The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is now open three days per week, Wednesday through Friday. A COVID-19 plan is in place with social distancing and limits on numbers in individual galleries. Sanitiser stations are available throughout the Museum together with an enhanced cleaning regime. For those unable to visit at present, the Virtual Visit series will be continuing to present interesting features of the collection and their background stories

Trench Art – Propeller Tips and No 1 Squadron AFC

DESCRIPTION

Trench art is a term used to describe useful items or unique souvenirs made by soldiers using discarded battlefield materials, like these two propeller tip photo frames. These examples of trench art incorporate images of Sergeant Arthur Francis Oldfield, No 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps of Kalgoorlie and his brother, Private Douglas Hyde Oldfield, 28th Battalion, AIF of Blackboy Hill. The aircraft type of the propellers has not been determined.

Photograph by Julian Tennant from his excellent web site https://juleswings.wordpress.com/2020/01/26/the-army-museum-of-western-australia- part-1/

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Both Sergeant Arthur Oldfield, and his brother, Private Douglas Oldfield, were wounded during the war and returned to Australia, Douglas in 1918 and Arthur the following year. They settled again in Western Australia; Arthur died in 1987 aged 92 and Douglas in 1980, aged 84.

One frame shows the brothers in uniform and the other in civilian clothes. The pictures are surrounded by a wreath incorporating the Australian Flying Corp colour patch.

Actioning Britain’s request to form flying squadrons for service with the British forces, No 1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was formed at Point Cook in Victoria in January 1916. It sailed from Melbourne on 16 March, and arrived in Egypt on 14 April. The squadron was designated as 67 (Australian) Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and would not revert to its original name until January 1918.

The squadron began flying operations in June 1916. Initially the squadron’s main role was aerial reconnaissance and its aircraft operated both out across the Sinai desert in search of Turkish forces, and across Egypt’s western desert to monitor activity by the rebellious Senussi. Increasingly, though, its aircraft were involved in attacks against Turkish ground forces.

El Mazar, Sinai, 1917. No 1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps the third aerodrome since leaving Kantara on the Suez Canal. The three planes in the front line are, left to right: a BE2e and two Martinsydes; a BE2e stands at rear. (AWM Photo)

From December 1916, the squadron supported the British advance into Palestine carrying out reconnaissance, photography, ground attack and liaison missions, in addition to having to fight off aggressive German adversaries.

No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps next to their Bristol F.2 fighters, at Mejdel. The officer in the foreground (with stick) is commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel R. Williams, 1918.

The arrival of new aircraft in the second half of 1917, enabled gradual control of the air from the German squadrons. allowing them to range over Turkish territory with virtual impunity. Airpower contributed greatly to the success of operations in 1918, particularly the Battle of Megiddo on 19 September 1918. 1 Squadron returned to Egypt in February 1919, embarked for home on 5 March, and was disbanded upon its arrival in Australia.

Air Vice Marshal Francis Hubert (Frank) McNamara, VC, CB, CBE (4 April 1894 – 2 November 1961) was awarded the Victoria Cross, when serving with No 1 Squadron AFC. He was honoured for his actions on 20 March 1917, when he rescued a fellow pilot who had been forced down behind enemy lines. It was an extraordinary feat. Although wounded, he landed his single seat Martinsyde, fought off a Turkish cavalry patrol and then flew the other pilot away in the dual cockpit forced down BE2. McNamara was the first Australian aviator—and the only one in World War – I to receive the Victoria Cross.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mcnamara-frank-hubert-francis-7430

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia to see an overview of the Australian Flying Corps in World War One.

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Digital copies of the Official Histories of the Australian Flying Corps https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/wwone_soldiers/flyingcorps

As aviation developed in unheated open cockpits, the need for warm clothing quickly became apparent, as did the need for multiple pockets with closures of buttons, snaps, or zippers to prevent loss of articles during maneuvers. Various types of flight jackets and pants coverings were developed and, during World War I. Leather two- piece outfits were common among pilots to ward off the chill caused by propwash and the cold of low-oxygen high-altitude flying. Leather quickly became the preferred material due to its durability and the protection it offered against flying debris such as insect strikes during climb-outs and landings, and oil thrown off by the simple rotary and inline motors of the time. Australian aviator Frederick Sidney Cotton‘s experience with high level and low-temperature flying led Cotton in 1917 to develop the revolutionary new “Sidcot” suit, a flying suit which solved the problem pilots had in keeping warm in the cockpit. This flying suit, with improvements, was widely used until the 1950s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_suit

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 23 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

Now that the Island is once again open to visitors and guiding services are being gradually re- established, these Virtual Visits have been retained as part of an archival record for future reference and enjoyment.

THE CHANGING FACE of the CHAPEL

Aerial view of the Quod, Reformatory and Chapel in 1960 before the insertion of the Rottnest Island Lodge. The Chapel is outlined in red.

The four room Catechist Cottage which was incorporated into the Reformatory is outlined in blue

The tennis courts are just visible in what is now Heritage Common. The cottages north of the Quod have since been removed from the entrance to the Aboriginal Burial Ground interpretive path.

The Chapel is typical of the early buildings on Rottnest combining the elements of low pitched roof, split timber trusses (commonly but probably inaccurately named Vincent trusses), thick parapet walls of limestone blocks and rubble and a simple rectangular plan. It was built in 1856-57 to function as a school and chapel. To add dignity to these functions, the front elevation features an arcaded porch with three arches with crowning finials and a belfry.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The building was intended for dual use and records from the 1880s indicate that it functioned as a school during the week and a chapel on Sundays. At the same time served as the social and community centre for the families of the Prison establishment and a venue for tea dances and meetings of the Rottnest Island Institute.

The Chapel shows clearly in this view of the Settlement taken in 1898 from a site on the trail today to the Vlamingh Lookout. Note the stone wall around the cemetery (left hand border), the brush, hedge and stone surrounds used to create protective micro- climates in the gardens and the Gardener’s Cottage and store (top left).

.When the Prison closed in 1904, chapel services ceased. The school continued to operate in the building until 1910.when it moved to cottage formerly occupied by the Leading Hand of the Pilot Boat Service.

Rottnest School in 1890. Notice the ground level in relation to the porch which now requires steps to reach

Rottnest School in 1895

After brief use as hostel staff accommodation, the building served as a Post Office from 1911-13. For the next 50 years, it served as a storage area for the Hostel.

Chapel in use as a storage building circa 1930

(to be continued)

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 26 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

For those unable to visit at present, the Virtual Visit series will be continuing to present interesting features of the collection and their background stories.

SWORDS and CYPHERS

There are currently five styles of sword authorised for use in the Australian Army. These are the: General Officer’s Sword; Cavalry Sword, Artillery Sword, Infantry Sword and Scottish Claymore sword. All are based on British sealed patterns from as early as 1822 to as late as 1912. Only the design of the hilt of the Infantry Sword allows the inclusion of the reigning monarch’s cypher although the blades of all patterns may contain etched or engraved embellishments,

In modern usage, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country’s reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch’s name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. The public use of the royal initials (which have no set pattern or form of lettering) dates at least from the early Tudor period. From the reign of Henry VIII, the cypher has been the initial of the sovereign with the addition of the letter R for Rex or Regina. The letter I for Imperatrix was added to Queen Victoria‘s monogram after she became Empress of India in 1877.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The General Officer’s Sword is carried by officers of Major General rank and above. The current regulation sword for generals is the British General Officers Dress Sword pattern of 1831. This sword is a cross-hilted, curved, scimitar-like sword historically used by Mameluke warriors from whom the sword derives its name. The Army Museum currently displays the Mameluke sword presented in 1862 by Governor Kennedy to Colonel James Bruce as Commandant of the military forces of Western Australian.

The current Cavalry Sword is the British Cavalry Officer’s Sword pattern of 1912. The hilt has a nickel-plated steel bowl guard decorated on the outside with a scroll design and has a sword knot slot near the pommel. Members of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps and Australian Army Aviation wear the Cavalry Sword with black leather and silver fittings. The Army Museum has examples of the 1908 Pattern Cavalry Trooper’s Sword but no Officer 1912 version in its collection.

The current Artillery Sword is the British Artillery Officer’s Sword pattern of 1822. It has a steel three bar hilt and back strap with a wire bound sharkskin grip. The sword knot is able to hang so that the strap can be wrapped around the wrist when mounted. The slightly curved blade (based on the light cavalry sword) has a single fuller to each side to within 27.5 cm) of the sword point.

The current Infantry Sword is the British Infantry pattern of 1897. This model sword was an improved version of the 1895 Pattern, which combined a more robust blade with a thrusting point to the blade. The hand guard was also turned down on the inner edge to prevent the fraying of the uniform. The Infantry Sword is also carried by the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps with a black leather scabbard and sword knot.

The Army Museum is currently preparing for display an Infantry Sword with the Cypher of Edward VIII, He ruled for only 326 days in 1936 and abdicated before he was crowned making this sword configuration extremely rare. Unfortunately, its provenance is unknown.

There are three distinct types of Scottish Claymore swords. The original ‘claidheamh mor’ was a large two handed sword used in the late Medieval to early modern times. The second called a ‘claidheamh da laimh’ was also a two handed heavy broadsword. However, the current Scottish Claymore carried by officers in Scottish Regiments is a later basket hilt version. The original enclosed handle design was introduced to protect the hand during combat.

Swords and edged weapons used for ceremonial purposes are primarily displayed in the Traditions and the Pre -1914 Galleries. Where practical, ceremonial swords are displayed in context with uniforms appropriate to their provenance. Combat weapons are found in the Galleries relevant to their operational use. Until 1914, Infantry officers still carried swords and British cavalry retained the cavalry sword throughout the war. In the months after the famous mounted bayonet charge at Beersheba on 31 October 1917, Australian Light Horse Regiments were issued swords and moved from mounted infantry to cavalry tasks

The timeline introducing the Pre-1914 Gallery includes the cyphers of all monarchs from the founding of Albany in 1826 to the present, including those of George IV and William IV not depicted below. Examples of Royal Cyphers from all reigns may be found throughout the Museum.

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Swords in the Australian Army today

https://www.army.gov.au/our-heritage/traditions/sword#:~:text=There%20are%20five%20distinct%20types,The%20Infantry%20Sword

If you are fortunate enough to own a Wilkinson sword with a serial number, you can have a digital archive search conducted (for a fee) to reveal its manufacture and original owner.

http://www.armsresearch.co.uk/Wilkinson%20Swords/Wilkinson%20Swords.html

British swords on display in the Pre 1914 Gallery of both curved and thrusting patterns

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 22 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

Now that the Island is once again open to visitors and guiding services are being gradually re-established, these Virtual Visits have been retained as part of an archival record for future reference and enjoyment.

PHOTOGRAPH – BARBED WIRE

There are extensive lengths of military emplaced barded wire remaining on Rottnest Island. These remnants illustrate a range of purposes from boundary delineation, defensive perimeters, close-in protection and beach defences. Visitor safety considerations mean that there is an ongoing challenge between hazard reduction and retention of original defence features for heritage education and interpretation purposes. It is always best practice to remain on identified paths and routes and point out barbed wire installations from these safe locations. Photo above – Oliver Hill perimeter fence – Single apron 8 strand fence reinforced with roll of concertina.

Barbed wire boundary fence delineating Kingstown Barracks reserve – eight horizontal stands on vertical posts

Close in defensive fence – Bickley Battery – Appears to have been double height concertina with single apron

Beach defence fence – appears to be double height concertina with double apron. Salvage of truck from Uribes in Thomson Bay. Cut down Phillip Rock in visible in the background to facilitate clear sweep pattern for Bickley Point searchlight.

The Uribes was wrecked in 1942.

WRAN’s Quarters at Signal Ridge / Wadjemup Hill, Single stand concertina with single apron.

https://graphics.wsj.com/100-legacies-from-world-war-1/barbed-wire

https://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/barbed-wires-history-entangled-in-war/480937.html

https://militaryhistorynow.com/2014/01/08/barbed-wire-war-how-one-farmers-innovation-changed-the-battlefield/

https://www.pearlmaya.com/home/a-very-quick-history-of-barbed-wire-in-australia

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 25 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

For those unable to visit at present, the Virtual Visit series will be continuing to present interesting features of the collection and their background stories.

Australian Forestry Group Overseas – 2/1 Forestry Company, Royal Australian Engineers

DESCRIPTION

The Australian Forestry Group UK was an element of the Second Australian Imperial Force raised for forestry duties. Its constituent units were established in 1940 and 1941 in response to a request from the British Government for foresters to work in France. After the fall of France, the three Australian forestry companies were sent to the United Kingdom. The group headquarters was raised in July 1941. The foresters worked in northern England and Scotland. The Australian Forestry Group returned to Australia via the United States in 1943 and were later deployed to the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

In Britain, to maximise the Australian foresters’ productivity, less skilled forestry workers from Honduras and Italian Prisoners of War (POWs) were placed under their control to undertake unskilled work. As well as working with timber, the forestry companies also maintained their military skills and undertook military training for one day each week and a fortnight every six months. The companies were allocated roles in British counter-invasion plans

The Australian Forestry Group returned to Australia via the United States in 1943. The Australian soldiers were given the unique honour of marching in a ticker-tape parade, with fixed bayonets, down Broadway in New York on 1 October 1943. This is reputedly the first occasion that armed foreign troops had marched through an American city since Independence.

Following their return to Australia in November, the forestry companies, undertook jungle warfare training at Canungra and were later deployed to the Northern Territory and at Yalu in Papua New Guinea. Yalu is 21 km north-west of Lae and 7 km south-east of Nadzab.

The Australian Army Museum has a large collection of photographs of 2/1 Forestry Company in its collection. They can be viewed on-line via the new digital collections platform CollectionsWA.

https://collectionswa.net.au/search?search_api_fulltext=Forestry

In PNG the Forestry Companies operated different machinery in several locations but continued to harvest logs and produce much needed sawn timber including durable material for wharfs and jetties. They worked alongside New Zealand and American forestry companies. Local people, as well as some Japanese POWs, provided labour.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F03414/

http://www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au/items/show/1129

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 21 to the STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

RUSTON & HORNSBY ENGINES

Ruston & Hornsby (R&H) was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company’s history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars, steam locomotives and a range of internal combustion engines, and later gas turbines. The company is now part of the Siemens group of Germany. The VCR model engines installed at Oliver Hill were manufactured from July 1931 to September 1944.

Ruston & Hornsby large oil engine test bay c. 1940

In 1937 two 180 HP R&H 6VCR diesel (Oil) engines Nos. 175086 and 175087 coupled to Laurance Scott 440 volt DC 150KvA generators arrived in Fremantle for installation in the engine room at Oliver Hill. The engines and generators were installed prior to the engine room roof being constructed, enabling the heavy engines and generators to be simply lowered into position directly on to the concrete foundations. The engines and generators were large and heavy objects.

The approximate dimensions being:

Height 2.16 metres
Engine and Generator Length 3.68 metres
Engine Width 1.07 metres
Engine and Flywheel Weight 5.5 tonnes
Generator Weight 3.0 tonnes
Total Engine and Generator Weight
8.5 tonnes

Commencing with the enactment of the State Energy Commission Act 1945, local power stations were progressively acquired by the State Energy Commission (SEC) and subsequently shut down as the grid expanded and towns were connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). In 1945 just prior to the conclusion of World War 2 in the Pacific (VP), the Oliver Hill guns were placed in combat storage as Perth and Fremantle were no longer considered to be under threat of invasion. In 1958 Engine No. 175087 was sold by the Department of Defence (Army) to the Pingelly Roads Board and in c1963 engine No. 175086 was sold to the Corrigin Roads Board. The engines and generators were installed in the local power stations to provide electricity to the respective town communities.

In 2011 Mr Graham Horne, former Manager World of Energy, Western Power, Parry Street, Fremantle was contacted regarding the fate of the two Rottnest engines following the closure of the Pingelly and Corrigin power stations, most likely in the late 1960’s. It transpired that Mr Horne was also the engineer in charge of the decommissioning of the two power stations.

Mr Horne advised that the Regional Power Branch of the SEC was responsible for the removal of the generating plants and these were either disposed of by sale or transferred to other towns that were not connected to the grid. Eventually all country power stations in the South West were connected to the SWIS which stretched from Kalgoorlie to Albany and through to Kalbarri.

Engines and generating equipment that were to be retained for further use were transferred to the Melville depot where they were either sold off to mine sites, fishing co-ops or held in reserve for SEC use. Mr Horne recalled that the Oliver Hill engines were removed from Pingelly and Corrigin power stations in the 1960’s, but could not remember their eventual fate. He was of the opinion that as the engines would have been around 30 years old, it is highly likely that they were disposed of as scrap.

Attempts through Synergy/Horizon Power to locate any paperwork associated with the disposal of the two Rottnest engines, or the existence of any other R&H 6VCR engines in Western Australia have been unsuccessful. Over the years RVGA members have examined a number of potential engines for display at Oliver Hill including R&H engines located at the Dardanup Heritage Park, but none were the R&H 6VCR model.

In February 2009 the Interpretation Plan: Rottnest Island WWII Coastal Defence Heritage Plan was finalised, and resulted in the Defence Heritage Interpretation Plan (DHIP) Committee being formed to consider the plan and its recommendations. The DHIP Committee which still meets comprises of representatives from the RVGA, the RIA and the National Trust’s Defence Heritage Committee.

The 2009 Rottnest Island WWII Coastal Defence Heritage Plan was approved in principle by the Rottnest Island Authority Board, but no funding commitments were made. Of particular interest was the recommendation concerning the engine room, which was:

“Identical engine sourcing or fabrication of full-scale model:.

The engine room for example could have a demonstrative element installed; this should be a designed element that illustrates at 1:1 scale the use of the engine/s and its workings”.

Perhaps the time is right to move forward with the recommendation? Food for thought.

OLIVER HILL – Engine Room facing exhaust fans – date unknown. Two 180 HP Ruston 6VCR diesel engines coupled to two Laurance Scott 150KvA electric generators provided power to operate guns through hydraulic pumps and to air compressors. The generators also provided power to the adjacent workshops at Oliver Hill, and Battery and Fortress Plotting Rooms.

The switchboard installation appears to be incomplete and the paint pots on the bench indicate that the generating room has not been commissioned.

Thanks to Steve Price for researching and compiling this Virtual Visit

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 22 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

For those unable to visit at present, the Virtual Visit series will be continuing to present interesting features of the collection and their background stories.

A FORMER PREMIER IN COMMAND

Australian Imperial Force troops in Britain formed up for an inspection by Major General Sir Newton James Moore, KCMG, VD. General Moore, (17 May 1870 – 28 October 1936); in addition to his extensive service in the military forces of Western Australia and the Commonwealth, was also a politician and businessman. He served as the eighth Premier of Western Australia from 1906 to 1910.

