FOSW14 Friends of Soldiers Walk Inc: Newsletter Issue 14 September 2004 Contents AGM and Quiz Night Working Bee Launch of the Management Plan SUBS are now due: $5 AGM and Quiz A very successful and enjoyable night. The new Committee is: A Howard (President), Mike Wilkie and John Trethewey (Vice Presidents), John Wadsley (Secretary) Kirsten Black (Treasurer) with Victoria Wood and John Panton joining as Committee members. Ian Harrison and Dr Peter Sexton remain as ex-officio members representing the RSL and HCC respectively. Many thanks to Rod Hunt and Darby Quinn for their work on the Committee over the last two and a half years. The quiz night was fun and beneficial to the coffers with $670 raised for FOSW and $110 passed to Legacy for use of the venue and to support their work. Thanks to all those who donated prizes including Senators Paul Calvert and Eric Abetz, Duncan Kerr MHR (who also attended) and Michael Hodgman MHA. Paesano’s of West Hobart donated 2 pizza vouchers and Shane of Shane’s West Hobart Butchery donated a bag of snags. Marco and Nick of the Hill Street Grocer provided cheeses and biscuits for the supper and prize pool. Richard Palfreyman (Dr Syntax Hotel) and Darby Quinn also chipped in with a couple of bottles while Kirsty Black, Adrian Howard, and Victoria Wood provided other food and cakes for the supper. Sunday 19 September: Next Working Bee Sunday 19 September is our next working bee. Arrangements will be as always: meeting at the carpark at the northern end of the TCA at 10am. Work will focus on the southern section of the Avenue and on removing understorey plants within the Avenue footprint. We will be completing the numbering of trees and sites. The working bees program will continue on October 17th and November 7th (placing poppies) so mark out these dates on your calendars. Launch of The Soldiers Memorial Avenue Management Plan On Tuesday 3 August, the Lord Mayor Rob Valentine officially launched the Management Plan for the Soldiers Memorial Avenue. There was a great turnout with many descendants present. The plaques removed from the plinths were on display, over 200 of them, and a number were ‘presented’ to descendants as a symbolic gesture of the Council’s renewed commitment to the preservation of the Avenue. Rob Valentine and Adrian Howard made speeches before Page 1 of 1 Subs now due FOSW14 the symbolic opening of one of the plinths by an Honour guard of soldiers from the 12th/40th battalion. There was great press coverage of what turned out to be a quite moving ceremony. When the plaques are cleaned up an exhibition will be arranged so that all members can view them. A full list of the surviving plaques is included as part of this issue. Divisional Insignia In the last issue, it was incorrectly stated that the 52nd Bn was part of the 5th Division: it wasn’t it was, along with the 47h Bn, part of the 4th Division. This division had a higher proportion of men from the smaller states (8 of the 12 battalions) while the 5th division was mostly made up of men from Victoria and New South Wales with only 2 battalions from the smaller States. A 6th Division was planned complete with colour patches but was shelved after the failure of conscription in the plebiscite of 1916; the troops recruited (including Tasmanians in the 69th Bn) were distributed as reinforcements among existing units. 1st Division: rectangle 2nd Division: Diamond 3rd Division: Oval 4th Division: Circle (note 4th brigade had rectangle patch) 5th Division: vertical rectangle Each Division was made up of 3 Brigades each made up of 4 battalions, each of c1100 men. At the divisional and brigade level, extra specialist troops were added such as medical details, signallers and so on. In the perfect world, that certainly never existed in any war, each division had a pioneer battalion, a company of engineers, later a machinegun battalion, trench mortar companies and so on. Often these ‘associated’ units operated independently. Certainly the artillery units (each infantry division had 2 associated artillery brigades) were controlled at much higher levels and were moved by the dictates of overall strategy not the commands of the infantry brigade or division they were associated with originally. Artillery brigades comprised 4 batteries of guns. The 1st Division was formed in 1914 (1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades consisting of the 1st to 12th Battalions). Tasmanians served with the 12th Battalion. With an excess of volunteers, a 4th Brigade (13th to 16th Battalions) was formed. All these units served on Gallipoli as part of the New Zealand and Australian Division. Tasmanians served in