Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

rangeroad.pdf

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8214671

'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This officer commanded his battalion in a difficult night operation with great ability. The battalion, having already marched six miles, was ordered to counter attack and retake a village. The ground was strange to every one, and there was no time for reconnaissance, but the approach march and deployment were carried out without a hitch, and the attack was a brilliant success. This officer moved about amongst the men encouraging and directing them, and, finally, established his headquarters in an open trench well forward, which was heavily shelled, but from which he was able to see and control his battalion.' Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 15 Date: 4 February 1919

'Lieutenant Colonel Salisbury has commanded the 50th Bn from 18 August 1916. As the direct result of his capabilities, energy and enthusiasm, the battalion has been raised to a high state of efficiency. While under his command the battalion has participated in active operations on the Somme, Ypres Salient, Flers and in the recent capture of Noreuil. The success of this latter operation was largely due to Liet-Col Salisbury's thorough preparation and his excellent handling of the battalion during the attack and subsequent consolidation. This officer's habitual cheeriness and devotion to duty has been most pronounced and a great inspiration to all with whom he has come in contact.' Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 189 Date: 8 November 1917

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/720777/BATT,%20ARTHUR%20GEORGE

https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1272736&c=VIETNAM#R

A specially modified Lancaster B1 of 617 Squadron overflies the Mohne Dam against which it has just released its 'Upkeep' depth charge bomb. The Mohne Eder and Sorpe dams were all attacked as part of 'Operation Chastise'.

https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=691544&c=WW2#R

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6396132

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=35478

Adams_Athol_Gladwyn.pdf

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-19/rats-of-tobruk-veteran-sydney-kinsman-dies-aged/13936080

'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He rallied and organized his company at a moment when they were suffering haeavily from a continuous bombardment, leading them through a hostile barrage to a successful assault on the enemy's position. Throughout the night he continued to supervise the consolidation, and it was owing to his determination and energy that by daylight his company was entrenched and prepared to withstand the hostile counter attack.' Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 219 Date: 20 December 1917

Military Cross 'For conspicuous gallantry and initiative. When his company were caught by heavy machine gun fire during an attack, he at once went out in front of the leading wave, and rallied the sections, which had sustained heavy casualties. Though wounded, he led his men to their objective, and continued to direct the fighting until he collapsed. His determination and courage were an inspiration to his men.' Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 61 Date: 23 May 1919

https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1205196&c=WW2#R

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8389746

Family journey to have Oscar identified. When we heard in 2008 that an archeological dig had recovered the remains of 250 Australian and British servicemen at Pheasant Wood, the family was buoyed with hope that our ‘Uncle Oscar’ might at last have been found. Newspapers in South Australia reported with great anticipation that Oscar and several other soldiers from the State could be among those identified. I’m his great nephew, my grandmother Olga was Oscar’s older sister. And growing up, my generation of his descendants had assumed he might forever be buried somewhere as an ‘Unknown Soldier’. With great expectation a cousin and I registered on the Missing Servicemen Database. Along with more than one thousand other Australians, we became DNA donors. A descendant of Oscar’s brother Walter also gave DNA. In the first few years of the Army’s Fromelles Project, many soldiers were identified from the 250 sets of remains. Unfortunately for us, Oscar Baumann wasn’t among them. The years passed, and we had all but given up hope. Then in 2021 I was approached by an Adelaide journalist who told me he believed that Oscar and two other Australian soldiers were about to be identified. I contacted an officer of the Army’s Fromelles Project, who told me it was likely that Oscar Baumann was among those recovered, but in the absence of one hundred per cent certainty there could not be official identification. The Army needed more DNA information, so I sent them the family trees of Oscar’s siblings. The ’missing link’ turned out to be the daughter of Oscar’s youngest sister- a living niece in Adelaide by the name of Barbara Elsley. She gladly offered her DNA, and on Anzac Day of 2023 the Australian government announced that Oscar, along with five other soldiers of Fromelles, had been officially identified. Barbara was so captivated with events that at the age of 85 she travelled to France for the rededication ceremony at Fromelles on 19th July. She represented the family to unveil a new headstone bearing his name- Oscar was no longer an Unknown Soldier. Oscar’s new headstone notes ‘His Duty Nobly Done’, the words chosen by his parents in the death notice in 1916. His story is poignant given his heritage. Oscar’s father had emigrated from Germany only thirty-seven years before the outbreak of war. While some German immigrants in Australia were interned and others were ‘Anglicising’ their names, Oscar’s parents offered permission for his enlistment- only to have their son killed in action by a German enemy on the battlefields of France. Trevor Bormann 20/9/23

Commemorative Plaque and Scroll signed by King George V, issued to the families of the Fallen

Portrait of 10 Sergeant (Sgt) Oscar Eric Baumann, 32nd Battalion. A joiner from Eastwood, South Australia, prior to enlistment he was rapidly promoted to Sergeant based on his previous military service with the 74th Infantry Citizen Military Forces. He embarked from Adelaide onboard HMAT Geelong on 18 December 1915 for Egypt and from there sailed to Marseilles, arriving on 23 June 1916. Sgt Baumann was reported missing in action at Fleurbaix during the Battle of Fromelles and his death on 20 July 1916 was confirmed through the Red Cross in Geneva; he was 20 years old. After the war his grave could not be located and he was commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles, France. In 2008 a burial ground was located at nearby Pheasant Wood containing the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers including Sgt Baumann. All of the remains were reburied in the newly created Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. At the time of the official dedication of the new cemetery on 19 July 2010, ninety-six of the Australians had been identified through a combination of anthropological, archaeological, historical and DNA information. Work is continuing on identifying the other remains relocated from the burial ground and buried in the new cemetery as unknown soldiers. Sgt Baumann is among those who have not been identified and his name will remain on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial. AWM Image: H06303

A German Casualty card provided to the British via the Red Cross. The existence of this card means that Oscar Baumann's body was recovered by the Germans and probably buried at Pheasant Wood or a similar site soon after the battle.