In 1915, while Agent-General for Western Australia in London, the Australian government appointed him General Officer Commanding, Australian Imperial Forces in the United Kingdom. He held that position until 1917. Following service in World War One, was a member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1932 and at the same time pursued extensive business interests in Britain, Australia and Canada. He died in London in 1936. Newton Moore Senior High School in Bunbury is named after him.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Official Historian, Captain CEW Bean, described Moore thus:

A commander who, though in former years a keen militia officer, did not, on first appearance, leave an impression of ability, Yet under a bluff exterior he had, though slow of speech and heavy of movement, a wide experience of men and the ability to handle them; and these qualities, together with a politician’s sense of what men were feeling, kindly humour, marked determination, and loyal and to all who understood him a simple nature, rendered him far more successful than White or Birdwood had anticipated.

Newton James Moore, was born on 17 May 1870 at Fremantle, Western Australia. He attended the Bunbury primary school and, later, Prince Alfred College, Adelaide. At 14 he began work in Geraldton and was later articled to the surveyor Alexander Forrest in Perth. As a surveyor (1886-1904) Moore travelled widely throughout Western Australia gaining knowledge of its potential, its difficulties and notable developments. His map was for many years the official guide to the position and extent of the State’s forests and commercial timber resources; in 1903 he was a member of the royal commission on forestry. He was associated with the flotation of some of the largest jarrah companies on the London market.

Moore became a member of the Bunbury Municipal Council and was mayor in 1901-04. He supervised much construction work on roads, drains, footpaths and windmills, and in later life often gave his occupation as ‘surveyor and civil engineer’. Moore was president of the Western Australian Municipal Association in 1904 and he was a keen Freemason.

Moore career in the Western Australian militia, began as a private with the Bunbury Rifle Volunteers (BRV) in 1894. By 1900 he was a captain and had formed the BVR Mounted Infantry Section, which was later incorporated into the WAMI (Western Australian Mounted Infantry). After the Commonwealth reorganisation of 1903, the unit was renamed the 18th (WAMI) Australian Light Horse. Moore served as acting commander until 1908, when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and officially appointed the commanding office, Moore was later appointed commanding officer of the 5th Military District Intelligence Section, where he remained until March 1914.

1895 Kepi – Bunbury Rifle Volunteers

Moore admired Sir John Forrest, premier in 1890-1901. He won the Bunbury Legislative Assembly seat in 1904 and held it until his retirement from State politics in 1911. It was a period of political instability: between the departure of Sir John Forrest for Federal politics in 1901 and Moore’s accession to the premiership in May 1906, six ministries ‘shuffled across the political stage. When the Daglish Labor government fell in August 1905, Moore became minister for lands and agriculture. it was a crucial appointment for Moore, enabling him to establish himself among his parliamentary colleagues.

Moore became premier on 7 May partly because his position was somewhere between the liberal and conservative wings of the large, amorphous, non-Labor group known as the Ministerial Party. After a difficult first year during which he was lampooned in the press and nicknamed ‘Buglepumpkin’ for his mistakes and inexperience, Moore grew increasingly popular. After decisively winning the 1908 election, he retained the premiership for four years. He kept the lands portfolio until 30 June 1909 when he became colonial treasurer.

A personable, genial man of burly figure, a ‘hustling politician’, Moore helped to hold the government together after a period of indecision had interrupted development. Although inexperienced, Moore emerged as an astute leader who became a cohesive element in his heterogeneous party.

He resigned the premiership on 16 September 1910 and went as agent-general for Western Australia to London in 1911. In early 1914 he was invited and agreed to continue for another three years, but this period was interrupted by World War I. In May 1915 Moore took command, as lieutenant-colonel, of the depot for Australian and New Zealand troops at Weymouth, Dorset, In December he was promoted temporary brigadier general commanding the relatively few Australian Imperial Force troops then in Britain. From July 1916 he took charge of A.I.F. camps and depots, which involved supervision of the training of reinforcements. On 14 February 1917 Moore was promoted temporary major general but in April was replaced by Major General James McCay.

Moore’s son, General Sir James Newton Rodney Moore was a senior British Army officer, who was appointed the inaugural Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff from 1959 to 1965, a post he occupied during the final stages of the Malayan Emergency and early period of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/moore-sir-newton-james-7639

https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/(Lookup)/C1C2B8C9AAD2B029482577E50028A71E?OpenDocument

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_Moore

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 20 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The Virtual Visit series was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic when Rottnest Island was closed to the public due to social distancing restrictions and periods of use for quarantine from March to June 2020.The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

Now that the Island is once again open to visitors and guiding services are being gradually re-established, these Virtual Visits have been retained as part of an archival record for future.

OLIVER HILL MINIATURE RANGE – MODEL WARSHIP TARGET

DESCRIPTION

Live firing of coast artillery weapons in peacetime was infrequent due to both cost and limiting barrel wear. Loading and ammunition handling drills could be practiced with dummy rounds of equivalent weight. Target identification and engagement was practiced using a miniature range. One feature of the miniature range was scale models of potential enemy warships

This model is the only known surviving relic from the miniature range associated with the 9.2 inch gun battery at Oliver Hill, Rottnest. The miniature range itself remains as vestigial footings outside the entrance to the Plotting Room.

The choice of a Japanese cruiser as one of the target models for the Oliver Hill miniature range is a clear indication of the strategic assessment of potential enemies. This is also borne out by references to Japan in the Committee of Imperial Defence Reports on Australian coastal fortifications from the 1920s and 30s.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The model itself is 265 mm long, 42 mm wide and 30 mm high, It is constructed of balsa and pine and painted a shade of naval grey. It shows evidence of handling through discolouration at the bow and stern. Miniature ranges were used for low cost training in both field and coast artillery. For coast artillery in the 1930s, the reference for the construction and operation of the miniature range was Miniature range for instruction in ranging coast artillery guns (counter-bombardment) 1932 published by HMSO in London. It was a 13 page manual with 6 leaves of illustrations. Unfortunately, a copy is not available locally.

The turret configuration on the model enables easy identification. The three single turrets in a pyramid configuration forward and aft and funnel details identify the model as that of the Kako Class cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This configuration permitted a six-gun broadside but only 2 guns could fire directly ahead or astern. The details of the two ships of this class can be found in Jane’s Fighting Ships 1932 on pages 327 and 328.as HIJMS Kako and HIJMS Furutaka

Jane’s Fighting Ships is an annual book of information on all the world’s warships arranged by nation, including information on ships’ names, dimensions, armaments, silhouettes and photographs, etc. Each edition describes and illustrates warships of different national naval and paramilitary forces, providing data on their characteristics. The first issue was illustrated with Jane’s own ink sketches. Photos began to appear with the third volume in 1900. The present title was adopted in 1905. Until the 1956/57 edition, Jane’s Fighting Ships were in a landscape format. The publication then changed to portrait format to match Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft. Beginning in the early 2000s, Jane’s has also been published online.

The main armament of the Kako class as launched was six 8 inch guns. Kako and her sister ship Furutaka were the first generation of high speed heavy cruisers in the Japanese navy. They were intended to counter the US Navy Omaha class scout cruisers and Royal Navy Hawkins class heavy cruisers. Both ships were launched in 1925 and had a displacement of 7,100 tons, a length of 580 feet and a crew of 604.

The ships were not a successful design and had propulsion and stability issues. In 1936/37, the armament of both ships was replaced by three 203.2 mm (8 inch) twin turrets, 2 forward and one aft. Kako was sunk during the Battle of Savo Island on 10 August 1942. Furutaka was sunk on 12 October 1942 at the Battle of Cape Esperance.

This model is roughly to a scale of 1 inch to 60 feet. Cast models on the scale of 1 inch to 100 feet or 1 inch to 110 feet (1:1320 in metric) of this class and many other warships were produced during World War 2 and also commercially post 1945 by the firm Comet.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ww-ii-japanese-heavy-cruiser-kato-1880524429

View of the three-turret pyramid configuration

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 23 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia has a modified opening time from Wednesday and Friday inclusive.

This does not mean that you will miss out completely on a museum experience. Each week, the Museum will present an object from the collection and tell its story. Included will be links and related material which will allow you, your family or friends to continue a journey of self-discovery. Enjoy the experience and stay well.

CONTEMPLATION and REFLECTION

DESCRIPTION

The Memorial Plaque was issued following World War One to the next-of-kin of all British and Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war. The 120 mm diameter plaques were cast in bronze, and came to be known as the “Dead Man’s Penny”, because of the similarity in appearance to the much smaller copper penny coin, Four hundred and fifty tons of bronze were used to cast 1,355,000 plaques. Each plaque was unique with the honoured serviceman or women’s name forming part of the cast. The plaques were issued in a pack with a commemorative scroll from King George V. The evocative Contemplation area in the World War One Gallery incorporates a representative sample from the Memorial Plaques in the Museum collection.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Memorial Plaque depicts Britannia standing facing right, her trident held in the crook of her right arm, her left arm extended holding out a laurel wreath. She wears a crested helmet of Grecian design, decorated with the figure of a lion. Another larger lion stands in front of her, also facing right, and beneath, in the exergue, yet another lion, representing Britain, is tearing to pieces an eagle, the emblem of Imperial Germany.

The design also embodies two dolphins, symbolising sea-power, a very ancient symbol, as almost identical dolphins can be seen on Greek coinage from 500 BCE. Around the edge of the plaque are the words “HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR”, also an oak-spray with leaves and two acorns. The given name and surname of the deceased appears in an oblong box to the right of the figure of Britannia and below the laurel wreath. The absence of rank was a deliberate decision to emphasise the equality of sacrifice in the cause of freedom.

The Plaque was designed by Mr E Carter Preston, the designer of the General Service Medal, whose initials appear on the bottom right of the plaque, just above the exergue and to the left of the oak-spray. There was a need to produce 1,500 plaques to commemorate women with the inscription, “She died for freedom and honour”. The design was altered slightly to allow an “S” to be inserted to read “SHE” for the female plaques. The modification was to make the H slightly narrower to allow the S to be inserted. After around 1500 female plaques had been manufactured the moulds were modified to produce the male version by removing the S.

The scroll is of fairly stiff parchment, slightly darkened, and has at the top a large representation of the Royal Coat of Arms with GVRI above, standing for “GEORGE THE FIFTH, KING EMPEROR (REX IMPERATOR)”. Beneath, in a form of Old English script, are the moving words:

“He whom this scroll commemorates was numbered among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom.”

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 17 to the HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The Virtual Visit series was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic when Rottnest Island was closed to the public due to social distancing restrictions and periods of use for quarantine from March to June 2020.

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

MA KEOGH AND HER MODEL T

Getting to the Thomson Bay Settlement area, 1.5 kilometres from the Excursion Jetty (now the Army Groyne), could be a challenge. If you had booked accommodation at the Rottnest Hostel (now Karma Rottnest) you could be transported on ‘Ma’ Keogh’s Model T Ford instead of waiting for the horse drawn tram. Obviously, workplace health and safety and social distancing were not big concerns for holiday makers in 1925. Being properly dressed and having lots of luggage appear to have been the order of the day. Thanks to the Central Midlands Project and the Carnamah Historical Society we have an index of early motor vehicle registrations to confirm ownership of this model T Ford.

https://www.carnamah.com.au/car-registrations?keyword=810

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Mrs Rose Ann Keogh first lessee of the Rottnest Island Hostel from 1917 to1928. She was affectionately’ known to everybody as ‘Ma’ Keough and thousands of men. women and children throughout Western Australia had feelings of deep regret at her passing on 8 August 1929.

‘Ma’ Keough came to Western Australia from New South Wales in 1894, as a young married woman, and settled on the goldfields. where she became prominent as a caterer. She later came to Perth, and before the Great War was known as a popular caterer for fashionable balls and public entertainments. The establishment of Blackboy Hill military training camp saw ‘Ma’ Keough in the role of caterer for the officers’ mess. It was during the war period that she endeared herself to thousands of troops. She was a mother in every sense of the word to many a lonely fellow about to set out on that great adventure from which so many did not return.

In 1917 Mrs. Keough secured the lease of the Rottnest Hostel from the Rottnest Board of Control, and under her management the pleasure resort attained wide popularity. She became a main factor in the progress of the island and was lovingly called the ‘Queen of Rottnest. Her interest in the children staying at Rottnest was profound, and no festive season celebrations on the island were complete without the fancy dress ball which ‘Ma’ Keough gave to the island.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/82983986

‘Ma’ Keogh’s guests en-route to the Hostel while other ferry passengers from the Ferry ‘Emerald’ await the loading of luggage onto the horse drawn tram.

This Model T Ford, registration 810, was first registered to Rose Keogh in 1923-24. Given the state of access routes on Rottnest, it lived up to its reputation as a go anywhere vehicle. ‘Ma’ Keogh’s Model T was reportedly sold to a family in Wanneroo but its fate cannot be confirmed. A derelict Model T was photographed at the Salt Works in 1935 and a similarly derelict chassis was a prop in a Christmas entertainment skit at Kingstown Barracks in 1938.

By 1925 the horse drawn tram had been phased out and replaced by Ford Model TT trucks which did double duty as cargo utility and passenger and tourism tasks.

A Model T (with no registration plate) still doing duty in 1936 alongside the new Dodge trucks purchased the year before by the Rottnest Board of Control. Construction has started on the jetty gantry to facilitate unloading of defence material for the Oliver Hill and Bickley batteries.

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 22 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

From 2 September 2020, the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia will be open three days per week, Wednesday through Friday.

A COVID-19 plan is in place with social distancing and limits on numbers in individual galleries. Sanitiser stations are available throughout the Museum together with an enhanced cleaning regime.

For those unable to visit at present, the Virtual Visit series will be continuing to present interesting features of the collection and their background stories.

7^TH WAR LOAN HONOUR FLAG

DESCRIPTION

Replica of the 7^th War Loan Honour Flag. The most successful War Loan campaign was the seventh which was launched on 16 September 1918. Almost one quarter of all households in Australia participated and £43,850,160 was raised.

One reason the seventh loan was so well subscribed was that for the first time an ‘Honour Flag’ had been produced which would be presented to those local authorities which raised a set amount of money based on their populations.

The flag without bars and star was presented to districts which raised their quota of funds, and for every 25 percent over quota a bar was added. A star was included if a district raised more than double its quota.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Beginning in July 1915, the Commonwealth Government floated seven war loans to help fund the cost of Australia’s involvement in World War One. Australians were urged to purchase war bonds that would be repaid with interest. By the end of the war, £250 million had been raised from these loans which covered almost 60% of the cost to Australia of the war against Germany.

The following Western Australian districts secured Seventh War Loan Honour Flags:

Flag with three bars and star (more than double the quota). Armadale, £2,630 Beverley, £14,450 Bunbury, £26,430 Cannington, (Queen’s Park), £4,710 Donnybrook, £3,050 Geraldton, £35,780 Greenbushes, £6,440 Guildford, £18,380 Kalgoorlie, £88,160 Katanning, £22,590 Kellerberrin, £8,610 Kelmscott, £2,510 Leonora, £11,610 Marble Bar, £5,020 Meekatharra, £15,150 Melville (Bicton), £7,420 Menzies, £7,200 Norsemen, £5,570 Northam, £25,020 Pinjarrah, £4,070 Plantagenet (Mt. Barker), £5,890 South Perth, £8,000 Wagin, £12,885 Westonia, £5,040 Wickepin, £4,480 Yalgoo, £3,900 York, £24,290. Flag with three bars (at least 75 per cent over quota) Dangin, £3,040 Moora, £9,350 Northampton, £3,640 Subiaco, £21,660.

Flag with two bars (at least 50 per cent over quota) Pingelly, £7,590.

Flag with one bar (at least 25 per cent over quota) Belmont Park £2,040 Busselton, £2,740 Cottesloe, £25,890 Midland Junction, £11,340.

Flag only (obtained quota) Balingup £1,560 Claremont, £23,370 Coolgardie, £3,580 Narrogin, £5,130 Toodyay £3,600 Wanneroo, £1,200 Williams, £3,350.

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

The 7^th War Loan was supported by an extensive advertising campaign.

State quotas were:

NSW £16 million

VIC £13.5 million

QLD £5 million

SA £3.5 million

TAS £1 million

WA £1 million

Many districts throughout Australia were presented with an Honour Flag, but few appear to remain. One which does is that awarded to the district of Mintaro in South Australia which is now held by the History Trust of South Australia. It required a degree of repair work which was undertaken by volunteers under the direction of a conservator, A further example is in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 18 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

KINGSTOWN BARRACKS GATES UPDATE

Our earlier Virtual Visit (#11) to the gates at Kingstown Barracks has resulted in another photo being unearthed. This version shows the full width of the brick walls as well as the Army signage announcing the Barracks. The gates are open and the metal work is visible if the image is enlarged. The location of the rail line, at that time removed, is shown by the V notch in the tree profile.

Dating is possible because of the use on the sign of the Australian crossed crusader swords badge which was a feature of the ABCA (Australia Canada Britain America) Standardisation programs which also included New Zealand, The similar allied cooperation in intelligence is now frequently designated in news reports as “Five Eyes”.

Australia Britain

New Zealand Canada

The current Australian Army or Rising Sun badge is the seventh variation since Federation.

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT – 21 TO THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Lieutenant General Gordon Bennett Archibald Prize Entry

DESCRIPTION

Oil on canvass half-length portrait of Lieutenant General Gordon Bennett by Perth Artist Margaret Johnson exhibited as part of the Archibald Prize in 1943. The portrait measures 605cm wide by 756cm high. It is signed MG Johnson 1943 in the lower left- hand corner. The portrait is displayed as part of the Singapore exhibition in the World War Two Gallery.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Gordon Bennett (1887 – 1962) was one of Australia’s most controversial military commanders, reaching the rank of Lieutenant-General during the Second World War. Bennett was born in 1887 in Balwyn, Melbourne, and, after joining the military in 1908, quickly became known for being a courageous leader, as well as being difficult and bad-tempered. At the beginning of the Second World War, Bennett was passed over for the leadership of the AIF and was given command of the 8th Division instead. On 15th February 1942, after an unsuccessful campaign against the Japanese in Singapore and with surrender negotiations underway, Bennett controversially handed over his command and left the island. This action was met with general disapproval, and although being made commander of the 3 (Aust) Corps in Perth between April 1942 and May 1944, Bennett was never given another field command. Turning to farming after the war ended, Bennett died in 1962 in Dural, Sydney.

