Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

DCM, MM, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Medal Set of Major A Steele (left to right): Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal (without oak leaf cluster which symbolises MID.) (The Distinguished Service Order is also part of the medal set as per other image.) The fact that Major Steele was awarded both a Distinguished Conduct Medal and a Distinguished Service Order makes his medal set rare as this combination was very rarely achieved by troops in the AIF.

Chevillon, Haute Marne, France

Military Medal notification

Military Medal

Informal portrait of officers of No. 13 Squadron, RAAF. From the left: 426311 Flying Officer (FO) Nurden Anderson Chowns, of Townsville, Qld; 423956 FO Charles George Watts, of Sydney, NSW; 22465 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) George Alexander Anderson, of Dalby, Qld; 425050 Flying Officer (FO) Bruce Lionel Poole, of Coorparoo, Qld. These airmen were four of six crew members on board Ventura aircraft A59-84 which took off from Gould Strip, Batchelor, NT, on the morning of 27 January 1945 and returned twenty minutes later requesting landing instructions. The aircraft, which it is believed was experiencing instrument failure, struck the ground during the approach, killing all on board.

Commemorative Medallion which together with a Commemorative Scroll, were presented to the families of the Fallen

The grave of 937 Sergeant Harold Prisk of the 9th Light Horse Regiment, at the AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Adelaide

Clarence Lamshed's medal set - British War Medal and Victory Medal

"SYDNEY" GETTING THE STORY IN THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN. CAPTAIN COLLINS, COMMANDER THRUSTON AND JOHN HETHERINGTON. (NEGATIVE BY PARER).

P40 Kittyhawks on the 2 OTU flight line

Studio portrait of 808 Private (Pte) Antonio Augustine Picone, 6th Machine Gun Company from Stawell, Victoria (born in Italy). A 19 year old fruiterer's assistant prior to enlisting on 14 June 1917, he embarked for overseas with the 15th Reinforcements from Melbourne on 26 November 1917 aboard SS Indarra. Following further training in Egypt and England and a period of illness in England, he arrived in France on 22 August 1918 and joined the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion. Pte Picone arrived back in Australia on 6 February 1920.

Two men of the 7th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery operate a mortar established in a machine gun post on the new front line near Villers-Bretonneux. From left to right: 1916 Lance Corporal A J Ellis and 2700 Private A Lawler. Photograph taken 10 July 1918.

Jim Whalley's Boomerang A46-63 on short finals

Kenneth Roy "Curly" McPherson, 13th Field Ambulance

Ian Henry Denver (enlisted as I.H. Deramore-Denver), DFC

Ian Denver meets Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in 2012.

Private Leslie Robert Templeman RH#26

Captain Graham Growden, 10th Battalion RSAR 1986, at the Dean Rifle Range, Osborne

Australians standing by in a hot section of the front, 400 yards from the enemy. Many forward posts like this are isolated during the daylight hours (Original caption). This photograph was reproduced in the unit history 'Purple and blue: the history of the 2/10th Battalion' published in 1958. The men were identified in the unit history as, front to rear: VX35964 Private (Pte) William John Goodgame', VX36671 Pte Gordon James Watkins and SX1412 Pte Charles George Stening'. All three were promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal during their service. Lance Corporals Goodgame and Watkins were killed in action at Buna, Papua, on 24 December 1942. This image gives a clear impression a clear impression of the exposed nature of their position and the cramped conditions under which they operated. Charlie Stenning was a well known identity in the 2nd/10th Battalion Association after the War, Bill Goodgame in the foreground is clearly not planning to withdraw; he has no boots on! He is armed with a Thompson sub machine gun.

c. 1943. Studio portrait of 411768 Sergeant J. S. Freeth who flew with 455 Squadron. He was credited with sinking a submarine with depth charges in April 1943. He was killed in a flying accident on 24 May 1943. This hand coloured photograph is set in a gold brooch (REL25225) that is inscribed on the back with "To dear John Freeth's mother with regard from his friends at Angus and Coote 1944". Mrs Freeth had refused to give up hope that her son had survived, and it was hoped that by giving her this brooch that she would come to accept his death. (Donor D. Freeth).

