance, were allowed to march without alarm to within twenty yards, when the Victorians blazed at them from every barrel, and continued to pour a withering fire into the Germans, whose survivors panicked and fled. Murdoch and some of his men went out and found a German officer and twenty men of the 141st Infantry Regiment dead, (Attack shown by artow.) and five abandoned machine-guns. Two nights later a sixth gun was found. The history of the I4rst I.R. (35th Division) states that on.ApriU 13, when the I and I1 Battalions of the regiment were held up after taking Verte Rue, the reserve battalion-the 111-was ordered to advance northwards on their right and seize Rue du Bois4 The battalion advanced in almost full force, with only the 10th company in reserve. “ Unfortunately,” says the history, “ no attack patrols were ahead of the front, and so it happened that, when the road had nearly been reached, machine-gun fire struck against the leading company. Many pressed back. -
Your Presentation Is the Keynote Presentation for the Block
1984 RUSI VIC BLAMEY ORATION By Major General Ken G. Cooke, ED There must be something special about a man who on the centenary of his birth and thirty-three years after his death can still trigger a gathering of so many people, including so many busy and distinguished people, in a Melbourne park on a Tuesday morning in January. So let us take a few minutes to review briefly the life of Thomas Alfred Blamey to try and determine just how this can be. He was born on 24th January, 1884 on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga, the seventh of the ten children of Richard and Margaret Blamey. His father had tried his luck at farming, both in Queensland and New South Wales, but as was often the case the ventures ended in disaster due to the old traditional enemies of drought, bush fire and fluctuating cattle prices. He then settled in Wagga where he earned his living as a contract drover. His was a pioneer family so typical of the time and it exemplified the strength of our immigrant stock both before and since. Young Tom was educated in Wagga, first at the Government school and then for the last two years at the Grammar school to which he won a place on his pure ability. His upbringing generally was as you would expect. He had to help around the family property before and after school and on vacations he worked as a tar- boy in the local shearing sheds. As he grew older he went on several droving trips to help his father.