Margaret Gordon Johnson (nee Wood) was a Perth-based painter who specialised in portraits. She was born in 1896 in Sri Lanka to Scottish parents, moving with her family to Australia in 1899, and then studying at a very young age at the renowned Glasgow School of Art between 1911 and 1913. Her most prolific period was between the late 1920s and the late 1940s, during which time she created portraits of many notable Western Australians, such as Prime Minister John Curtin, Edith Cowan, G. Pitt Morrison Esq and four Catholic Bishops of Perth. In 1934, her model for a portrait plaque was chosen from several local West Australian entries for a memorial work on a clock tower at the entrance to Kings Park, Perth honouring Edith Cowan. The Edith Cowan bust was in high relief above a wreath of gum leaves and nuts and was cast in bronze, above a bronze inscription on the eastern face of the clock tower.

The Army Museum of Western Australia has two portraits painted by Johnson in its collection: this one of H. Gordon Bennett and one of Colonel George Wieck in the World War Two Homefront Gallery. The Weick portrait was entered in the Archibald Prize in 1939 and the Bennett portrait in 1943. There is also in the collection, a colour pencil drawing of Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Le Souef circa 1938.

In a newspaper article of late 1945 – early 1946, Margaret Johnson was interviewed by an unknown journalist about the experience of painting the portrait of General Gordon Bennett, for whom Johnson clearly felt a great deal of compassion. Johnson describes Bennett’s patience and diligence while sitting for the portrait, saying he insisted on wearing his old, worn clothing, binoculars and watch, and that a look of despair and frustration emanated from his face. She describes how his “anxious eyes had turned [to that watch] so many times in the last dark, desperate days of that ill- fated campaign”, and how his constant sadness and despair was occasionally lifted by his account of some incident which had happened in Malaya. The journalist who wrote the article concludes that “whatever the moral or legal issues involved in his case it is difficult not to feel admiration and respect for a broken-hearted man”, who still remained brave and devoted at the time the portrait was painted.

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Malaya 1941. Lieutenant General AE Percival, GOC Malaya and Major General HG Bennett, Commanding 8 Australian Division

Gordon Bennett’s desk, used as General Officer Commanding, 3 Australian Corps, headquartered at Perth College is displayed in the entrance to the World War Two Gallery.

Deliberations in Perth with Air Commodore Brownell and RAN and USN commanders.

Field exercise in Western Australia. (Note 7/50 binoculars as per portrait)

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 17 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

Now that the Island is once again open to visitors and guiding services are being gradually re- established, these Virtual Visits have been retained as part of an archival record for future reference and enjoyment.

PHOTOGRAPH – DEPRESSION RANGE FINDER

In Coast Artillery, he depression range finder (DRF) is a precision fire control device used to observe the target’s range and bearing in order to calculate firing solutions. It was the main component of a vertical base range finding system. It was necessitated by the introduction of rifled artillery from the mid-19th century onwards, which had much greater ranges than the old smoothbore weapons and were consequently more difficult to aim accurately. The DRF was invented by Captain HSS Watkin of the Royal Artillery in the 1870s and was adopted in 1881. It could provide both range and bearing information on a target.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

A depression position finder measures the range to a distant target (such as a ship) by solving a right triangle in which the short side was the height of the instrument above mean low water; one angle was the constant right angle between the short side and the plane of the ocean, and the second angle was the depression angle from the horizontal of the instrument as it sighted down from a fire control tower or a base end station at the target, hence the “vertical base” system of range finding. These calculations were built into the scales and gearing of the instrument as configured for its site, which also corrected for the curvature of the earth and for optical parallax, so the horizontal range to the target could be read from a dial on the DPF.

To ensure accuracy, the range finders were accurately surveyed and placed on fixed mountings. Instructions on the mounting pillars contained details of bearings to prominent reference points so that orientation could be checked. Periodic adjustments were made to take into account changes in vertical height due to tides. Shown below are AWAS at the Observation Post at Princess Royal Fortress in Albany.

A standard feature of observation posts was the marking of compass directions (bearings) on the lintels above the viewing ports. This enabled officers to quickly direct the sight operators to the target. Safety data (no fire zones or crest clearance restrictions) could also be included. Rottnest Island retains these features at Bickley and Jubilee observation posts as well as in the Battery Observation Post on Signal Ridge. This example below is at Bickley

Further elaborations of the system included the Depression Position Finder which incorporated locating charts and automatic transmission of bearing and range. Variations of this type of instrumentation remain in the form of the heavy plotting tables still in position at Bickley Battery and the Fortress Observation Post.

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT – 20 TO THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We are reopening on Wednesday September 02nd 2020. This will be limited to Wednesday to Friday inclusive for at least he first month.

Governor General’s Uniform

Description

Detail of rank insignia of Governor General of Australia on Army Service Dress, worn by the Honourable Major General Michael Jeffery, AC, AO (Mil), CVO, MC, as 24th Governor General of Australia from 2003 to 2008. General Jeffery also served as the 28th Governor of Western Australia from 1993 to 2000.

The uniform and other items relating to General Jeffery’s military service are featured in the Traditions Gallery.

The wattle design is based upon the heraldic badge assigned to the Governor General of Australia.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

At one time, on ceremonial occasions, Governors General wore the traditional court uniform of a dark navy wool coatee with silver oak leaf and fern embroidery on the collar and cuffs trimmed with silver buttons embossed with the Royal Arms and dark navy trousers with a wide band of silver oak-leaf braid down the outside seam, bicorne cocked hat with plume of ostrich feathers and black patent leather Wellington boots The custom fell into disuse during the tenure of Sir Paul Hasluck.

Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, GCB, GCMG, PC, KC wearing Vice Regal Court Dress as the ninth Governor-General of Australia from 1931 to 1936.

Under section 68 of the constitution, “the command in chief of the naval and military forces of the Commonwealth is vested in the Governor-General”. As a mark of respect, Governors General who have served in the Australian Forces frequently exercise their right to wear military uniforms for defence and veteran’s functions, parades and commemorations. This is the only authorised use of the rank insignia of Governor General. Governors General without a military background today wear civilian attire appropriate to the formality of the event attended.

The actual powers of the Governor-General as commander-in-chief are not defined in the Constitution, but rather in the Defence Act 1903. These powers include appointing the Chief of the Defence Force and authorising the deployment of troops. There is some ambiguity with regard to the role of the Governor-General in declarations of war. In 1941 and 1942, the Curtin Government advised the Governor-General to declare war on several Axis powers, but then had King George VI make identical proclamations on Australia’s behalf. No formal declarations of war have been made since World War II, although in 1973 the Whitlam Government advised the Governor- General to proclaim the end of Australia’s involvement in Vietnam, despite the lack of an initiating proclamation.

Governors-General have during their tenure the style His/Her Excellency the Honourable and their spouses have the style His/Her Excellency. Until 1989, all Governors-General were members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and thus held the additional style the Right Honourable for life.. Since May 2013, the style used by a former Governor-General is the Honourable; it was at the same time retrospectively granted for life to all previous holders of the office.

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Major General Jeffery wearing the insignia of Governor General at an SAS Parade

Presentation ceremony of portrait and memorabilia to the Museum in 2009.

Viewing the exhibit, including portrait and uniform, in the Traditions Gallery in 2017

Following his term as Governor General, Major General Jeffery was the patron of The Australian Farmer project and Australia’s National Advocate for Soil Health. As such he focussed on the importance of soil to Australia’s farmers and food supply and promoted actions to implement and encourage sustainable management practices to ensure agricultural productivity. In this role, less formal dress was required.

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 16 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

LEWIS GUN FOR AIR DEFENCE

World War One era Lewis light machine gun in air defence pit mounting at Oliver Hill late 1939. The original pit has been conserved and silhouettes positioned as part of the interpretation of the Oliver Hill Battery local defences. Care is taken to fence over the tops of these restored pits lest they become traps for quokkas.

The Lewis light machine gun was designed by Isaac N Lewis who was a colonel in the United States Army. The first commercial Lewis guns were manufactured by the British small arms manufacturer Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) Company. At the outbreak of the First World War, BSA received orders for the mass production of Lewis guns in .303 calibre and produced over 15,000 thousand by 1918. The Lewis gun saw extensive service with British and Australian forces during World War One as a ground and aerial machine gun.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Lewis light machine gun is a gas operated, air cooled and automatic fire only weapon that fires from an open bolt. It has a fixed barrel surrounded by an aluminium radiator which is enclosed in a tubular barrel jacket. The barrel jacket is open at both ends. When the weapon is fired the muzzle blast causes the air to flow inside the jacket from rear to front, providing forced air cooling for the barrel.

The operating action uses a rotating bolt which has four radial locking lugs located at the rear which lock into recesses in the receiver walls. The bolt is operated by a vertical stud which enters a helical cut made in the bolt body. The stud is located on the gas piston rod and runs beneath the barrel. A gas block is located at the muzzle which is concealed by the barrel jacket. A spiral clock like spring operates a gear wheel located in a semi-circular hump below the receiver. This gear wheel engages a toothed rack machined on the underside of the gas piston and cycles the bolt when the Lewis gun is fired. The firing pin is fixed to a vertical stud located on the gas piston rod.

The magazine is a flat pan design which holds the cartridges in two layers. The magazine is powered by the gun by two operating pawls which engage stamped ribs located on the outside of the magazine cover. The feed arms oscillates in the horizontal plane being powered by the vertical stud located at the rear of the bolt. With each cycle of the bolt mechanism, the magazine is rotated by one notch to feed the next cartridge into the ready position.

Standard furniture for the Lewis light machine gun consists of a wooden pistol grip and a wooden buttstock. A folding, detachable bipod is clamped onto the front of the barrel jacket. An optional carry handle could also be installed near the center of gravity of the gun near the rear of the barrel jacket. The receiver top plate is marked around the rear aperture sight ‘Manufactured by The Birmingham Small Arms Co England’ (top) with ‘for Armes Automatique Lewis Belgium’ (below) and LEWIS AUTO GUN MOD 1914 PAT (near the magazine).

The Rottnest mounting was on a short post so that the gunners could remain partially protected crouched in their pit. Prime Minister Menzies is examining another style of air defence mounting in 1939.

The Lewis gun also featured in the Great Emu War of 1932

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-emu-war-in-which-some-large-flightless-birds-unwittingly-foiled-the-australian-army/

A special loading attachment enabled the 5 round standard issue clips to be used to more rapidly reload the circular magazine.

Lewis gun team in process of changing a magazine.

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VIRTUAL VISIT SPECIAL EDITION VP DAY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

15 AUGUST 1945

VP day celebrations in Perth.

Wounded and repatriated soldiers conveyed in Red Cross transports (buses), participated in the Victory Parade in Perth. The picture shows the crowd cheering the vehicles turning from St George’s terrace into William Street on their way to the Thanksgiving Service. (see West Australian 17.8.1945).

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

VP (Victory in the Pacific) Day, also referred to as VJ (Victory over Japan) Day, is celebrated on 15 August. This date commemorates Japan’s acceptance of the Allied demand for unconditional surrender 14 August 1945. For Australians, it meant that the Second World War was finally over. The following day, 15 August, is usually referred to as VP Day.

In August 1945 Australian governments gazetted a public holiday as VP Day and most newspapers reported it as such. However, the governments of Britain, the United States and New Zealand preferred VJ Day. It is not true, as some have claimed, that the day was originally called VJ and that the name was surreptitiously changed later.

An estimated 100,000 people (1/4 of the population) were in Perth for the parade which was formed of 7,000 personnel representing the Australian armed services as well as Britain, the United States and the Netherlands. Public address problems limited attendance to 70,000 at the Thanksgiving Service on the Esplanade. A 101-gun salute was fired at Kings Park and one of the 25-pounder casings from that salute is on display at the Army Museum.

There is apparently no picture of the King’s Park Salute publicly available. This is a similar salute in London prior to the VE Day Victory Parade.

VP DAY AND AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS OF WAR

One of the consequences of the sudden surrender of Japan was the distance of Allied forces from the numerous prisoner of war camps scattered across the various regions of South East Asia. The day of liberation that all prisoners had lived and longed for, came late and without drama in most camps. Where the Australians had radios, they knew that the war was over, but had to wait for a reaction from the Japanese. At Nakom Paton in Thailand, Weary Dunlop feared that the Japanese might kill all the prisoners in the event of an invasion or other crisis. But on 16 August the Japanese admitted that there was an ‘armistice’, and the men were no longer to be considered prisoners.

At Kuching the Japanese officers kept the news to themselves and the guards made no admissions, although they suddenly supplied Red Cross parcels and medicines. Even after Allied aircraft littered the camp with leaflets announcing the end of the war, the Japanese remained ‘silent and even more sullen’ for another five days before a parade was called and on 24 August the prisoners were told they would ‘soon’ be free.

The nurses on Sumatra learnt that the war was over on 24 August, but no Australians knew where they were. It was not until 7 September that Dutch soldiers dropped in by parachute, and it was 11 September before the first Australian troops arrived. It was over a month after the war ended before they were flown to Changi.

In Japan, most prisoners learnt quickly that the war had ended; their guards disappeared and the men cautiously left camp, venturing a little further each day. No Allied forces were ready to occupy Japan, but as the camps were identified with painted signs on their roofs, the ‘biscuit bombs’ found them, and stores floated down swinging from coloured parachutes. It was 29 August before the prisoners from Zentsuji were found in Hokkaido. Even in the prison camps close to Australia—Ambon and Rabaul—it was weeks before the men were located and liberated.

Detailed news of the prisoners came slowly, then suddenly, to Australia. On 30 August it was announced that there might be 17,500 Australian prisoners of war coming home. Soon that figure was known to be optimistic. From 1 September the Australian newspapers were full of stories of atrocities, appalling cruelty and horror after horror. It was not 17,500 who came home – it was just 14,000. More than 8,000 prisoners of war and many hundreds of civilian internees had died.

SURRENDER CEREMONIES

Despite VP Day, the formalities of military surrender took several weeks to coordinate and finalise. In more chivalrous times, a defeated commander would offer his sword in submission, but would, as an act of grace, be permitted to retain it. This was not the case following VP Day. The act of handing over the swords was deliberately conducted so that the Japanese would lose face and impress upon them the fact that they had been defeated. The surrendered swords were retained by the victors. Another factor was the conduct of Japanese forces during the war and their treatment of prisoners of war. General Blamey expressed the general feeling quite succinctly. “In receiving your surrender, I do not recognise you as an honourable and gallant foe, but you will be treated with due but severe courtesy in all matters. “

Surrendered Japanese swords with captured Imperial Japanese flag signed by Australian and Allied personnel in Borneo on display in World War Two Gallery. The second sword from the top retains its surrender tag indicating a wish from the owner that it would someday be returned to his family.

General MacArthur had issued directions, as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, that no separate surrender was to be taken by subordinate formations, until after the signing on the Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September. There was still hesitation with some Japanese Commanders to enter into any surrender negotiations until they received direct instructions from Tokyo.

Accordingly, on 9 September 1945 at Morotai, General Blarney, Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces, accepted from Lt. Gen. Fusataro Teshima, commanding the Japanese Second Army, the surrender of all enemy forces remaining in Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies east of Lombok Island. Blarney delegated to Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee the task of accepting the surrender of the Japanese 1st Army Area of Command, in New Britain, New Ireland, the Solomons, New Guinea. Ocean Island and Nauru. Major General Wootten accepted the surrender in British Borneo, General Milford in Dutch Borneo. Brigadier Dyke in Timor and Major General Robertson at Wewak.

Video of Surrender Ceremony on HMS Glory

On 6 September 1945, Japanese General Imamura and Vice Admiral Kusaka embarked on the aircraft carrier HMS Glory which was riding in St George’s Channel, between New Britain and New Ireland. At a ceremony held on the flight deck of the carrier later the same day, these two Japanese officers signed a Surrender Document surrendering approximately 139,000 Japanese to Lieutenant General Vernon Ashton Hobart Sturdee CB CBE DSO, General Officer Commanding 1st Australian Army.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOsNandynfw

Video of Surrender Ceremony in Borneo

As a result of leaflets dropped by RAAF over Sapong Estate on mainland of Borneo, contact was made with Lieutenant General Maso Baba, Supreme Commander of Japanese forces in Borneo. He was instructed to fly to Labuan and surrender to Major General George Frederick Wootten CB CBE DSO, General Officer Commanding 9th Australian Division.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F07316/

Surrender Ceremony at Wewak

Japanese Lieutenant General Hatazō Adachi, the commander in chief of the 18th Army on Rabaul and the north coast of New Guinea from 1942–1945. surrenders to the Australian 6th Division at Cape Wom, near Wewak, New Guinea on 13 September 1945. Major General Horace Robertson accepts the surrendered sword. Both the sword and the desk are now in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.

PERHAPS THE LAST OPPORTUNITY?

When Nyabing farmer Evan Hobley returned home after fighting Nazi Germany in North Africa, the World War II veteran would lie in bed at night and hear the sound of crashing aircrafts out in the front paddock. Mr Hobley is one of nearly one million Australians who endured the horrors of history’s deadliest military conflict. The 99-year-old, who now lives in Albany, is one of only three local RSL members who can still share their memories of World War II in person.

It makes this year’s 75th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific all the more important, because it might be one of the last opportunities to recognise the occasion while World War II veterans are present. Although Nazi Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, the true end to World War II came a few months later on August 14 when Japan accepted the Allies’ demand for unconditional surrender. The following day, August 15, was then forever known as Victory in the Pacific Day, or VP Day.

(Article by Michael Roberts – Great Southern Weekender 30 July 2020)

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 18 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Large Technology Object – Ordnance QF 25-Pounder

DESCRIPTION

The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was the major Australian and British field gun and howitzer during the Second World War, possessing a 3.45-inch (87.6 mm) calibre.

The 25-pounder was introduced into service just before the war started, combining high-angle and direct-fire, relatively high rates of fire, and a reasonably lethal shell in a highly mobile piece. Later versions saw the fitting of a muzzle brake to enable higher velocity rounds. Memorials featuring this weapon are sited in many locations around Perth including Kings Park, Nedlands and Guildford. At last count, there were 28 Memorial Guns of various types across Western Australia

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The 25-pounder design was the result of studies to replace the 18-pounder field gun and the 4.5-inch howitzer, which had been the main field artillery weapons during the First World War. The idea was to build one piece of equipment with the high velocity of the 18-pounder and the variable propelling charges of the howitzer, firing a shell about halfway between the two in size, around 3.5–4.0 inches (89–102 mm) of about 30 pounds (14 kg). The first Australian unit to be issued with the 25-pounder guns was the 2/3rd Australian Field Regiment who were training in England in 1940. They were equipped with British and Canadian made guns.

Production of the 25-pounder guns in Australia did not get underway until the latter stages of 1940 in both government and commercial factories. The first Australian built 25-pounder was completed in May 1941 and the Australian made guns were soon being shipped overseas to Australian regiments on active service. At the end of production in Australia in 1943 over 1500 units had been built.