A flight of three Lockheed Hudson aircraft from No. 23 Squadron RAAF based at Amberley in 1941. Nearest camera is A16-3 flown by 22 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Phillip Walter Howson, OBE. In the centre is A16-38, flown by 251607 Flying Officer (FO) Edward Andrew Dorward, and at rear, A16-47, flown by 260518 FO Oscar George Diethelm. A16-38, was later issued to No. 32 Squadron. Flown by Wing Commander Deryck Kingwell, it was badly shot up in New Guinea on 31 March 1942. After repair it was issued to No. 1 Operational Training Unit (1 OTU), Bairnsdale, Vic, when it was flown during a press demonstration at Bairnsdale, on 27 October 1942 by Flt Lt Frank Tampion, lost its starboard mainplane and crashed and burned 'in shot' of Fox Movietone and Cinesound Newsreel cameraman Geoff Thompson. The film was impounded and used in the subsequent enquiry, which eliminated the rumour that undetected corrosion caused by an undetected Japanese bullet hole was responsible; the cause was determined to be a poorly repaired mainplane. In the interim, however, eighteen 1 OTU Hudsons were withdrawn during November 1942 for mainplane replacement. All four Lockheed Hudson photographs (AC0058, AC0066 AC0067 and AC0068) were taken by Flt Lt John Harrison from Wirraway A20-115, flown by Commanding Officer of 23 Squadron, regular officer 80 Squadron RAAF Leader Dixie Robison Chapman. Of note is the unusual, small RAAF serial applied to the tailplanes of A16-3. A16-3 was on strength with 1 OTU when the unit was called on at short notice to provide aircraft for the air supplying of allied troops at Buna. A group of twelve Hudsons was formed, known as 1 OTU Detached Flight, including A16-3, flown from Bairnsdale to Ward's Drome at Port Moresby, and began operations on 14 December 1942, flying over the Owen Stanley Mountain Range to drop supplies at Soputa and, later, landing at Dobodura. Flown by Flt Lt Neville Hemsworth, with Sergeant Bert Rodd and Flight Sergeants Robert Bamber and Henry Stephens as crew, A16-3, taking off from Dobodura with four wounded infantry aboard at 11.00 am on 26 December, was attacked by several Ki-43 Oscars from the 11th Sentai and chased south to Hariko. An incendiary bullet started a fire and Hemsworth ditched the Hudson into Oro Bay near Hariko, resulting in the drowning of the two stretcher bound wounded. A US Navy PT Boat picked up the survivors, but Stephens died of burns the next day, while Hemsworth was badly burned about the face and arms and Bamber wounded by gunfire. The ditching was witnessed and sketched by Official War Artist Roy Hodgkinson (who comments that the Hudson made 'a perfect belly landing on the sea') and appears in the Memorial's collection as ART21695. A16-47 was attached to the RAAF's Survey Flight in early 1944, then based at Lowood, Queensland. On 23 July 1945, A16-47, crewed by Flt Lt Lance Clarke, FO Thomas Steel and Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Frank Chiverton, and carrying as passengers the Flight's new Commander, Squadron Leader Nigel Pilcher plus unit members Corporal Bill Gaze and LAC Walter Nielson and Squadron Leader Cuthbert Griffin, departed for Bowen to visit the Flight's Anson detachment. They never arrived and despite a week long search, were never located.

LONDON, ENGLAND. 1944-02-01. 400297 SQUADRON LEADER E. C. SMITH DFC, HORSHAM, VIC (LEFT) AND 402071 FLIGHT LIEUTENANT F. B. GASCOIGNE DFC, EAST MALVERN, VIC, WHILE SERVING WITH NO. 461 (SUNDERLAND) SQUADRON RAAF, OUTSIDE BUCKINGHAM PALACE AFTER AN INVESTITURE. THEY HAVE FLOWN TOGETHER AS CAPTAIN AND NAVIGATOR RESPECTIVELY ON MANY OPERATIONS

Villers Bretonneux Military Cemetery and in the distance the tower of the Australian National Memorial

A No. 431 Squadron Lancaster B Mk III running up its engines.

Short ‘Empire’, VH-ABB ‘Coolangatta’ of QANTAS. Impressed by RAAF as A18-13 and allocated to 11 Squadron RAAF. It was returned to QANTAS on 13 July 1943, but crashed in Sydney Harbour on 11 October 1944.

Fred Barson, June 1917 Hurdcott England

The Burnside Primary School Memorial Gates, officially dedicated in 1925 to former students who lost their lives in the Great War.

Map depicting the Battle for Greece, and key German axes of advance and key battles.

Group Captain Hughie Edwards VC DSO DFC meeting the Prime Minister of Australia at RAAF Binbrook where Edwards was the Base Commander and RAAF No. 460 Squadron was based.

The cover of Arthur Hoyle's biography of Highie Edwards featuring the STella Bown portrait.

The cover of Arthur Hoyle's biography of Highie Edwards featuring the STella Bown portrait.

2/4 Australian General Hospital, Labuan, Borneo 1945

1696 Private Milo James MORRISON 2nd Battalion

Captain Thomas SHERIDAN's grave at Pheasant Wood cemetery

A posed photo showing 3 Squadron pilots scrambling to their aircraft (apparently having been sitting in the dust awaiting the command to 'go').

North Africa Western Desert - A Tomahawk aircraft of No. 3 Squadron RAAF being re-armed before another sortie. Image made by George Silk

1763 Tpr Joseph Wren Rear side of photo

657 St Elmo Rupert CORBETT - Prior to departure HMAT Hororata

Private Roy Absolom

BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET, ENGLAND. OCTOBER 1941. 404790 PILOT OFFICER CHARLES ANTONY (TONY) HARLAND (QUEENSLAND) ON LEFT AND PILOT OFFICER 402913 HENRY (HARRY) ROLAND TRAIN. HARLAND WAS LATER KILLED IN A RAID ON ESSEN, GERMANY, ON 11 APRIL 1942.

Morphettville Camp in 1915 (i.e. after Cowper passed through).

This is the Australian convalescent hospital, al Hayat, Helouan, Egypt, which is where William went when he was wounded.

This is an image of crowds watching the South Australian troops march past. The photo was taken in 1914.

This is an image of the officers of the 10th Battalion.

This is the ex-passenger liner, HMAT (A11) Ascanius which is the ship that William left on. He was probably on the ship when this photo was taken. People are throwing streamers that are connecting them to the ship.

This is a slightly damaged photo of ANZAC Beach, Gallipoli, 1915. The beach has soldiers and supplies arriving by boat.

This is a photo of troops from the 10th Battalion at Gallipoli. This is what it would have been like for Crowder.

430696 John Ewart "Jack" Norris 460 Sqn RAAF WW2

Map displaying the defensive layout during the siege during April to May 1941.