the 15th Battalion. The 2nd Division comprised the 5th, 6th and 7th Brigades (17th to 28th Battalions) and formed in Australia. Tasmanians served in the 26th Battalion. It was formed in Egypt in mid-1915. The 3rd Division was formed in Australia and trained in England (9th, 10th and 11th Brigades, 33rd to 44th Battalions) and was committed in November 1916. Tasmanians formed the entirety of the 40th Battalion. In early 1916 there were 8 brigades, 3 in the 1st Div and 3 in the 2nd Div plus 2 (the 4th and 8th Brigades) unattached. These two brigades went to the new 4th and 5th Divisions. The original 16 battalions of 1914 were split to form new ‘pup battalions’ in Egypt in early 1916. The 12th battalion split and the 52nd battalion was formed, the 15th battalion split to form the 47th Bn so these were partly Tasmanian formations. In the end the 4th Division included the 4th brigade (13th to 16th Battalions) and 2 new pups, the 12th and 13th Brigades (45th to 52nd Battalions). The 5th Division comprised the 8th Brigade (29th to 32nd Battalions) and 2 new pups the 14th and 15th Brigades (53rd to 60th Battalions). Page 2 of 2 Subs now due FOSW14 1st Working Bee of the Season Our first working bee of the season was very successful with a god turnout of about 30 people. Extra number plates went in so the numbers are now on trees up to about 310. Much foliage was removed and a barbeque followed. The main work area was just south of the TCA and Magazine with the whole area previously marked out by the Hobart City Council. The two photos below give some idea of the transformation in the work area. The photo above was taken from near the Magazine looking down the outer row on the river side. Dense foliage obscures most this part of the Avenue. Photo below taken from the same spot 2 hours later. Thanks once more to Barbeques Galore for the loan of a BBQ, Tasmanian Meat Wholesalers for meat and the Globe Hotel for beer. Their continuing support certainly makes for a better day. Page 3 of 3 Subs now due FOSW14 52nd Battalion Research John Wadsley, our new secretary is undertaking research on the men of the 52nd Battalion in which his uncle Lt Lennard Wadsley served. Lt Wadsley featured in an earlier issue. John would like to contact anyone who is a descendant of a soldier who served in the 52nd Battalion. He can be contacted on 6210 0628 (W) or 6248 7294. The history of this battalion has yet to be written. Craig Deayton another member is compiling a history of the 47th Bn and would also appreciate contact from any descendants. He can be contacted through MacKillop College. Orientation program A second orientation session has been delivered for workers from the HCC, Civic Solutions and Collex who are working on the sewer re-lining program. They showed great interest not just the locals but the contractors from Melbourne who will be doing some of the work. We can be assured that they will conduct their work with a real awareness and care for the Avenue. Project Hahn: Work for the Dole Over the last few weeks, 2 crews having been working 2 days a week each on the Avenue by arrangement with Project Hahn and the HCC. They have been concentrating on clearing woody vegetation along the northern section of the Avenue and have made a dramatic difference. Both rows can be clearly seen on each side of the path and the Avenue is really beginning to return as a visible physical feature on the Domain. Soon work will begin on removing the larger wattles that require chainsaws and when that is complete new vistas will open up along the pathway. These young people have done a wonderful job and are showing real interest in the history of the Avenue, making more people to spread the word and preserve the memory of the Avenue and the men from Hobart and Newtown that it commemorates. With our next few working bees and their work by year’s end the Avenue will be restored in shape at least and there should be time for the area to be slashed and mown. By Christmas, an Avenue! Thanks to all concerned. An Infantryman’s Day in the Front Line During 1919, Frank Green, then Adjutant of the 40th battalion began compiling the history of the unit. This history is unique in that it was compiled while the battalion was still a unit and in Europe allowing for easy verification of details and interviewing of participants. It is also one of the most readable not least because of Frank’s fine dry wit. This issue will begin a series of extracts on the infantryman’s day. This is taken from F C Green The Fortieth: A Record of the 40th Battalion AIF Hobart (1922) printed for the 40th Battalion Association by John Vail, Government Printer pp 15-16.