The 25-pounder remained the standard gun in Australian field artillery regiments until replaced in the early 1960s by the American built M2A2 105mm Howitzer. It did remain in use with Reserve regiments until 1975 when it was finally withdrawn from service.

The 25-pounder Short Mark I, or Baby 25-pr, was the Australian pack gun version of the 25-pounder, first produced in 1943. This was a shortened version of the standard 25-pounder, mounted on the Carriage 25-pr Light, Mark 1. Weighing 1,315 kilograms, it was around 315 kg lighter than the 25-pounder Mark II. The “Baby” was intended for jungle warfare and was only used in the South West Pacific Theatre. The gun could be towed by a jeep or broken down into 13 sections and transported by air.

The Yeramba was an Australian self-propelled howitzer mounting the 25 pounder gun howitzer on an American M3A5 Grant tank hull. They were converted by the Ordnance Factory in Bendigo from 1950 to 1952. The Yeramba was withdrawn from service in 1957 after becoming obsolete and to date remains the only self-propelled artillery introduced into the Australian Army.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

History of the 2/3 Australian Field Regiment

https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/619

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2/3rd_Field_Regiment_(Australia)

Yeramba, the Australian Self Propelled 25 Pounder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeramba

Build your own 25 pounder

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Models-British-25-Pdr-Limber/dp/B00681SB2Y

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

The 25 pounder currently on display at the Army Museum was not the first. When the Museum opened in Artillery Barracks, a 25 pounder in Western Desert colours provided by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of WA was displayed indoors in what is now the Heraldry and Traditions Gallery.

Australian designed and modified Short or Baby 25 pounder

Prototype Yeramba self-propelled gun in 1949

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 14 TO THE DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

Now that the Island is once again open to visitors and guiding services are being gradually reestablished, these Virtual Visits have been retained as part of an archival record for future reference and enjoyment.

PHOTOGRAPHS – AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S ARMY SERVICE

Group photo of Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) members on the steps of the Bickley Battery Command and Observation Post. As the operational situation changed during the war, more positions were opened to AWAS personnel particularly in coast defence and air defence roles. To highlight the WW II service of the Australian

Women’s Army Service, the Rottnest Island Authority and the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society, as part of the Centennial of Women Suffrage in Western Australia, presented exhibits showing service women in non-traditional and leadership roles from 1899 – 1999. Over 3,618 AWAS served with the Royal Australian Artillery and manned the Fixed Defences of Australia from Hobart in the South and Cairns in the North, to Perth including Rottnest in the West.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

On 30 April 1941, a draft of the Australian Women’s Army Service Regulations was prepared by the Adjutant General and handed to the Secretary, Military Board for submission to the Minister for the Army. The object of the Service was to release men from certain military duties for employment with fighting units. The principal condition governing the appointment of members of the AWAS was that they were to replace men, not to be used in addition to them. Subsequently on 29 July 1941, War Cabinet Agendum No. 257/41, “Formation of an Australian Women’s Army Service” was submitted to Cabinet.

Formal approval was recorded on 13 August 1941 subject to the following conditions:

No woman enlisted in this organisation were to be sent overseas without the approval of War Cabinet.
The draft regulations to govern condition of service and rates of pay were to be referred to the Treasury Finance Committee for examination and report.

On 29 September 1941, the Army Minister approved the appointment of Miss Sybil Irving, MBE as Controller, Australian Women’s Army Service. She immediately visited all Commands to confer with HQ Commands regarding recommendations for first officer appointments. As a result of her visits the Army Minister approved of the appointment of six Assistant Controllers, thirteen Commandants and six Assistant Commandants. All the appointed officers attended a Training School of three weeks duration commencing 24 November 1941. It was held at Guide House, Yarra Junction, Victoria. At the conclusion of the School all officers returned to their Commands and Military Districts to commence recruiting of their quota of personnel and prepare for training.

During the duration of the School – on 8 December 1941 – War Cabinet approved of the recruitment of 1,600 as the first complement of the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS). Each Command and Military District established an Interviewing Committee to deal with prospective recruits and to select suitable types for the various categories. The initial need was envisaged for: Transport Drivers, Cooks, Typists, Orderlies, Assistants, Telephonists, Canteen Attendants, Draughtswomen, Photographers, Photowriters, W/T Operators, Driver/Mechanics, Tailoresses, Waitresses, Textile Refitters, Equipment Repairers, Intelligence duties and Cypher duties.

In January 1942, Recruit Training Schools had been commenced in all Commands and Military Districts to ensure the 1600 personnel authorised would be absorbed by March 1942. It was anticipated that ultimately 5,000 to 6,000 personnel would be required. Such were military needs and the response to the program, that during the war a total of 24,026 women enlisted (with a maximum strength of 20,051 in January 1944). They were paid wages equal to two-thirds that of their male equivalents.

By 30 June 1947 all members of the AWAS had been demobilised. The Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) was formed in April 1951 to meet a manpower shortage that developed due to hostilities in the Korean Peninsula and full employment post-World War II. At the time of its formation, many senior WRAAC personnel had previously served in the AWAS. By the late 1970s, female soldiers began integration into the Army at large and in early 1985, the WRAAC was disbanded.

FROM THE COLLECTION – CYNTHIA’S “GUNNER LEAKE” AWAS JACKET 1942

Cynthia Mary Leake was born in Perth on May 26 in 1921, She grew up on her parent’s farm in Kununoppin, attending the local school and District High School, completing her secondary years at St Mary’s School in West Perth. Cynthia then undertook nursing training in Kununoppin, working also at Norseman, Corrigin and Menzies before volunteering for war service. While nursing, Cynthia had the nickname of “Springer”. On Rottnest she was recognised by an ex-patient, leading to her being frequently asked if she was “Gunner Springer Leake”, She dealt with this appropriately! Cynthia used the buttons from her father’s army jacket as being of better quality than those issued to her.

After the war she married Vernon (Bill) Wright and they farmed at Bencubbin for a few years before taking over a family farm in Kellerberrin which had been founded by her grandfather in 1867. Her uncle, Maitland Leake was one of the founders of Westfarmers. Twice widowed, Cynthia Ritson now lives in metropolitan Perth.

An RVGA Oral History (OH 2007.6), interview with Cynthia Wright was conducted on

10 January 2008 by Don Baker. Further details of Cynthia’s jacket can be found on the Australian Dress Register: https://australiandressregister.org/garment/557/

Because of wartime restriction of photography in operational areas, most of the wartime AWAS photos on Rottnest show informal, recreational or administrative activities. The Football team and wash day are shown above.

Gathering greenery for a concert

The names of many in the photos in the collection are fully identified thanks to a program of active collecting, oral histories, island visits and commemorative events in the late 1990s. Follow on activities and engagement, over the years, has ensure continuity through the recording of both maiden and married names in collection records and archives..

Recruit training at Gloucester Park.

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 17 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Allied Occupation Forces in Germany, 1919

No 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps

DESCRIPTION

Prime Minister Billy Hughes insisted that Australian troops be repatriated after the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918. Thus other than No 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps and No 3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station (3 ACCS), the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) did not serve as part of the occupation force in Germany.

As part of the Armistice and later the Treaty of Versailles, Allied forces occupied three major bridgeheads across the Rhine River at Cologne, Coblenz and Mainz to ensure German compliance with the Armistice provisions.

No 4 Squadron was stationed in Bickendorf, one of Germany’s home defence aerodromes. Bickendorf is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, near Cologne, Germany.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

4 Squadron, established at Point Cook, Victoria in late October 1916, was the last Australian Flying Corp (AFC) Squadron to be formed during World War 1. Fully mobilised by 10 January 1917, the unit embarked for England on 17 January, arriving at Plymouth on 27 March, and was sent for training to Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham.

After familiarisation with a variety of aircraft, the squadron was equipped with Sopwith Camel fighters. In the United Kingdom the squadron was designated 71 (Australian) Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and would retain this designation until it reverted to its original title on 19 January 1918. At the end September 1918, 4 Squadron moved to Serny and in early October was re-equipped with Sopwith Snipe fighters; it was only the second unit in France to be equipped with these advanced machines.

No 4 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps was the only Australian combat unit to serve with the occupation forces in Germany. Members of the squadron had arrived at Bickendorf airfield, outside Cologne by 14 December and its 13 aircraft started to arrive on 17 December. Bickendorf had been one of Germany’s home defence aerodromes in the war.

The Australians took over 150 surrendered German aircraft of all types. For No 4 Squadron, duties included running an aerial postal service between Fourth Army Headquarters at Namur and the Australian Flying Corps Headquarters at Ham-sur-Heure, and from the Australian Corps to the divisions in their repatriation assembly areas.

In early February 1919 the Squadron had been ordered to cease flying operations, and by 23 February, all its aircraft had been redistributed to British units. On 27 February, No 4 Squadron began its move to Le Havre for transport to the UK. On 17 March, the unit was given 14 days leave, and on 25 April, two sergeants and 25 other ranks took part in the Anzac Day parade in London. The squadron left for Australia on 7 May 1919 alongside officers and other ranks of the other Australian Flying Corps units stationed in the UK.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Learn more about the plane and build and fly your own Sopwith Camel model aircraft

https://www.vintagemodelcompany.com/sopwith-camel.html

The current role of No 4 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force

https://www.airforce.gov.au/news-and-events/news/no-4-squadron-combat-controllers-commanders-eyes-and-ears-ground

From Pup to Camel to Snipe

https://www.fighterworld.com.au/az-of-fighter-aircraft/australian-flying-corps/sopwith-pup

https://www.fighterworld.com.au/az-of-fighter-aircraft/australian-flying-corps/sopwith-camel

https://www.fighterworld.com.au/az-of-fighter-aircraft/australian-flying-corps/sopwith-snipe

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

A Junkers J.I German armoured aircraft made entirely of metal, with corrugated iron wings, at the Bickendorf Aerodrome when the 4th Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps was stationed there.

Group portrait of the Air Mechanics of No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps at hangars at Clairmarais, Nord Pas de Calais. Clairmarais, near St. Omer and not far from Ypres, was an airfield used by the Royal Flying Corps throughout the First World War. The site was briefly reused by the Germans during the occupation of France in the Second World War.

Bickendorf Aerodrome, Cologne, a Sopwith Snipe of No. 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps and a De Havilland 9 of No. 206 Squadron, Royal Air Force, parked outside the Zeppelin hangar.

Pilots of No 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps in November 1918

The Black Day for No 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps

On 4 November, 1918 one of the last great air battles in the First World War was fought involving Australian pilots. In just a single day, the 4th Squadron lost 5 Sopwith Snipe Aircraft and the death of 3 pilots (including two World War One fighter ‘Aces’.) The weather in the lead up to November 1918 had being mostly grim as winter slowly began to set in. But then on 4 November 1918 the skies cleared and visibility was good. The stage was set. Sensing this rare opportunity, enemy activity increased.

In the morning an offensive patrol of 4 Sopwith Snipes from the 4th Squadron was attacked by 7 German Fokker Biplanes. A brief dogfight ensued in which Lieutenant Alexander Cato managed to shoot down one enemy aircraft, however, in the middle of the dog fight two Australian aircraft went missing.

It would later be confirmed that Lieutenants Edward John Goodson and Charles William Rhodes, the two pilots that went missing, were both forced down, where they were taken prisoner. Goodson was captured by German forces on the day he was forced down, while Rhodes was captured on 5 November suffering from several injures. They remained prisoners of war only for a short time, however, as their repatriation began soon after the Armistice.

In the afternoon of 4 November 1918, 16 Sopwith Snipes of the 4th Squadron were escorting a group of British bombers back to base along with several craft from the 2nd Squadron AFC, when a dozen Fokker aircraft were spotted. These Fokker aircraft belonged to the feared Jagdstaffel 2 (Jasta 2) Squadron. Soon a grand dog fight erupted in the skies over Ath and nearby villages. While the 4th Squadron downed four of the German aircraft three of their own went missing that afternoon. It was later concluded at a Court of Inquiry that all 3 pilots had being shot down and killed. The three aircraft belonged to:

Captain Thomas Charles Richmond Baker DFC, MM & Bar. A South Australian fighter ace, in his career as a fighter pilot on the Western Front he had downed 12 enemy aircraft before himself being claimed on 4 November 1918;

Lieutenant Arthur John Palliser. A Tasmanian fighter ace, he had shot down 7 aircraft in his time with the 4th Squadron, which including downing 3 enemy aircraft on one day (29 October 1918),

Lieutenant Parker Whitley Symons. Another South Australian fighter pilot, he had moderate success in the 4th Squadron, however, he had not yet claimed the prized 5 ‘kills’ and thus was not classed as an ‘ace

Article from https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/9

Submitted by Steve Larkins, 5 August 2017

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 13 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Now that the Island is once again open to visitors and guiding services are being gradually re-established, these Virtual Visits have been retained as part of an archival record for future

PHOTOGRAPH – KEMBLA CABLES – MM LTD

Drums of communication cable from Port Kembla (Metal Machines Ltd) off loaded and awaiting laying between cost defence facilities on Rottnest Island. Buried cabling was designed to provide secure voice and fire control information between elements of the coast defence system – detection, identification, coordination and engagement. MM Kembla, a division of Metal Manufactures Limited, was established in 1916 at Port Kembla, NSW, and it was from this locality that the famous “Kembla” brand name originated. Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The name “Kembla” is Aboriginal word meaning “plenty [of] wild fowl”.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The outbreak of the First World War produced an accelerated demand for copper, zinc and lead. The dominant position of Germany in the supply of these metals suddenly became a matter of great concern in the British Empire. Australia had already exhibited its great wealth as a primary source of these metals. Though plans for the fabrication of these metals had been under discussion since 1912, Prime Minister Hughes made it clear in December 1914, that fabricating facilities were an urgent national concern.

British Insulated and Helsby Cables Co. Ltd., agreed to provide some capital and skilled engineers for the construction of a rod rolling and wire drawing plant in Port Kembla, to be set up adjacent to the Electrolytic Refining and Smelting Co. of Australia and to be called Metal Manufactures Limited. Copper production at Port Kembla didn’t begin until 1918 because a ship carrying plant and equipment from the UK was torpedoed and sank in the English Channel. The Austral Bronze Company Limited, became a subsidiary of Metal Manufactures Limited. Austral Bronze had been formed in 1915 to make ammunition feed (mainly brass rods) and to deal in antimony alloys

After World War 1 the demand for copper telephone wire grew at a spectacular rate and in 1923 some 3000 tonnes were produced. Though a large manufacturing company by the standards of the day, 1925 saw the peak of metal production and it was only through its diversion into tube production that the Company was able to survive through this period.. Port Kembla was the site of the Dalfram Dispute in 1938, where unionised dockworkers refused to load pig iron onto a ship heading for Japan after the Nanking Massacre

Hand pulling from cable drum on fixed spindle on Rottnest in 1937

World War Two caused the brass and copper tube plant to become the focus for a vital range of munition supplies, notably, the supply of driving bands for shells. Brass rod, non-ferrous metal plate and alloy tubes, were amongst a wide range of vital materials not previously produced in Australia and that had to be available in high quality within a short time. Though the machinery was imported, local innovation was needed to install the equipment and to solve of the intricate tooling and metallurgical problems associated with the wide range of manufactured items.

In a parallel defence development with Bickley Battery, Illawarra Battery located at Hill 60 was built and in service during World War II for the defence of Port Kembla. Two large gun emplacements were constructed, both housing British BL 6-inch Mk. XI guns and complete with their protective gun-shields from the decommissioned cruisers HMAS Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Two large tunnels were fitted with a small-gauge trolley way to haul the projectiles to the gun emplacements.

Engineers laying cable on Rottnest in 1937 from back of truck

Cables in action – Switchboard inside a Plotting Room

Producing firing data in a Plotting Room from target information transmitted from Observation Posts

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 16 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Battlefield Grave Cross of Lieutenant Hugh Russell

DESCRIPTION

This Memorial Cross to Lieutenant Hugh Russel is one of only a handful of original World War One grave markers returned from the Western Front. The cross originally marked his grave in the war graves extension to Hersin Communal Cemetery.

After the Armistice on 11 November 1918, grave markers were standardised and eventually replaced with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. As a mark of respect for a valued “mate”, the members of Hugh Russel’s Tunnelling Company retrieved his original battlefield grave marker and returned it to his wife in Perth in 1919.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Hugh Russel was born at Highgate, London, England on 11 March 1873. After emigration to Australia he undertook exploration and survey work and qualified as a Land Surveyor. Hugh was a 42-year-old Surveyor and Mine Manager of Perth, Western Australia, when he enlisted in 1916.

The 6th Tunnelling Company was being formed in West Australia and 2^nd Lieutenant H Russel transferred from the Pioneers on April 1st 1916. He embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia on board HMAT A69 Warilda on 1 June and arrived in England on 18 July 1916. Most of the 6th Company proceeded overseas to France on 28 August 1916. On 25 September 1916, the 6th Tunnelling Company was absorbed into the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company.

Lieut. Russel’s war history is largely associated with the operations on HILL 70 and the underground protection of the front line on the HULLOCH-LOOS-MAROC Sector. This line traversed the Western slope of HILL 70, which was the main enemy position opposite the front. The enemy was trying to force Allied troops further down the slope of the Hill by mining During several months of stiff underground fighting, Lieut. Russel was wounded on three occasions. By July 1917, the Germans were driven back under their own line and the whole of his HILL 70 mining system had been captured. Lieutenant Hugh Russel was recommended for the Military Cross on 30 September 1917 by the Brigadier General, Chief Engineer, I Corps.

On 22 January 1918 Lieutenant Russel was wounded in Hythe Alley at Loos and died of his wounds on 23 January. He was undertaking survey work at a theodolite when a shell exploded nearby. His assistant, 5001 Sapper J Cardin, was killed outright. The theodolite is now at the Australian War Memorial. Lieutenant Russel and Sapper Cardin are buried at Hersin Communal Cemetery Extension, France. This burial place was used from March 1916 until October 1918. and contains 224 Commonwealth burials of the First World War; many of the graves are of engineers, mostly from tunnelling companies.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

51^st Battalion Cross in St George’s Cathedral Perth

http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww1/display/96820-st-anne%60s-villers-bretonneux-cross-replica-/

Messines – Tunnellers and Miners

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/messines-tunnellers-and-mines

Timber for the trenches: a new perspective on archaeological wood from First World War trenches in Flanders Fields

cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/timber-for-the-trenches-a-new-perspective-on-archaeological-wood-from-first-world-war-trenches-in-flanders-fields/6B0D2D7690DB7909CCAC5C09C4B5F411

Hugh Russel plaque on Kings Park Honour Avenue

https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/honour-avenues-plaques/2227-lt-hugh-russel

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Fragments of Hugh Russel’s theodolite in the collection of the Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C117872

Soldiers’ Memorial Chapel, St George’s Cathedral, Perth

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 12 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

THE UBIQUITOUS P1 HUT

The Second World War presented a huge logistical problem for Australian defence planners. The solution they arrived at for personnel accommodation requirements was neat and inexpensive – the P1 hut. Using readily available building materials and easily understood building techniques, tens of thousands of these huts were built by civil contractors across Australia in the period 1939-1945. Although designed as temporary accommodation their adaptability and inherent strength made them the backbone of military accommodation for 50 years and many are still in use today. Artillery Camp below Oliver Hill shows a variety of hut configurations. Two standard pattern P Huts are in the foreground.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Australian ‘P’ series of huts was designed to cover all the personnel accommodation requirements of the military. The series was centred around a basic module – the P1 sleeping or stores hut, which was then modified to produce messes, guard huts, canteens, medical aid posts, dental surgeries, recreation huts, classrooms, and offices. Further modifications produced ablutions, showers, latrines, laundries, offices and stores.

