Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Cover of the History of 2 OTU

An 8 inch howitzer of the 1st Australian Siege Battery (aka 54th Siege Battery) at full recoil after firing one of its 60 pound shells. One of a series of images taken by Frank Hurley Official War Photographer

3619 Private Edwin Allen

NX70915 Lt CAH Moxham, 2nd/2nd machine Gun Battalion

Official caption reads; "The graves of 13 Australian soldiers from the 10th Battalion who, unless stated otherwise, were killed in action on 19 May 1915. From left to right, the graves are those of 1398 Private (Pte) Charles Olsen; 1037 Pte William Cocks, killed in action on 23 May 1915; 894 Pte Albert Henry Davey; 1751 Pte Joseph Gurry; 984 Pte Charles Henry Allen; 1558 Pte Albert Beswick (actually Baswick); 101 Pte Walter Batley Seaman; 801 Private Arthur Sydney Johnson; 1357 Pte Sydney Brooke Holt, killed on 29 May 1915; 299 Pte Thomas Arthur Atwill; 1184 Pte Benjamin Thomas Thorpe; 1163 Pte John George Murphy; 1452 Pte William Altree, killed on 29 May. Post war investigation revealed that Pte Albert Baswick, coach trimmer, enlisted at Oaklands, South Australia and embarked from Melbourne on HMAT Runic on 27 November 1914; Albert Baswick was an alias of John Routledge, son of Thomas and L Caroline Routledge, of 4 Holt Terrace, Shell Street, Stanley Grove, Manchester, England" This group correlates closely with the CO's account of the battle (see Lock p46) plus three other men PTEs Cocks Holt and Altree who died in the days following the major counter attack. The CO's account indated that 11 men were killed. Ten are thus accounted for in this photograph with the eleventh perhaps succumbing to wounds in the evacuation chain. This group is now all interred in the Shrapnel Gully Cemetery. AWM Image http://www.awm.gov.au/view/collection/item/C02199/

Jim Whalley's Boomerang A46-63 on short finals

William Smith's trench art

Off Sumba Island, Netherlands East Indies. 1945-01-15. The crew of the disabled Catalina aircraft, serial no. A24-96, code RK-E of No. 42 Squadron RAAF in their dinghies preparing to move across to the Catalina aircraft of No. 43 Squadron RAAF which came to rescue them. The aircraft had come down near Japanese held territory. On the night of 14 January 1945, during a mission to Surabaya, a plane from No. 42 Squadron RAAF, captained by Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Harrigan, experienced trouble with its port engine and immediately began to lose altitude. At the time Flt Lt Harrigan was flying at 300 feet below heavy cloud off Sumba Island. He jettisoned his mines, but the plane continued to lose altitude and he was forced to alight on the open sea. The hull of the Catalina aircraft was damaged and began to leak. However, the water was kept down by baling. Using the radio-telephone, the crew was able to make its position known to returning minelayers. All night they worked on the faulty engine, but without success. However, in the morning, a Catalina aircraft of No. 43 Squadron RAAF, captained by Flt Lt Ortlepp, landed in the heavy swell, covered by a Liberator aircraft, and took off Flt Lt Harrigan's crew. Flt Lt Ortlepp then destroyed the disabled Catalina aircraft with machine-gun fire and returned safely to base.

Lieutenant Esson Rule 50th Bn Australian Infantry Died on 3rd April 1917 aged 22 Son of William and Ida Rule Born at Aberdeen, Burra, New South Wales Grave: A 24

Gilbert Pate's grave in Lezennes Communal Cemetery near Lille - "He fought and died a hero in the battle of the skies".

Back row L-R Malcolm McGhie 10Rft/15th Bn later 4MGCoy and 47th Bn, Jack Judd 12Rft 15th Bn, then 47th Bn and 59th Bn, Gregory Gibson 12Rft 15th Bn then 47Bn, killed at Dernancourt 28/3/18 and buried at Doullens, John Watson 11Rft 15th Bn KIA Bullecourt 11/4/17. Middle Albert Morgan 10Rft 15th Bn, then 47th Bn and Australian Flying Corp, Ernest Corbett, later 46th Bn, Walter Fish, Edmund Hurd 11Rft later 47th Bn and 45th Bns. Front Lennard Wadsley 13Rft 15th Bn then 52nd Bn KIA 10/9/16 Mouquet Farm, Robert Luxton 13Rft KIA 11/4/17 Bullecourt.

A memorial to the 460 Squadron crew lost on 13th June 1943

A Matilda Tank several of which payed a crucial role at Slater's Knoll

A dugout in the Tobruk area with ships ventilators or 'punkas' erected by the Australian Engineers in occupation

Two unidentified gunners sitting beside a 4.5 inch howitzer Mark I in a gun pit of the 102nd Australian Howitzer Battery in northern France. Each man is holding a shell

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165691420

The iconic image of the Kokoda campaign. Taken by Damien Parer, it portrays members of the 39th Militia Battalion, AMF, parade after weeks of fighting in dense jungle during the Kokoda campaign. The officer in front is Lieutenant Johnson. The men behind him are left to right, Armie Wallace, Bill Sanders, Harry Hodge, Kevin Surtees, George Cudmore, GeorgePuxley Kevin Whelan, Len Murrell, Dick Secker, Neil Graham, Clive Gale and Jack Boland.

JEH Butler's name on last shell fired from Anzac Cove, 12 December 1915

A QANTAS Catalina operated for the RAAF at the Nedlands base in WA before setting out on one of the longest flights of the war.

William Mannix Baker William was killed in action on 4th March 1942 on HMAS Yarra against an overpowering Japanese fleet. His niece Catherine Cave, received a citation of gallantry medal on behalf of William, presented by the then, Governer General Quentin Bryce