Unlike the Nissen/Quonset huts which were factory prefabricated, the P1 was designed for construction by civilian contractors using freely available local materials and in a style familiar to all Australian builders. The contractors operated from a site plan which nominated the location of the various types around the camps, and from a set of standard construction plans for each type.

Although a variety of wooden frame former military buildings remain on Rottnest including the Cinema and some staff accommodation bungalows, there does not appear to be an example of the standard wartime P1 Hut remaining.

A standard configuration P1 hut still in use at Northam Army Camp in 1980

A variety of P1 Huts repurposed and reconfigured as the Rottnest Tea Rooms roughly on the site of the current Dome Coffee Shop

Interior view of a P1 Hut with larger windows in use as a camp recreation hall

Wartime P1 hut on Rottnest Island – location not confirmed

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 15 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Large Technology Object – M3 Grant Tank

DESCRIPTION

The Grant tank was the British version of the American M3 Medium Tank known as the Lee. The Grant armament was a 75 mm gun mounted in a limited traverse right forward sponson. A 37 mm secondary gun was mounted in an independent turret above this. Some 757 M3 Mediums were received in Australia during 1942 and equipped the 1^st Australian Armoured Division in Western Australia. Post-war disposal saw many surplus Grants utilised for land clearance purposes in the Wheat belt. This tank Hector served with 2/10^th Armoured Regiment and was donated to the Museum to the permanent collection by the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Association in 2007 to the Museum for conservation and public display.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Grant was a compromise design with several flaws but was selected because it could quickly enter mass production. The U.S. Army needed a medium tank armed with a 75mm gun and the United Kingdom had an immediate demand for 3,650 medium tanks Design commenced in July 1940, production in December 1940 and the first M3s were operational in late 1941.

The M3 had considerable firepower and good armour, but serious drawbacks in its general design and shape, including high silhouette, archaic sponson mounting of the main gun preventing the tank from taking a hull-down position, riveted construction, and poor off-road performance.

After some initial success in North Africa, its overall performance was not satisfactory and the tank was withdrawn from combat in most theaters as soon as the M4 Sherman tank became available in larger numbers.

Alongside the Matilda II, the M3 Grant was the mainstay of the Australian armoured forces during the war. By December 1942, 757 M3 Medium tanks had been delivered to Australia (and 20 more lost in transit). By June 1944, this force comprised 266 petrol and 232 diesel versions. Many vehicles kept their factory olive drab livery, while others were camouflaged using an Australian specified olive-green/beige pattern. The Grant tanks in Australian service were powered by Wright (Continental) R975 EC2 engine rated at 400hp, with a synchromesh 5-speed transmission. All petrol-engined Grants were declared obsolete at the end of the war and were locally disposed.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Newly arrived M3 Medium tanks parade through Perth on tank transporters

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/38552305?searchTerm=%22armoured%22%20AND%20(parade)&searchLimits=exactPhrase=armoured|||anyWords=parade|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1943-01-01|||dateTo=1943-12-31|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

Wartime film footage including;(12:01) M3 Stuart field maintenance;(12:02) 2/10th Australia Armoured Regiment field exercises; (12:05) Arrival of General Grant M3 medium tanks for the 1st Australian Armoured Division; (12:07) Anti/aircraft group Fremantle; (12:08) Service chiefs conference, Corps HQ WA; and (12:10) WAAAF maintenance crews, Pearce, WA.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C189071

The M3 Grant platform was the basis for many Australian designed variants

http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/Armoured%20Vehicles/m3ph_2.htm

A bargain to be had in disposed Grant tank?

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46248173?searchTerm=disposal%20AND%20%22tanks%20sold%22%20AND%20(tank%3B%20OR%20Grant)&searchLimits=exactPhrase=tanks+sold|||anyWords=tank%3B+Grant|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1946-01-01|||dateTo=1947-12-31|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||sortby

Build your own 1/35 scale model of an M3 Grant Medium Tank.

https://www.hobbylandaustralia.com.au/shop/plastic-military-kits/tamiya-35041-british-m3-grant-tank-1-35/

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Australian Divisional Vehicle Tac Signs:

Battle Axe – 1 Armoured Division; Kangaroo – 6 Division; Kookaburra – 7 Division; Emu – 8 Division; Platypus – 9 Division

M3 Grant tanks in Wellington Street Perth passing Boan Brothers. Censorship has removed individual vehicle identification but not the 1^st Armoured Division Tac Sign.

Australian camouflage in World War 2

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j38/camouflage

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 11 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

The intent was to maintain a connection to the Island by exploring stories of interest and offering links for self discovery.

AROUND THE KINGSTOWN BARRACKS GATES

These decorative gates once graced the formal entrance to Kingstown Barracks. They were located about where the Railway Crossing signs stand today on either side of the road just before the Detail Issue Depot (DID) Shed. Just visible on the left hand side of the road is the military obstacle course. The Rottnest Island tea trees (melaleuca lanceolata) on the right are still there, although larger and much trimmed.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The decorative post-war gates are one indication that Army saw an ongoing need for the Kingstown Barracks reserve after World War 2. Although the brick piers were removed sometime after the Barracks were relinquished by Defence, the metal gates were retained and remain in storage on the Island. The simple design incorporates the initials KB in a circle. Rumours persist that an RVGA guide with those initials is only one powerball away from requesting the gates for her future country estate.

Obstacle Courses or Assault Courses have been used in the Australian Army for over 100 years as an effective form of military team training. Traditionally these courses placed a number of obstacles in a straight line or predetermined order and teams competed against each other to achieve the fastest time. The Rottnest Island Obstacle Course was of this pattern.

More modern courses have evolved realistic challenges to prepare soldiers for combat environments such as fighting in built up areas (FIBUA) and obstacles in built up areas (OBUA). The aim is to develop teamwork and physical attributes but also enhance situational awareness and close order battle (COB) techniques.

In the Australian Army, Detail Issue Depots (DIDs) were facilities for storing and distributing basic supplies to the various camps and units in their areas of responsibility. They could be in fixed locations as on Rottnest, but also be movable facilities to support field operations.

The Rottnest Island Tea Tree, Melaleuca lanceolata, a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae is also commonly known as black paperbark, moonah and western black tea tree. It is found not only in Western Australia but also, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. It is a densely foliaged tree with rough bark, which flowers prolifically in summer. The Rottnest Island Tea Tree grows either as a shrub or a small tree. Its size ranges from 1 to 5 metres reaching the larger size in more sheltered parts of the Island. Its leaves are up to 15 mm long and 2 mm wide and curve backwards.

It has small white or cream flowers which grow in cylinder shaped groupings from January to September. The plant produces seeds from hard, wrinkled fruits in its canopy which are spread by wind and water. After damage or fire, it re-sprouts from its base. Soaking the nectar rich blossom in water yields a sweet drink which was traditionally used to treat headaches.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

More site specific details of Rottnest Island from the Engineering Heritage Nomination

https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/Fremantle_Fortress_Nom.pdf

More information about the Rottnest Island Tea Tree

https://wildlife.rottnestisland.com/land/flora/Rottnest%20Tea%20Tree

Military training today in Australia

https://www.army.gov.au/our-life/training/soldier-training/full-time-soldier-training

Virtual tour of Kingstown accommodation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQZEfo2X0IY

Approximate location of piers for Kingstown Barracks gates. DID on right.

Detail Issue Depot, Port Moresby, New Guinea, 1944

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 14 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia remains temporarily closed for public visits during current COVID-19 restrictions. Army continues to review the situation, on a national perspective, as restriction levels are adjusted.

Each week, the Museum will continue to present an object from the collection and tell its story. Included will be links and related material which will allow you, your family or friends to continue a journey of self-discovery. Enjoy the experience and stay well.

Large Technology Object – 15 Pounder Field Gun 1898

DESCRIPTION

Ordnance BL 15-pounder, otherwise known as the 15-pounder 7 cwt, was the British Army‘s field gun in the Second Boer War. It fired a shell of 3-inch diameter with a maximum weight of 15 pounds (6.8 kg), [production shell weight was actually 14 pounds] hence its name which differentiated it from its predecessor ’12-pounder’ 3-inch gun which fired shells weighing only 12.5 pounds (5.7 kg). Prior to the Boer War, two Mk 1 versions of the gun were delivered to Western Australia. In the next decade, the rapid evolution of Quick Fire (QF) artillery technology saw the 15 pounder was replaced by the 18-pounder. This gun was subsequently on outdoor display at the main entrance of Swan Barracks, Perth for many years. The gun was restored by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of WA in 2001 and later transferred to the Army Museum for public display.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Ordnance BL 15 pounder, (15 pounder 7 cwt) was a modified version of the previous BL 12 pounder 7 cwt gun of 1883. When the modern smokeless propellant cordite replaced gunpowder in 1892 it was decided that the 12 pounder was capable of firing a heavier shell up to 15 lb (6.8 kg). A 14 pound shell was adopted and the gun was renamed a 15 pounder. The switch to smokeless powder considerably reduced “the fog of war” on the battlefield.

In 1897, eight 15 pounder barrels were sent to Australia where carriages were manufactured to Ordnance Board specifications. Six completed guns were assigned to New South Wales and two to Western Australia. As Western Australia provided primarily mounted infantry contingents to the Boer War, this gun saw no operational service.

The Mk I carriage recoil, as present on this gun, was controlled by drag-shoes. These were placed under the wheels and were connected by chains and cables to the wheel hubs and the trail. Later versions had a rudimentary recoil system consisting of a “spade” beneath the axle which dug in when the gun recoiled, connected by a steel wire to a spring in a cylinder on the trail. Although the whole gun jumped and moved backwards on firing, the spring returned it to firing position increasing the rate of fire compared to the old model without any recoil mechanism. “It is said that it checked it [recoil] so well that the gun usually recoiled 1 foot and jumped forward 2 feet”.

Outdoor display at Swan Barracks resulted in considerable deterioration. Conservation works undertaken by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of Western Australia included fabrication of the missing breech and brakes/recoil system and re-fabrication of the gun wheels.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Extensive glossary of British ordnance terms and technology

https://thereaderwiki.com/en/Glossary_of_British_ordnance_terms

Two customs directly related to the 15 Pounder BL gun originated at Queen Victoria’s funeral – the use of a horse drawn gun carriage to convey the coffin and the hauling of the gun carriage by naval ratings.

https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/queen-victoria-death-funeral-mask-cause/

Opposing artilleries during the 2^nd Anglo-Boer War.

http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol022dh.html

The breech mechanism was one factor in increased rate of fire.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QF_15_pounder_gun_breech_mechanism_diagrams.jpg

Ammunition system for the 15 pounder 7 cwt BL gun

https://readtiger.com/img/wkp/en/15pdrShrapnelShellMkVIDiagram.jpg

In the Second Boer War 349 15 pounder BL guns were in service 1899–1902 and fired 166,548 shells out of the British total of 233,714. The gun could fire a shell up to 5800 yards, the No. 56 time and percussion fuze in use in 1899 could only be set for a maximum timed range of 4100 yards because it only burned for 13 seconds. The shrapnel shells in use were usually time-set to burst in the air above and in front of the enemy. Hence the gunners had to get within approximately 4200 yards of the enemy to fire on them. The need to get forward had fatal consequences for British gunners at the battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Colenso

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 10 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island is open again and ready for your visit. Unfortunately, the Museum and West End remain closed due to ongoing renovation and construction. Full tours with social distancing are now being offered Oliver Hill and the Lighthouse, Our family oriented School Holiday program is now underway.

In the meantime, to help you maintain contact with your favourite Island, the Defence Heritage Committee will continue to present a weekly photo and tell a related story from its collections and archives.

UNIVERSAL OR BREN GUN CARRIER

DESCRIPTION

The Carden-Loyd series Universal or Bren Gun Carrier is the common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles. The Carrier was widely used during World War 2 to transport personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. This example was built at the State Engineering Works in North Fremantle. This example featured at the event commemorating the proof firing of H1 and H2 guns in 2013.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The first carriers – the Bren Carrier and the Scout Carrier with specific roles – entered service before World War 2, but a single improved design that could replace these, the Universal, was introduced in 1940. With a crew of 2 to 5 depending on its role and powered by a Ford V8 water cooled engine, it had a top speed of 50 kilometres per hour and a range of 250 kilometres.

The first carriers manufactured in Australia was designated the LP1 (Local Pattern). They were produced in 1940 from plans copied from a single early model Carrier Bren No 2 Mk 1 imported from Britain in 1940. About 160 were built in Victorian before production switched to the improved LP2. Electric arc welding replaced hand riveting and a greater variety of weapons could be mounted instead of the original Vickers machine gun. This included Vickers, Bren, Hotchkiss and Lewis machine guns.

Between 1941 and 1943 approximately 4,800 carriers were built in four states; Ford Homebush in Sydney; Victorian Railways and Gas Works in Melbourne; South Australian Railways at Islington and State Engineering Works in North Fremantle.

The first production of 2,700 LP2 models had tools externally mounted on the left hull plate and the rear apron. Later models had all tools were mounted at the rear. Later models also had a changed interior layout to permit the mounting of a No 9 or No 11 radio at the right rear.

Post-war these carriers were sold off at surplus. Mostly they were purchased for their drive trains which were the same as Ford trucks. On the farm, the carriers proved too highly geared and light weight to be used as bulldozers or tractors.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

This video tells all you would want to know about the Carrier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nTsnfEAjzI

75^th Anniversary Program – Kingstown, Bickley and Oliver Hill, October 2013

https://www.avidevents.com.au/portfolio-posts/rottnest-island-75th-artillery-anniversary/

Bickley Conservation for 75^th anniversary

https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/heritage-successes-preserve-history-ng-ya-367029

Build your own 1/35 scale model of a Bren Gun Carrier

https://www.frontlinehobbies.com.au/tamiya-1-35-british-universal-carrier-t35175

Australian camouflage during World War 2

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j38/camouflage

Camouflage patterns – 13 basic design options

https://www.heddels.com/2015/01/understanding-camo-13-patterns-know/

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE COLLECTION

A Bren gun carrier of the 6th Aust Infantry Battalion, landing from an FBE raft (half floating bay), after having been towed to the landing site at Point Walter by a launch of the Naval Auxiliary Patrol [commanded by Lt Roland Smith, RANVR and operating from HMAS Leeuwin II – Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club] during exercises at 3 Aust Corps Combined Operations Training Centre. February 1943.

LP2 Carriers at the State Engineering Works, North Fremantle

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 13 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

28^TH Battalion Australian Imperial Force Regimental Colour

DESCRIPTION

Dark green with gold fringe. In the centre the battalion colour patch of a white over blue diamond within a circle inscribed “TWENTY EIGHTH INFANTRY”, the whole surrounded with a wreath of Australian wattle and surmounted by the Crown. In the upper canton the Arabic numeral “28”.
Battle Honours emblazoned on the colour are:
POZIERES, BULLECOURT, YPRES 1917, MENIN ROAD, PASSCHENDAELE, AMIENS, MONT ST QUENTIN, HINDENBURG LINE, GALLIPOLI 1915, EGYPT 1915-16

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Colour was presented by Lieutenant-General Sir JJ Talbot Hobbs, KCB, KCMG, VD, LLD at a parade held on the Esplanade, Perth, 22 October 1927.

With the re-activation of the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) following the Second World War, the 16th/28th Infantry Battalion (The Cameron Highlanders of Western Australia) was raised as a linked battalion in 1948 to carry on the identity and traditions of the pre-war 16th and 28th Battalions respectively. The King’s and Regimental Colours formerly held by these two battalions were passed on to the new battalion who paraded them in rotation on ceremonial occasions.

The above battalion became unlinked in March 1952 and 28th Infantry Battalion (The Swan Regiment) became an independent battalion within its own right. The former colours of 28th Battalion were handed back at a parade at Northam Camp on 24 August 1952.

Under major reorganisation of the CMF in 1960, all individual infantry battalions that existed at the time within each State were amalgamated to form State regiments, taking effect from 1 July 1960. Thus from that date the 11/44th, 16th and 28th Infantry Battalions were amalgamated to form The Royal Western Australia Regiment. In September 1960, at a ceremonial parade held at Northam Camp, the Colours carried by all former battalions were handed over for safe keeping by the new regiment.

These former colours were subsequently laid up in the undercroft at the State War Memorial, King’s Park on 29 November 1964. These were transferred to the Army Museum of WA in 1988 as part of the Bicentenary Colours Project..

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Discover the Tradition of Regimental Colours in the Australian Army

https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/traditions/colours-standards-guidons-and-banners

Ceremonial Parade for the Consecration of Colours 1927

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/79513934?searchTerm=Hobbs&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1927-10-09|||dateTo=1927-10-31|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||sortby

Handover of 28 Battalion Colours to Swan Regiment 1952

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252532178?searchTerm=Swan%20AND%20(Colours)&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords=Colours|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1952-08-03|||dateTo=1952-08-31|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||l-illustrated=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

Collections Care Manual Western Australian Museum https://manual.museum.wa.gov.au/book/export/html/127

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Lewis guns on the firing line, the switch from manpower to firepower

https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/history-in-focus/a-revolution-in-military-affairs

The Blue and White Diamond 28^th Battalion by Neville Browning

This book contains a history of the 28^th Battalion AIF from 1915 to 1919.

https://regimental-books.com.au/product/the-blue-and-white-diamond-28th-battalion-2nd-edition/

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 9 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island is open again and ready for your visit. Unfortunately, the Museum and West End remain closed due to ongoing renovation and construction. Surface only tours are being offered Oliver Hill and the Lighthouse, Other Guide services including a School Holiday program are being progressively implemented.

PHOTOGRAPH – BUILDING A RAILWAY EMBANKMENT

Horse drawn scoops and hand labour with wheelbarrows constructing the railway embankment from Bickley Swamp to Oliver Hill. Horse scoops are contracted. Most hand labourers are on the Dole. Over 13 kilometres of 3 foot 6 inch narrow gauge rail line were constructed by the end of 1938.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

It would take an average 1930s wheelbarrow 12-15 trips to shift 1 cubic metre of dry sand with a total weight of 1,600 kilos. An embankment 100 metres long, 2 metres wide and 1 metre deep would require 3,000 barrow loads to shift the 32 metric tons (32,000 kilos) of dry sand needed to form the embankment proper not taking into account material in a safe angle of repose on either side to hold it in place.

The construction of roads and the rail line marked the start of the creation of the Rottnest Island Fortress. The 3 foot 6 inch gauge military railway ran from the Army Jetty to Oliver Hill, with spur lines to the Kingstown Barracks and Bickley Battery. Once construction was completed, the engines and support equipment operated from facilities at Kingstown Barracks.

The rail line was particularly important, as it enabled heavy loads to be transported from the jetty to the building sites, and later carried the guns and associated equipment. The tender for construction of the rail line was let to John Dunstan and Son in November 1935 at the contract amount of £13,364. The completion date was set for March 1936, just 5 months.

The original rail line between Oliver Hill and Kingstown Barracks has been maintained, extended to the Settlement, and now carries visitors to and from the gun site. The rolling stock is named after Brigadier Bertram Frank Hussey. In the lead-up to WW2, as a Captain, he was seconded from the Army to oversee the construction of the railway on Rottnest.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

The Susso or the Dole?

https://lottiehopkins.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/the-susso-the-dole/

Keeping the line operational.

https://www.arcinfra.com/newsroom/Ensuring-the-future-of-Rottnest-railway

Horse drawn scrapper (starts at minute 12:40)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqnDf4piX2w

You do the math: How many cubic metres of sand are required to build a 2 metre wide embankment 3 kilometres long with a starting depth of 1 metre and finishing depth of 2 metres with 45 degree slopes extending either side? (Hint: Break down into component volumes)

The Captain Hussey for whom the train is named –

https://archives.org.au/Bertram_Frank_Hussey

The muddle of rail gauges in Australia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_gauge_in_Australia

Did you know that the original engines for the railway came from an abandoned naval base project at Henderson, hence the suburb name. [A future Virtual Visit will talk about the Crayfish and the Crab]

https://history.cockburn.wa.gov.au/Wartime/Military-and-home-defence/Training-at-Naval-Base-10th-Light-Horse-and-more

https://www.cockburnlibraries.com.au/blog/suburban-history-henderson/

PHOTOS FROM THE COLLECTION

The line begins – early construction at the jetty before installation of the gantry

Breaking and shifting limestone as ballast

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 12 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Home Front Diorama – 1942 – Anderson Shelter

DESCRIPTION

1:1 Scale diorama of two service women in a replica backyard Anderson shelter in a Perth backyard in 1943. On the left is a member of the Australian Women’s Army Service and on the right a Voluntary Aid Detachment member. The Anderson shelter was a small and cheap shelter that could be erected in people’s gardens. Within a few months nearly one and a half million Anderson Shelters were distributed in London to areas expected to be bombed by the Luftwaffe. Similar shelters were later available for purchase in Australia.

ISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Anderson Air Raid Shelter or Air Raid Precaution (ARP) shelter was a prefabricated kit consisting of a 4-piece angle-iron base frame, 6-piece dome section of curved corrugated iron, and corrugated iron end sheets. It was designed c1938 by Sir William Paterson at the request of British Home Secretary and Minster for Home Security, John Anderson (after whom it was named), and was based on an earlier design by Dr David Anderson.

The structure was intended to be buried half in the ground with the upper half covered in soil. The manufacturer John Lysaght P/L states in advertising material: “over 40,000 tons of these shelters were supplied to the British Government by the Australian company of John Lysaght (Aust) Pty Ltd and over 2,500,000 were supplied by the English manufacturers. The Australian War Memorial has an original Anderson Shelter in its collection.

Another home shelter type was the Morrison shelter, officially termed Table (Morrison) Indoor Shelter, had a cage-like construction beneath it. It was named after Herbert Morrison, the British Minister of Home Security at the time. The Morrison shelter came in assembly kits, to be bolted together inside the home. They were approximately 2 metres by 1.2 metres and 0.75 metres in height with welded wire mesh sides supporting a 3mm steel plate tabletop. Shelters in private homes were supplemented by public shelters established by governments at all levels and shelters designed to protect infrastructure key workers.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Australian Women’s Army Service

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/awas

Voluntary Aid Detachments

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/vad

Anderson shelters during World War 2

https://spartacus-educational.com/2WWandersonshelter.htm

Inside the University of Western Australia’s World War 2 Bomb Shelter

https://www.6pr.com.au/inside-uwa-s-ww2-bomb-shelter-20170421-gvq0o7/

Air raid precautions in Perth 14 December 1941

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59162721

https://www.facebook.com/LostPerth/posts/war-touched-perth-on-several-occasions-from-the-boer-war-first-and-second-world-/777135365690853/

Air raid alarm in Perth 11 March 1944

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46787349

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/58fc7215d0cf191fe4e06d86

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 8 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island is open again and ready for your visit. Unfortunately, the Museum and West End remain closed due to ongoing renovation and construction. Surface tours recommenced at Oliver Hill and the Lighthouse on 22 June.

Stay safe and we hope to see you soon.

PHOTOGRAPH – LEGEND OF ST BARBARA – KINGSTOWN BARRACKS RECREATION HALL 1938

Interior of the Kingstown Barracks recreation hall with artillery motif on curtains. The motif is a red representation of a lightning bolt on a blue background. This alludes to the legend of Saint Barbara whose executioner was struck by a lightning bolt. Saint Barbara is the Patron Saint of Artillery, Miners and those who work with explosives.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

St Barbara is the patron Saint of gunners, sappers and miners and those who work with explosives. Her feast day of 4 December is widely celebrated by these groups and remains a recognised Saint’s Day in the Orthodox tradition. There is a statue of St Barbara in Kalgoorlie. Part of the legend is that her executioner was struck by a bolt of lightning before he could do his task.

As well as lightning bolts, her iconography often includes a tower with three windows, a cannon and chalice. Corps and unit patches in the coast artillery also used the lightning bolt motif. The artillery tie in armies following British traditions also features lightning bolts.

The décor of the recreation hall appears austere by modern standards, but it was equipped to project movies, had a public telephone booth, reading materials and a library as well as adjacent rooms for cards and billiards. Together with the Dry Canteen (now the Peacock Inn) these amenities represented the culmination of a continuing series of reforms and improvement of service conditions beginning in the 1850s after the Crimean War. Indeed, from Federation into the 1930s there had been public complaints about the “lavish” standard of military quarters in Fremantle and on Rottnest which were superior to adjacent civilian housing or what was available to rent during the Great Depression.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Great Martyr Barbara in the Orthodox tradition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Barbara

Official Australian Artillery version of the Saint Barbara legend

https://australianartilleryassociation.com/document/origin_of_st_barbara.pdf

Examples of Artillery shoulder flashes featuring lightning bolts

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/patches/pmf.htm

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/patches/arm-service.htm

Saint Barbara monument in Kalgoorlie

http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/technology/industry/display/60644-saint-barbara/photo/1

Feeling brave – go here for a fearsome Artillery Punch ritual. For a slightly less lethal but still powerful experience google Chatham Artillery Punch.

http://wesclark.com/jw/barbara.html

Artillery tie and close-up of reproduction curtains in Kingstown Barracks

Note the Roman style bricks, one of many stylish Art Deco details throughout Kingstown Barracks

Note the foundation supports under the legs to take the weight of the slate slab in the billiards table.

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 11 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Photograph & Medals of Sergeant Martin O’Meara VC

DESCRIPTION

Sergeant Martin O’Meara was a member of Western Australia’s 16th Infantry Battalion. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for outstanding bravery over a number of days at Mouquet Farm during the 1916 Somme Offensive. Each Victoria Cross is unique in that the medal is cast and hand finished including a secret identifying mark. O’Meara’s medal has a further distinction. Because it was never mounted, it still retains the original presentation clasp which allowed it to be hooked onto his uniform at the time of investiture.

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia and the Australian Army History Unit has loaned Sergeant Martin O’Meara’s Victoria Cross to the Republic of Ireland for 12 months to feature in an exhibition. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel restrictions, this loan period has now been extended

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Victoria Cross is the British Commonwealth highest award for gallantry in action. Since its inception in 1857 during the reign of Queen Victoria fewer than 100 Australians have been awarded the Victoria Cross. The Army Museum of Western Australia has the largest collection of Victoria crosses in Australia after the Australian War Memorial.

Martin O’Meara was born in November 1885 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and immigrated to Western Australia in 1914. On 19 August 1915, aged nearly 30, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Blackboy Hill.

Arriving at Marseilles, France, on 1 June 1916, he was soon at the front in the centre of the Somme offensive, an area of bitter fighting. Between 9 – 12 August, O’Meara distinguished himself with acts of bravery that earned him the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy. O’Meara was presented his Victoria Cross by King George V in July 1917. He was one of around 6000 Irish-born Anzacs who served with the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, but the only Irish-born Victoria Cross recipient in the AIF.

After being wounded three times and returning to his unit each time, O’Meara was eventually returned to Australia in November 1918. However the ravages of war had, unfortunately, taken their toll on him, and within days of his return to Perth he was admitted first to Stromness Mental Facility and then to Claremont Mental Hospital, with reports he was “delusional” and “extremely homicidal and suicidal and requires to be kept in restraint”. Sadly, O’Meara never recovered, and died in 1935 at Claremont Mental Hospital. He is buried in Karrakatta Cemetery.

The medal will be on extended display, at The National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin, as part of a ‘Soldiers and Chiefs’ exhibition. Loaning the Victoria Cross required a change to Australian legislation to permit a ‘movable national treasure’ to leave Australia. While this loan will mark the first time a VC in public stewardship has left Australian shores, it is thought likely it will be the medal’s second visit to Ireland. After receiving his VC from King George V at Buckingham Palace, Martin O’Meara later visited his hometown, in October 1917, and it is thought highly likely he took the medal with him when he visited family in Tipperary.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

How does Australia recognise acts of bravery?

https://www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-and-awards/australian-bravery-decorations

Read the citation about Martin’s bravery and his numerous woundings.

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?key=O%27MEARA/M/3970

Australian Army O’Meara biography and media release

https://www.army.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/omeara_bio_.pdf

A modern investiture at Buckingham Palace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPtCemr7y9I

Explore Lorrha, Martin O’Meara’s birthplace in Ireland

http://www.lorrhadorrha.ie/

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Martin O’Meara’s wartime investiture at Buckingham Palace. Stepping forward to receive award from King George V (off picture to left)

A modern investiture at Buckingham Palace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPtCemr7y9I

O’Meara Biography http://www.ianloftus.com/martin-omeara-vc.html

Community connections – Collie War Memorial

https://www.rslwa.org.au/a-place-of-pride-in-collie/

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT – 7 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island is open again and ready for your visit. Unfortunately, the Museum and West End remain closed due to ongoing renovation and construction. Surface tours will recommence at Oliver Hill and the Lighthouse from 22 June.

Stay safe and we hope to see you soon.

PHOTOGRAPH – CONCRETE ON ROTTNEST

Construction of a searchlight post and associated engine room being undertaken on Rottnest Island prior to 1938. No batch plant here, only portable cement mixers and wheel barrows.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Concrete as a building material has been around for a very long time. It is present in the pyramids at Gizeh and the Romans used it in the Pantheon and in aqueducts in France, where it is still performing well. Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a cement paste that hardens (cures) over time. In the past lime based cement binders were often used, such as lime putty but now most commonly Portland cement is used to form Portland cement concrete.

Pioneering attempts to produce cement in Australia began in 1882, following early uses of imported cement from England in the 1860s and 70s It was not until 1889-1892, when cement kilns and works were initially established in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, that Portland cement manufacture showed signs of becoming a successful venture enterprise.

Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It is a fine powder, produced by heating limestone and clay minerals in a kiln to form clinker, grinding the clinker, and adding 2 to 3 percent of gypsum.

Reinforced concrete (also called reinforced cement concrete or RCC) is a composite material in which concrete‘s relatively low tensile strength and ductility are counteracted by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility. The reinforcement is usually, steel reinforcing bars (rebar) and is usually embedded passively in the concrete before the concrete sets.

Concrete cancer is caused when the steel reinforcing within a concrete slab begins to rust. As the steel rusts it expands, displacing the concrete around it, causing it to become brittle and crack thus accelerating the process.

Many of the defence works on Rottnest Island are constructed of reinforced cement concrete. This includes observation posts, gun mountings, searchlight shelters, ammunition magazines and major sub-surface components. Because of variations in construction techniques and materials, together with the harsh maritime conditions, many of these structures are exhibiting signs of concrete cancer and structural failure.

Over the past 30 years, considerable conservation and remediation work, based on documentation and research, has been undertaken by the Rottnest Island Authority at key defence sites, Action has been taken to retard deterioration, remediate failure or as a last resort demolition to make safe. The process is ongoing.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places

http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/PrintSingleRecord/3388536f-0ea6-40d4-8b94-7028011bca8d

History of the Maginot Line

https://militaryhistorynow.com/2017/05/07/the-great-wall-of-france-11-remarkable-facts-about-the-maginot-line/

The Concrete Battleship – Fort Drum, Manilla Harbour

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-concrete-battleship-b1bb8644dd05

The Atlantic Wall in World War 2

https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/france-during-world-war-two/the-atlantic-wall/

Hold down ring and bolts, F1 Gun, Bickley Battery

Searchlight post showing deterioration due to concrete cancer

Command Post, Jubilee Hill, Bickley

Searchlight engine room, Bickley Artillery Camp

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 10 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

LARGE TECHNOLOGY OBJECT – UNIVERSAL CARRIER

DESCRIPTION

The Carden-Loyd series Universal or Bren Gun Carrier is the common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles. The Carrier was widely used during World War 2 to transport personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. Production continued until the 1960 totalling over 113,000 units making it the most produced armoured fighting vehicle in history. This example was built at the State Engineering Works in North Fremantle.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

This video tells all you would want to know about the Carrier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nTsnfEAjzI

Build your own 1/35 scale model of a Bren Gun Carrier

https://www.frontlinehobbies.com.au/tamiya-1-35-british-universal-carrier-t35175

Australian camouflage during World War 2

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j38/camouflage

Camouflage patterns – 13 basic design options

https://www.heddels.com/2015/01/understanding-camo-13-patterns-know/

Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) AWA manufactured military wireless sets during World War 2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_set_No._11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Set_No._19

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

A Bren gun carrier of the 6th Aust Infantry Battalion, landing from an FBE raft (half floating bay), after having been towed to the landing site at Point Walter by a launch of the naval auxiliary patrol during exercises at 3 Aust Corps Combined Operations Training Centre. February 1943. [Editorial Note – In May 1942, the abbreviation Aust was inserted into the names of all Australian army units as part of standardisation of nomenclature].

LP2 Carriers at the State Engineering Works, North Fremantle

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 6 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island is open again and ready for your visit. Unfortunately, the Museum and West End remain closed due to ongoing renovation and construction. Tours have not yet recommenced at Oliver Hill or the Lighthouse while COVID-19 safety protocols are finalised for these sites

Stay safe and we hope to see you soon.

PHOTOGRAPH – SUBMARINE CABLE LAYING 1935

In Fremantle port, 10 ½ miles of submarine cable for the new Postmaster General telephone link to Rottnest are being loaded into a barge from the Cable Ship Faraday on 18 December 1935. This cable replaced the original cable laid in 1902 which, in turn had superseded the previous heliograph link.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The arrival of the cable ship Faraday and all aspects of the preparation and laying of the cable was extensively reported in local media. Search using terms like: Rottnest,Cable and Faraday

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/85746740?searchTerm=Rottnest%20cable%20AND%20(cable%3B%20OR%20submarine%3B%20OR%20PMG)&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords=cable%3B+++submarine%3B+PMG|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1935-07-01|||dateTo=1936-03-01|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||l-advcategory=Article|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||l-illustrated=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

Tucked away between these articles was the following note of a significant development relevant to Australian culture:

Travellers returning to Australia from the United States bring news and samples of America’s latest novelty — canned beer. Canned beer, it Is stated, has almost supplanted the bottled product in the United States and is being sold in large quantities. With a can of beer, the purchaser is given a can opener which makes a hole beneath the top. Generally, the beer is drunk from the can.

The newly laid cable also played a part in the unveiling of the Vlamingh Memorial as reported:

Next Monday the first wireless broad cast ever made from Rottnest Island will take place, when National Station 6WF will put over the air a description of the ceremony of unveiling the cairn on Vlamingh Head, which commemorates the first landing upon the island by the discoverers Willem de Vlamingh and his crew. Today the manager of National Station 6WF said that the broadcast was made possible by the co-operation of the Postmaster-General’s Department and the installation of a new cable to the mainland, thus the most modern means of communication would be used to commemorate one of the earliest events associated with the history of Australia.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

History of the cable ship Faraday

https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?10357

History of Western Australia telecommunications

https://oldaustraliantelephones.weebly.com/western-australian-colonial-telecommunications.html

Remnants of historic undersea cables visible near Cottesloe Beach

https://fremantlebiz.livejournal.com/503785.html

Public telephones by the Salt Store, Thomson Bay Settlement

Official opening of the Vlamingh Memorial. The official party was headed by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir James Mitchell, although the flag flying is the undifferenced Union flag and not the Governor’s standard of the era.

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 8 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Kokoda Trail Diorama – New Guinea 1942

DESCRIPTION

A 1:1 scale diorama showing Australian patrol advancing up the Kokoda Trail in light fighting order circa August 1942. This diorama is the central feature in the World War 2 Gallery – South West Pacific area.

Soldiers are depicted still wearing khaki uniforms from North Africa campaign including shorts. Details include helmet, No 4 .303 rifles, small pack and fighting order. A Japanese “Woodpecker” machine gun is shown abandoned beside the track. The “Woodpecker” relic was retrieved from New Guinea by the formerly Perth based 22 Construction Squadron.

The diorama dimensions are L 7 metres W 2 metres H 4 metres.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Kokoda Trail linked Ower’s Corner, approximately 40 km north-east of Port Moresby to the village of Kokoda and its airstrip on the northern side of the Owen Stanley mountain range. From there trails continued to the river crossing at Wairopi and on to the settlements of Buna, Gona and Sanananda on the north coast. The village of Kokoda stood on the northern side of the main range and was the site of the only airfield between Port Moresby and the north coast.

After being repulsed at the battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese saw the Kokoda Trail as a route to capture Port Moresby. After landings at Gona on 21 July 1942, a full-scale offensive developed., the Australian force was unable to hold back the Japanese. Beginning as a fighting withdrawal, delaying actions were fought as the Australians withdrew along the Trail. They finally stopped on 17 September at Imita Ridge.

The tactical and supply situation swung against the Japanese who ordered a withdrawal to the north coast. Australian troops began to edge forward from Imita Ridge on 23 September. During their retreat, the Japanese fought delaying actions every bit as determined as those of the Australians. Several difficult battles were fought before crossing the Kumusi at Wairopi in mid-November heading for even more bitter fighting to eliminate the Japanese beachheads at Gona, Buna and Sanananda.

Approximately 625 Australians were killed along the Kokoda Trail and over 1,600 were wounded. Casualties due to sickness exceeded 4,000. “Kokoda Trail” and “Kokoda Track” have been used interchangeably. The former was adopted by the Battles Nomenclature Committee as the official British Commonwealth battle honour in October 1957.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

What was Maroubra Force?

https://codenames.info/operation/maroubra/

The Battle for Brigade Hill

https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/history-in-focus/the-battle-for-brigade-hill

Have you heard the term chocos or chocolate soldiers?

https://aso.gov.au/titles/tv/australians-at-war/clip1/

Discover the story of and the memorial to Brigadier Arnold Potts

https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/military/display/60702-brigadier-arnold-potts-

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10676740

Recollections of a biscuit bomber

https://www.battleforaustralia.asn.au/BiscuitBomberPilot.php

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Salvation Army Drop In centres in Papua and New Guinea were a welcome sight.

https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/about-us/news-and-stories/stories/remembering-the-war-time-hop-in-centres/

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 4 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island including the popular visitor attractions of the Museum, Oliver Hill, Signal Ridge and Kingstown is temporarily closed during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This does not mean that you will miss out on a heritage experience. Each week, the Defence Heritage Committee will present a photo and tell its story. Included will be links and related material which will allow you, your family or friends to continue a journey of self-discovery. Enjoy the experience and stay well.

RECOVERY OF BARREL OF F1 GUN, BICKLEY BATTERY 1980

An M543 Heavy 6×6 Wrecker of 113 Field Workshop, Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) recovering in 1980, a 6 inch Mk XI barrel buried at Bickley Battery, Rottnest Island. Supervising the operation is Sergeant Kevin Wotzko (on platform, RHS).

6 inch Mk XI gun components abandoned in situ after being scrapped. Barrel, pedestal and cradle visible. One barrel was cut in half but with no viable scrap option, the effort was abandoned for the second barrel.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The length of artillery barrels has often been described in terms of multiples of the bore diameter e.g. a 4-inch gun of 50 calibres would have a barrel 4 in × 50 = 200 inches long. A 50 calibre 6 inch gun (6 inch diameter shell), has a barrel length (muzzle to breech) of 50 × 6 = 300 inches (25 feet or 7.62 metres).

The Breech Loading (BL) 6-inch Mark XI naval gun was a British 50 calibre high-velocity naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on cruisers from 1906 onwards. The gun with its increased length of 50 calibres gave improved firepower over the 6-inch Mk VII gun of 45 calibres. However, increased length and weight made it unwieldy in the manually operated shipboard mountings on light cruisers, Britain reverted to 45-calibres guns in new warships from 1914 onwards with the BL 6-inch Mk XII gun.

The Mk XI gun was emplaced for coast defence in Australia leading up to World War II and remained in service until the 1960s. Guns in Australia came from the decommissioned World War cruisers HMAS Sydney, HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Brisbane. In addition to the Bickley Battery on Rottnest Island, they were emplaced in northern Australia and Torres Strait to defend against possible attack by Japan, and the Brisbane, Sydney harbour and Port Kembla defences.

When the guns were scrapped, the valuable non-ferrous fittings were removed but the steel components buried on the Island. After recovery, one of the Rottnest barrels was placed on display at Kingstown Barracks and the second eventually was emplaced at the Leighton Battery Heritage site. Other 6 inch MK XI barrels may be found in Australia at: Port Wakefield proof range north of Adelaide; Lower George’s Heights, Sydney Harbour; East Point Military Museum, Darwin; and the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Nowra.

The M54 5-ton 6×6 truck was the basic cargo model of the M39 Series. It was designed to transport a 4,500 kg, 4.3 m long cargo load. The M543 wrecker variant was had a rotating, telescoping, and elevating hydraulic boom could lift a maximum of 9,100 kg and had 9,100 kg front and 20,000 kg rear winches.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Photo of M543 Wrecker with 15 ton recovery trailer

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1236092

Leighton Battery Heritage Site, Mosman Park

http://www.artillerywa.org.au/raahs/history.htm

For comparison – Kembla Fortress

https://www.abandonedspaces.com/uncategorized/kembla-fortress.html

For the advanced model maker

https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/artifact/1042981/

Technical bumpf for the 6 inch (152 mm) Mk XI naval gun

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_6-50_mk11.php

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE COLLECTION

F2 Gun with barrel withdrawn for Combat Storage circa 1962. Note overhead crew protection installed circa 1942 and intact blast walls and camouflage still covering Command Post.

Both barrels were recovered and refurbished by Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) Workshop in 1980.

Initial placement of F1 barrel after severed halves welded together.

The F1 barrel after refurbishment in 2018.

The recovered barrel from F1 is now displayed at Kingstown Barracks and is used as the start point for Rottnest Voluntary Guides tours of Bickley Battery along a portion of the Ngank Yira Bidi – https://www.rottnestisland.com/wadjemupbidi

Record details now show that this was a spare barrel that may have briefly been on HMAS Brisbane. The barrel at Leighton Battery originally emplaced as F2 came from HMAS Melbourne.

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 7 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo and Medal Group of Sister Alicia Kelly MM, AARC

DESCRIPTION

Studio portrait of Alicia Mary Kelly on completion of training at (Royal) Melbourne Hospital in 1910. Ribbon bar with Military Medal (MM), 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Medal and ribbon of the Associate of the Royal Red Cross (ARRC). Sister Kelly was one of only seven Australian nurses to be awarded the Military Medal during World War One. Also in the collection is her nurse’s cape and a number of personal items. The location of her French Croix de Guerre is not known.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Alicia Mary Kelly was born on 16 September 1874 at Galway, Ireland. Nothing is known of her childhood or migration. She completed nursing training at the (Royal) Melbourne Hospital in 1910.

On 29 March 1915, aged 29, (actual age 41) Alicia Kelly enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service, Australian Imperial Force. In April she embarked with reinforcements for the 1st Australian General Hospital. She reached Egypt in time to receive the thousands of wounded after the landing at Gallipoli. From 28 August until December 1915 she made at least two trips on Euripides, transporting severely wounded men home to Australia.

In April 1916 she was posted to France serving with the 1st A.G.H. and the 29th Casualty Clearing Station and on 31 July was transferred to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. It was there she was awarded the Military Medal for ‘conspicuous gallantry under fire’. Sister Kelly was on duty at the 3rd A.C.C.S. during an air raid. Orders evacuated the medical staff as bombs fell. A padre discovered Sister Kelly sitting in one of the hospital tents holding a patient’s hand. When he asked why she had not left with the rest she answered ‘I couldn’t leave my patients’

From August Sister Kelly worked at the 3rd A.G.H. before returning to England in March 1918 for transport duty and then to Australia in May. After her discharge Alicia Kelly married Arthur Rupert Chipper, a corporal in the 10th Light Horse. After many years at Bullaring the Chippers moved to a farm at Narrogin.

At the outbreak of World War II, despite poor health deriving from her 1914-18 war experiences, Mrs Chipper returned to nursing and was appointed matron of the Old Women’s Home in West Midland (Woodbridge),.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

History of the Kelly Family by Alicia’s great-niece, Debbie McCauley

http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/remembering_war/topics/show/1536

Biographical and genealogical profile of Alicia Kelly

https://www.geni.com/people/SN-Alicia-Chipper/6000000023526264403

Police and Boer war service of Alicia’s brother Lieutenant John Bell Kelly

https://www.geni.com/people/Lieut-John-Kelly/6000000009422668491

Boer War and Australian Imperial Force service of Alicia’s brother George Arthur Kelly

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=161326

http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/remembering_war/topics/show/2554

National Museum of Australia education worksheet on Irish Migration to Australia

https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/326177/NMA_Irish.pdf

What was medical treatment like for Australian soldiers in World War 1?

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/medical-treatment

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Australian Field Dressing Station during the Battle of Messine, 7 June 1917

https://anzac-22nd-battalion.com/hospitals-france/

German prisoners of war acting as stretcher bearers. Because of the dangers involved, these prisoners of war retained their helmets and gas masks.

1906 Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field.

https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Treaty.xsp?documentId=C64C3E521F5CC28FC12563CD002D6737&action=openDocument

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 3 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island including the popular visitor attractions of the Museum, Oliver Hill, Signal Ridge and Kingstown is temporarily closed during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

PHOTOGRAPH – FIRST AIRCRAFT TO ROTTNEST

On 18 January 1930, a Klemm KL25 light aircraft with a float plane conversion was the first aircraft to fly to Rottnest. The plane was one of two operated by the Aerial Commerce Company, owned by HC Ittershagen. Among Ittershagen’s many business ventures was the agency for Lanz crude oil tractors. The letters …ANZ are just visible forward of the pilot’s cockpit. The two-seat configuration indicates that it was the plane delivered to Perth in November 1929.

As might be expected a Trove newspaper query reveals the extensive public interest created by this flight. Search for Rottnest in January 1929 to find coverage. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/search?adv=y

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Several aviation companies were formed in Western Australia in the 1920s and 30s. The longest lasting and most successful of these companies was the Aerial Commerce Company, owned by HC Ittershagen. Among Ittershagen’s many business ventures was the agency for Lanz crude oil tractors which sold widely across Western Australia. He conceived of the idea of using light aeroplanes to carry mechanics and spare parts to provide his customers with a quick repair service and imported two Klemm light aeroplanes, initially with this in mind. He leased endowment land at West Subiaco, had it cleared for a small aerodrome and erected a hangar there. The first of his aeroplanes arrived in July and the second in November 1929.

Among many activities, these aeroplanes were used for hire and to fly to farm field days where Lanz tractors were demonstrated. HF Baker was Aerial Commerce’s first main pilot and he flew Ittershagen on many trips around the state.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Western Australia’s failed airline companies

http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Edmonds%20essay%20-%20WA%20failed%20airlines.htm

Thesis including section and photos of Lanz Bulldog tractor

https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2436&context=theses_hons

A history of the Klemm KL25 family of aircraft

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klemm_Kl_25

Model Plans for the KL25 also produced as the BA Swallow in England

https://www.ebay.com.au/i/183759051982?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=183759051982&targetid=896057791431&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9070612&poi=&campaignid=9772799703&mkgroupid=100117146376&rlsatarget=pla-896057791431&abcId=578876&merchantid=9442712&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-r71BRDuARIsAB7i_QPOcmAmi40d8ySWsyxCKqy2XqkR-JSye0J5Lr5zARhSRGoz73wGregaAj3jEALw_wcB

A Klemm 25 still flying at Bankstown

https://www.themissions1937.com.au/the-aeroplanes-and-whats-it-all-about/klemm-l25-vhuur/

First notification of flight in the later “Final Sporting Edition” of the Daily Mail. Note also spelling of Thompson Bay.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/83818678?searchTerm=Klemm%20AND%20(Rottnest)&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords=Rottnest|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1930-01-01|||dateTo=1930-01-31|||l-advcategory=Article|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||l-illustrated=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

The 1929 Centenary Sydney to Perth Air Race

https://www.nhillaviationheritagecentre.com.au/nhill-anson-newsletter3

Image of the Rottnest aircraft in wheeled configuration from the collection of the State Library of Western Australia. The LANZ logo is clearly visible.

https://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b1920207~S6

Biography of Harry Frederick Baker

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/baker-harry-frederick-12164

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 6 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

10^th Light Horse Guidon

DESCRIPTION

Crimson with gold fringes, swallow tailed end (traditional cavalry Guidon shape). In the centre a black swan within a circle inscribed “10th LIGHT HORSE (WAMI)”, across the lower portion of the circle a scroll inscribed with the regimental motto “PERCUTE ET PERCUTE VELOCITER”, the whole surrounded with a wreath of Australian wattle and surmounted by the Crown. In the upper canton the roman numeral “X”

Below the whole centrepiece is the regimental colour patch in black over gold diagonals in a rectangle and below that is the battle honour SOUTH AFRICA 1900-02. Emblazoned on either side of the centrepiece are ten selected battle honours from the Great War: DEFENCE OF ANZAC, SARI BAIR, RUMANI, MAGHDABA-RAFAH, GAZA-BEERSHEBA, JERUSALEM, JORDAN (ES SALT), MEGIDDO, SHARON, DAMASCUS

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Guidon was presented by Harry Chauvel, GCMG, KCB on the Esplanade, Perth, 10 March 1928. It was consecrated by Senior Chaplain Archbishop C Riley, OBE, VD, DD. This Guidon was later carried by the post-World War Two unit, 10th West Australian Mounted Infantry, raised as a CMF unit of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in 1949 as a direct successor unit to the above light horse regiment. This unit was re-designated as 10th Light Horse in 1956

The Guidon was laid up at the State War Memorial, King’s Park on 10 June 1967, following presentation of a new Guidon to 10th Light Horse in 1966. The Guidon was transferred to the Army Museum of Western Australia in 1988 as part of the Bicentenary Colours Project.

The battle honour for South Africa, for unknown reasons, was not included on the guidon when originally presented in 1928, and was not emblazoned on the Guidon until the early 1950’s. The battle honour “South Africa 1900-02” was granted under MO 123/1908 to 18th Australian Light Horse Regiment which was the predecessor Militia Light Horse regiment existing at the time. This battle honour appeared under 10th Light Horse Regiment in the Australian Army List from 1928 onwards. Having this battle honour added at a later date would explain why it is positioned on the lower portion of the guidon in the centre. At the time of approving battle honours for the Great War, the authorised position for any pre-existing South Africa battle honour was in the top left corner of the Guidon or colour, followed by the battle honours of the Great War. (AAO 112/1927).

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Discover the Tradition of Regimental Colours in the Australian Army

https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/traditions/colours-standards-guidons-and-banners

Read the headlines about the presentation

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/79224454?searchTerm=Guidon&searchLimits=dateFrom=1928-03-01|||dateTo=1928-03-31|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||l-illustrated=*ignore*%7C*ignore*

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/79221813?searchTerm=Guidon&searchLimits=dateFrom=1928-03-01|||dateTo=1928-03-31|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||l-illustrated=*ignore*%7C*ignore*

Battle of Megiddo in 1918 and in prophecyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Megiddo_(1918)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon

Did the 10^th Light Horse enter Damascus before Lawrence of Arabia?https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/PL1444

Where did 10 Light Horse serve in World War 2?https://www.wanneroo.wa.gov.au/info/20058/museums_culture_and_arts/133/10th_lig ht_horse_trail
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Light Horseman, his Waler and equipment in Sinai

https://veteranssa.sa.gov.au/story/battle-of-romani/

10 Light Horse Memorial in Kings Park and Botanic Garden. {Photo by D Blumer) https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park/visit/history/memorials

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 2 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island including the popular visitor attractions of the Museum, Oliver Hill, Signal Ridge and Kingstown is temporarily closed during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

GARRISON ARTILLERY AND FORTRESS ENGINEERS

TELLING THEM APART IN COLOUR AND BLACK AND WHITE

Depicted are dress tunics of the Royal Australian Artillery (L) and the Royal Australian Engineers (R). The 6^th Heavy Battery and 5^th Fortress Company were the Permanent Force Artillery and Engineer units which manned the coast defences on Rottnest Island. The military heritage collection of the Rottnest Island Authority contains many uniforms representing the individuals and units which have served on the Island from 1829 to the present. Unfortunately, the requirements of conservation and space mean that to date most of this collection remains in storage and is accessible only through photographs. This virtual visit will help you identify the uniforms you may see in exhibitions at the Museum and military sites when you can once again enjoy our favourite Island.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Uniforms are most effectively displayed in 3D on mannequins. This permits the presentation of the complete ensemble including tunic, trousers, headgear, footwear, weapons and accoutrements. When considerations of universal access, visitor flow and sight lines are taken into account, these exhibits may require considerable space, a commodity often limited in heritage buildings. Textiles and other uniform elements are vulnerable to deterioration through light, dust, insect pests and other environmental hazards. A controlled and buffered environment in a display case is usually necessary to ensure conservation of the objects. For these two reasons only a relatively few uniforms from the collection are displayed and these are periodically rotated.

Reliance on photographs can lead to confusion and misidentification as differences are often in the detail. In colour, the blue of the artillery tunic is quite distinct from the red of the engineers but as the photo above shows this is not always readily evident in black and white period photographs. [Two uniforms on the Left are Artillery, the one on the Right, Engineers].

All is not lost as other differences are sometimes quite obvious. As a mounted corps, Artillery has a ball filial, [the knob on top], on its helmet; Engineers a spike. The reason is of course so you won’t injure your horse when you bend underneath to tighten the girth.

Army honours and distinctions often make Corps distinctions quite subtle. Neither the Artillery nor the Engineers carry colours or guidons but instead share the same Battle Honour – UBIQUE – Latin for Everywhere. They also share the Grenade badge but with a minor difference

The Engineer badge has 9 flames, the Artillery 7.

Both Artillery and Engineers have sleeve braid in the form of an Austrian knot but this may be gold lace, yellow worsted or red worsted depending on rank and corps, with Sappers normally red and Gunners yellow worsted.

When the Rottnest Island Museum reopens, there will be a new folder of defence heritage photographs for you to test your uniform identification skills.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Learn more about the military history of Rottnest Island.https://www.rottnestisland.com/the-island/about-the-island/our-history/military

Why did Engineering Australia recognise the significance of Fortress Fremantle

https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/heritage/fremantle-fortress-rottnest-island-ww2-coastal-defence-facilities-1941

History of Sappers in the West.

https://www.ozatwar.com/books/sappers.htm

Before the Engineers, there were Sappers and Miners

https://fremantlestuff.info/organisations/engineers.html

Girt by sea but defended by guns – Coast Artillery defences in World War 2

https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/coastalguns.htm

Further reading as an antidote to social distancing

https://booksonwaraustralia.com/medals-badges-uniforms-1914-18-military-books/1567-preserving-our-proud-heritage-the-customs-and-traditions-of-the-australian-army.html

Do you have the patience and skills to start a new hobby – military models?

https://www.metrohobbies.com.au/pages/model-kits

You too can dress the part.

https://thehistorybunker.co.uk/UNIFORMS%20OF%20THE%20BRITISH%20EMPIRE

Anzac Day Service in front of Rottnest Tea Rooms, Thomson Bay Settlement 1938

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 5 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

HMS Louis Gallipoli Souvenir

DESCRIPTION

HMS Louis relic from Gallipoli salvaged and carved by Petty Officer Alfred Siggs of Leederville. At the time of collecting this souvenir, Petty Officer Siggs was a member of the Royal Australian Navy Bridging Team. He was killed in action at Pozieres, France on 29 July 1916, aged just 20 and is buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery.

HMS Louis was wrecked in Suvla Bay on 31 October 1915. A Court Martial convened on 3 – 4 December, 1915 proved a charge that Lieutenant Commander Harold D. Adair-Hall had negligently or by default stranded the ship.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

HMS Louis was wrecked at Suvla Bay on 31 October 1915 during the Gallipoli campaign. Petty Officer Alfred Siggs from Leederville was stationed at Suvla Bay, to the north of Anzac Cove, with the Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train (RANBT). Siggs was one of the RANBT members who attempted to salvage the ship, which had been much damaged by Turkish artillery. Siggs later transferred to the Australian Imperial Force with the rank of Lance Corporal. He was killed in action at Pozieres, France on 29 July 1916, aged just 20. He is buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery, France.

The Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train was a unique unit of the Royal Australian Navy. It was active only during World War One where it served in the Gallipoli and the Sinai and Palestine campaigns. The Train was formed in February 1915 and stood down in May 1917. Throughout its existence, it was composed of RAN Reservists under the command of Lieutenant Commander Leighton Bracegirdle.

In the early stages of the war, many of the 8,000 Australian naval reservists were not trained suitably to serve on board ships in the RAN. They found themselves doing odd jobs like guarding the wharfs, practicing minesweeping, watching out for saboteurs and a myriad of other odd jobs and minor duties. Then someone hit on a good idea. Since the reservists were capable of sailing about in small boats, and had some technical training, they should be able to operate pontoon bridging trains.

Sailors who volunteered swapped their naval uniforms for khaki and found themselves being given crash-courses in horsemanship, engineering and pontoon bridging, Advanced technical training in Australia was a problem due to lack of equipment and expertise. Accordingly, the RANBT was loaded on to ships in late May 1915 with the assurance that they could learn more effectively in training camps in England.. However, they were off-loaded in Egypt like the rest of the Anzacs. The RANBT was sent to reinforce the stalled invasion force at Suvla Bay.

HMS Louis was part of a class of 22 torpedo boat destroyers designated as the Laforey (later L) class. Twenty including HMS Louis were built between 1912 – 14. All served during World War I during which three were lost. The survivors were all scrapped in 1921-23.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Service records of Roland Alfred Siggs

https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/316714

Australian Red Cross Missing and Wounded Enquiry Bureau file for Alfred Siggs

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1057715/document/5645444.PDF

Explore the National Maritime Museum’s diorama of the Royal Australian Navy Bridging Team at Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli Campaign

https://www.sea.museum/2014/12/19/exploring-a-diorama-the-ran-bridging-train-at-suvla-bay-during-the-gallipoli-campaign

The naval career of Harold Dallas Adair-Hall

http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Harold_Dallas_Adair-Hall

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

HMS Louis stranded in Suvla Bay.

Memorial plaque in honour of Lance Corporal Siggs in the Kings Park Honour Avenue.

https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/honour-avenues-plaques

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YOUR VIRTUAL DISCOVERY VISIT # 1 to the DEFENCE HERITAGE STORIES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest Island including the popular visitor attractions of the Museum, Oliver Hill, Signal Ridge and Kingstown is temporarily closed during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This does not mean that you need miss out on a heritage experience. Each week, the Defence Heritage Committee will present a photo and tell its story. Included will be links and related material which will allow you, your family or friends to continue a journey of self-discovery. Enjoy the experience and stay well.

PHOTOGRAPH – HEAVY GIN (GYN) IS NOT A DRINK

A 6 inch Mk XI barrel on the railway trolley, ready to be lifted off and moved onto the gun position at Bickley Battery. The lifting equipment is a heavy gyn or sheer legs on which can be seen the hardwood windlass (lignum vitae) ratchet pawls and handspike sockets.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Gin poles, sheer legs, gyns, derricks and tripods are forms of lifting devices differentiated by the number of guy wires and fixed legs, For lifting heavy objects, gin poles and sheer legs have proved a valuable tool for centuries.

A gyn or gin pole is a supported pole that uses a pulley or block and tackle on its upper end to lift loads. The lower end is braced or set in a shallow hole and positioned so the upper end lies above the object to be lifted. The pole is secured with three or more guy-wires. Sheer legs were commonly a pair of legs joined at the top, frequently used for masting ships, installing engines, boilers and lifting other heavy objects.

The barrel of a 6 inch Mark XI coast artillery gun weighed just over 7,600 kilos and so a tripod together with the mechanical advantage of a block and tackle were necessary to lift and position the barrel. The windlass and ratchets allowed the barrel to be raised gradually and held in place between rotations.

In the photo note the following:

The simple improvised railway running gear used to move the barrel along the rail lines;
The centre of gravity closer to the breech end of the barrel mass which determined its positioning on the running gear;
The camouflage colour scheme of the guns as initially installed at Bickley;
The Crayfish engine to the right edge of the view (watch for future info on the story of the Crayfish and Crab engines);
The use of heavy manila rope as the hoisting means; and
The safety ropes tying the third leg to prevent kick out.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Lignum-vitae, the heaviest and hardest wood in the world.

https://www.wood-database.com/lignum-vitae/

How does a block and tackle make work easier?

https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/pulley.htm

Did you know that the derrick was named for an English executioner in the reign of Elizabeth I

https://www.towerclimber.com/gin-poles/

How does a ratchet work?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_(device)

How to build a flying fox using sheer legs (go to page 19)

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2KD7dZhfY6wC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=Build+a+model+sheer+legs&source=bl&ots=it3rOrOqPd&sig=ACfU3U1Bbs6Wx90GKDv6Wk0g7mMZaREaEA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjY0sub2vroAhWtxjgGHfjAAaYQ6AEwFXoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=Build%20a%20model%20sheer%20legs&f=false

Video – Attempt to remove masts of SS Great Britain using sheer legs (see minute 30)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F6aDdHPJfI

Advantages of manila rope.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_rope

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 4 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

World War One Diorama of Australian Light Horse as Part of Egyptian Expeditionary Force to Damascus

DESCRIPTION

1:1 scale diorama showing mounted trooper of 10th Australian Light Horse Regiment in Palestine 1918 and dismounted Ottoman soldier. This diorama is the central feature in the World War 1 Gallery – Middle East Campaigns sequence and shows typical uniforms and accoutrements of the Australian Light Horse and Ottoman infantry. L 5 metres W 3 metres H 3 metres

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The unit was raised as a squadron, then a regiment in October 1914.and formed part of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade in Egypt. The Regiment served dismounted in Gallipoli and fought at the charge at the Nek on 7 August 1915, and at Hill 60 on 29-30 August. The only Victoria Cross awarded to a Light Horseman recognised the valour of Lieutenant Hugo Throssell at Hill 60.

After Gallipoli the Regiment was bought up to strength to defended Egypt from the Ottoman Army advancing on the Suez Canal. Through 1916 they drove the Turks across the deserts of Sinai, participating in the battles of Romani and Magdhaba.

In 1917 as part of the Desert Column they advanced into Palestine and participated in the bloody battles to break the Gaza-Beersheba line and helped capture Jerusalem. They participated in the Es Salt Raid in May 1918. In August they were equipped with swords and retrained as cavalry. In this role they took part in the rout of the Ottoman army in the Jordan Valley, a campaign the light horse referred to as “The Great Ride”. In September the 10th was the first formed regiment to enter Damascus.

Turkey surrendered on 30 October 1918. After the end of the war, the regiment saw action in putting down the Egyptian uprising of 1919. The Regiment was one of the few to return home as a formed unit.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

History of 10 Light Horse Regiment in World War 1 including “The Great Ride”

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51044/

History of Australian Walers as war horses in World War One

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/horses

How did Light Horse differ from Cavalry?

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/australian-imperial-force/australian-light-horse

A bus shelter to honour a Victoria Cross recipient?

https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/military/display/60561-captain-hugo-throssell-v.c.

The Great Ride remembered – Trooper Ned Moriarty

https://www.swtimes.com.au/news/south-western-times/great-ride-remembered-ng-b88992779z

Experience of the Ottoman soldier in World War One

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/ottoman-empire/turkish-soldier-experience

Reflections on the charge at Beersheba

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/postcolonial-blog/2017/oct/30/beersheba-centenary-lets-remember-that-story-is-not-the-same-as-history

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Webley Mark IV Revolver.

http://www.lighthorse.org.au/h-v-h-throssell/

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL/11836/

Kings Park Honour Avenue Database

https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/honour-avenues-plaques

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 3 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

3400 Sergeant John Alexander Spence DCM, MM, 52 Battalion AIF

DESCRIPTION

Post card sized photo of 3400 Sergeant John Alexander Spence DCM, MM, 52 Battalion AIF. Photo shows medal ribbons of Distinguished Conduct Medal (awarded June 1917) and Military Medal (awarded April 1918), 2 wound stripes, 5 service stripes, 52 Battalion AIF colour patch and soft style forage cap.

John Alexander Spence was born in Fremantle 2nd July 1893 and died on 20 November 1962 at Hollywood Repatriation Hospital aged 69.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

In 1912 John Alexander Spence joined the Australian Navy as a Stoker and was posted to H.M.A.S. Australia. He was on this ship when it sailed at the head of the convoy into Sydney Harbour in 1913. At the outbreak of WW1, his ship was sent to German New Guinea where he saw conflict with the enemy and received a gunshot wound to his hand. He was returned to Australia and the Naval doctors considered him unfit for further Naval service.

When his hand healed Spence joined the AIF on the 2 August 1915 and was posted to the 52nd Battalion and embarked on the Benalla on the 1 November 1915. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 1 June 1916 on 9 September was promoted to Corporal and the next day to Sergeant. At Messines Ridge he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. At Dernancourt, a village near Villers he was awarded the Military Medal on 6 April 1918.

Subsequently he was badly injured. He had captured four German soldiers and one Officer. While marching them back to the Allied lines the Officer grabbed one of the patrol member’s gun and fired three shots at Sergeant Spence which smashed his hip. Despite his injuries Spence managed to bring the Officer down with a revolver shot.

On the 30th April he was repatriated to England and admitted to the Alexandria Hospital at Cosham. He was eventually returned to Australia on board the Somalia arriving home on the 21st December 1919.

Before enlisting, Spence was a prominent amateur boxer, a pupil of the renowned heavyweight Bill Doherty. During WW1 he won the Army lightweight championship, competing against professionals as well as amateurs. He defended the title successfully for three successive years. On his discharge from the Army he fought under the name of Sonny Kidson. He also turned to coaching and had remarkable success having coached the Army and Navy boxing teams.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Discover the war record if 52 Battalion, Australian Imperial Force

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51492/

Australian Imperial Force Project – Summary for Spence including Medal Citations

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=284129

Family history of John Alexander Spence from Historical Society of Rockingham Districts newsletter “Between the Lines” (Page 10)

http://fhsrd.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BTL-June-2014-Archived.pdf

Never heard of Bill Doherty, the Coolgardie Cyclone?

https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Bill_Doherty

How does Australia recognise acts of bravery?

https://www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-and-awards/australian-bravery-decorations

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

John Alexander Spence identified in photo from the Thuillier collection of glass plate negatives. Taken by Louis and Antoinette Thuillier in Vignacourt, France during the period 1916 to 1918.

AWM Collection

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1294057

The 52^nd Battalion A.I.F. by Neville Browning

This book contains a history of the 52nd Battalion AIF, from its formation in Egypt in early 1916, to its disbandment in May 1918. The 52nd Battalion fought in many Western Front battles, including Mouquet Farm, Third Ypres and Villers-Bretonneux.

https://shop.histwest.org.au/52nd-battalion-aif-the-378.html

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 2 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Large Technology Collection – M3 Stuart Light Tank

DESCRIPTION

The M3 Stuart, officially Light Tank, M3, was an American light tank of World War II.. It was supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. into the war. Thereafter, it was used by US, Australian. and Allied forces until the end of the war.

With a crew of 4, it is armed with a 37 mm gun and a coaxial machine gun and weighs 12,500 kilograms. It is powered by a Continental W-670 250 horsepower engine, gasoline fueled, giving it a top speed of 58 kilometers per hour and a range of 112 kilometers. The Stuart saw Australian service in North Africa, Australia and New Guinea.

The British service name “Stuart” came from the Civil War Confederate general JEB Stuart, a renowned cavalry commander..

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Beginning in 1939, the 2nd Australian Imperial Force divisions included a cavalry reconnaissance regiment equipped with light tanks and scout carriers. Only three regiments were eventually formed as it was believed that the 8th Division did not need armoured support in Malaya in the jungle.

The cavalry regiments of the 2nd AIF divisions operating in Mediterranean theatre were initially equipped with the Universal Carrier and unarmoured trucks before being progressively mechanised using British Army equipment. Only the 9^th Division received Stuarts in North Africa.

The Australian 1st Armoured Division was raised in 1941 as part of the 2nd AIF. Intended to be deployed to North Africa in late 1941, it was retained in Australia following the outbreak of the Pacific War. The Division’s armoured regiments subsequently began re-equipping with M3 Grant medium tanks and M3 Stuart light tanks in April and May 1942.

The 2/6th Armoured Regiment deployed to Port Moresby and Milne Bay in New Guinea in September 1942. In December two squadrons were subsequently shipped to Buna on the north coast of Papua. The lightly armoured M3 Stuart tanks proved to be unsuited to jungle warfare and suffered heavy casualties, but played an important role at Buna between December 1942 and January 1943

In January 1943, the remainder of the division deployed to Western Australia between Perth and Geraldton, Western Australia as part of III Corps, tasked to counter a Japanese invasion The 1st Armoured Division formed a key element of Australia’s mainland defences, but after that threat passed in September 1943, it was disbanded

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Discover the story of Australian armour in the Middle East 1940 – 42

Https://Www.Army.Gov.Au/Our-History/History-In-Focus/Australian-Armour-In-The-Middle-East-1940-To-1943

Build your own 1/35th scale model of a Stuart tank

https://www.metrohobbies.com.au/products/tamiya-1-35-m3-stuart-late-production-tank

Build your own 1/72nd scale model of a Stuart tank

https://www.frontlinehobbies.com.au/hasegawa-1-72-light-tank-m3-stuart-mk.i-plastic-ki

Wartime Perth as an inspiration for mystery novels

https://www.nla.gov.au/content/the-landscape-of-the-past-wartime-perth-as-a-backdrop-to-mystery

Evacuation of 80,000 considered for wartime Perth

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/95182115?searchTerm=Gordon%20Bennett&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1943-01-01|||dateTo=1943-12-31|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Get an overview of the battles for Buna, Gona and Sanananda

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/kokoda-track-1942-1943/events/japanese-besieged-battle-beachheads-buna-gona-sanananda

It is amazing where the Continental W-670 engine was used.

http://www.all-aero.com/index.php/contactus/64-engines-power/12610-continental-r-670-w-670

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YOUR VIRTUAL VISIT # 1 to the AUSTRALIAN ARMY MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is temporarily closed for public visits in support of mitigation measures and social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Regimental Colour, 1st Battalion

11th Australian Infantry Regiment (Perth Regiment)

DESCRIPTION

Red George Cross on a white background with red and white fringe. In the center the regimental badge in gold within a wreath of Western Australian kangaroo paw and banksia, surmounted by the Crown. Below the wreath is the Battle Honour “SOUTH AFRICA 1900-02”. In the upper canton is the roman numeral “I”. (Note:- The official Battle Honour for South Africa granted to 11th Australian Infantry Regiment under Military Order 123/1908 and subsequently published in the Australian Army List, was “South Africa 1899-1902”)

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Purchased from Regimental funds in 1910 and presented by HE the Governor of WA Sir Gerald Strickland, KCMG, at a parade held on the Esplanade, Perth, 18 February 1911. Consecrated by the Right Reverend Colonel. Riley, DD, VD, Senior Chaplain of the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces.

This colour was subsequently inherited by successor units to the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment (Perth Regiment), including 88th (Perth) Infantry, 11th Battalion (The Perth Regiment) and 11th/16th Battalion. The colour was handed over to the Perth City Council at a special parade of the 11th/16th Battalion held in Forrest Place on 7 June 1930, and was laid up in the Council Chambers in Murray Street.

Together with the other historic colours handed over at the time, this colour later went into storage when Council moved premises in the early 1960’s. Perth City Council had some restoration work carried out on these colours in 1975 and later had them on display in their display room at Council House, St Georges Terrace. They were subsequently placed in storage again. Following negotiations by the Army Museum of WA Perth City Council passed on these colours to the Museum in November 1993 where they are on display in the Traditions Gallery.

LINKS FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT

Visit the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia web site

https://armymuseumwa.com.au/

Discover the Tradition of Regimental Colours in the Australian Army

https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/traditions/colours-standards-guidons-and-banners

Read the headlines about the presentation

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26303699?searchTerm=colours%20AND%20%22presentation%22%20AND%20(parade)&searchLimits=exactPhrase=presentation|||anyWords=parade|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1911-02-10|||dateTo=1911-02-24|||l-advstate=Western+Australia|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||l-illustrated=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

Did one of your ancestors serve in the Boer War?

http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/military/bor-wa1.htm#wa1

11 Battalion. Australian Imperial Force departing Fremantle, October 1914

https://11btn.wags.org.au/index.php/indexes/11bn-embarkation

Was 11 Battalion, AIF at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915?

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51451

Were soldiers from 2/11^th Battalion captured at Crete in 1941?

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U56054

St John the Theologian Memorial Chapel in Prevelly Western Australia

http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/3b1383f6-7a09-4b6e-af6f-a4cc5d23ce8a

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

Commemoration of action on 9 February 1900 at West Australian Hill,

https://www.boerwarwa.org.au/news/why-datasouth-has-embraced-concrete5-cms-development-new-websites

Group portrait of the Australian 11th (Western Australia) Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force posing on the Great Pyramid of Giza on 10 January 1915.

VIRTUAL VISIT – 2020

PHOTOGRAPHS – AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S ARMY SERVICE

Timber for the trenches: a new perspective on archaeological wood from First World War trenches in Flanders Fields

Martin O'Meara V.C.

10th Light Horse Commemorative Parade

VIRTUAL VISITS 2022

VIRTUAL VISIT – 2020

PHOTOGRAPHS – AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S ARMY SERVICE

Timber for the trenches: a new perspective on archaeological wood from First World War trenches in Flanders Fields

Martin O'Meara V.C.

10th Light Horse Commemorative Parade

VIRTUAL VISITS 2022

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