Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Map illustrating the relative position of AO Surfers, Saigon and the Australian base at Nui Dat

Map illustrating the relative position of AO Surfers, Saigon and the Australian base at Nui Dat

A M2A2 105mm howitzer fires in support of 1 RAR from FSB Coral

A CH47 Chinook flies in a payload to the 102 Fd Bty LZ at FSB Coral

Private Paul ANdrew LARGE was a national service conscript from Coolah in Queensland, and part of D Company 6RAR. He was one of the 17 soldiers of D Company killed in action in the course of the Battle of Long Tan.

3RAR Defensive positions at Balmoral. The soldiers are wearing steel helmets and they have a very well prepared fully 'dug in' weapon pit prepared to 'Stage 3' complete with sleeping bays with overhead protection (sandbags) to protect against artillery and mortar splinters.

3RAR’s Regimental Sergeant Major, Vince Murdoch, tends a wounded and blindfolded North Vietnamese soldier at Balmoral.

A group of PoW awaiting extraction by helicopter FSB Balmoral 28 May 1968

Australians dress the wounds of a North Vietnamese prisoner captured in the aftermath of an attack on Balmoral. AWM CRO/68/0580/VN

Bell UH 1 "Iroquois", more familiarly known as 'Hueys' dropping supplies at FSB Coral

3RAR’s Regimental Sergeant Major, Vince Murdoch, tends a wounded and blindfolded North Vietnamese soldier at Balmoral.

Surrounded by Australians, wounded North Vietnamese prisoners lie on makeshift stretchers and wait to be evacuated from Balmoral.

3RAR’s Regimental Sergeant Major, Vince Murdoch, tends a wounded and blindfolded North Vietnamese soldier at Balmoral.

3RAR’s Regimental Sergeant Major, Vince Murdoch, tends a wounded and blindfolded North Vietnamese soldier at Balmoral.

3RAR Defensive positions at Balmoral. The soldiers are wearing steel helmets and they have a very well prepared fully 'dug in' weapon pit prepared to 'Stage 3' complete with sleeping bays with overhead protection (sandbags) to protect against artillery and mortar splinters.

A Centurion tank in position behind a protective bund at FSB Balmoral

Korea, 1952-05. Three officers from 'A' Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), share a bottle of beer in a reserve area. The soldiers are (left to right): Captain Brian Poananga, a New Zealander serving with the battalion; 3/40105 Lieutenant Gilmer John (Gil) Lucas MC; 3/395 Major Jeffrey James (Jim) Shelton MC, the company commander. A graduate of the Royal Military College (RMC) Duntroon, Captain Poananga later became Chief of the General Staff (CGS) in the Royal New Zealand Army (RNZA).

Gallipoli Medallion, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

QX10333 CPL Athol Bayly - SIgnatures of Sqn personnel in a group photo

Some of the Australians involved in the Dams Raid. Most were not to survive the War.

A SQN in Syria

QX10333 Athol 'Ned' Bayly - on right. Middle East, probably mid 1941

QX10333 Athol 'Ned' Bayly in his first suit

QX10333 CPL Athol 'Ned' Bayly - Crossing the equator certificate on the way to Middle East aboard the Queen May

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'.

Avenue of Honour Bacchus Marsh postcard, ca 1950

Thomas Baker's Pilots Course. Baker is circled (right) and a colleague Packer is circled left.

Buckingham Palace, London. C. 1943-06. Group portrait taken outside Buckingham Palace after the Queen's Investiture. Left to right 408076 Flight Sergeant T. D. Simpson DFM of Hobart, Tas; 406248 Pilot Officer C. L. Howard DFC of Perth, WA; 407729 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) D. J. Shannon DSO DFC of Bridgewater, SA; Wing Commander G. P. Gibson VC DSO and Bar DFC and Bar, RAF; 407074 Flt Lt R. C. Hay DFC and Bar of Malvern, SA; 402367 Flt Lt J. F. Leggo DFC and Bar of Lake Macquarie, NSW; Flt Lt H. B. Martin DSO DFC of Sydney, NSW, RAF; 407380 Pilot Officer F. M. Spafford DFC DFM of Wayville, SA. They were all decorated for the part they had played in the famous raid on the German dams, led by the Commanding Officer Wing Commander Gibson who was awarded the VC.

Robert Stanley PILLAR's headstone Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney

Pat Hughes 1940

Four unidentified members of the 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigade machine gun squadron in action at Khurbetha-Ibn in Palestine. The man second from left and slightly forward of the gun is using an optical range finder to give range data to the No. 1 on the gun to apply to his sights to get correct elevation. The No. 2 on the right serves ammunition to the gun; he appears to be wearing a New Zealand 'lemon squeezer' service hat. The man on the far left is the detachment commander who will give adjustments to the No. 1. This image is a colour Paget Plate. Photographer: Frank Hurley

During World War II, the airfield at Deniliquin was primarily a training base. From June 1941 until August 1944, 2206 pilots graduated from No 7 Service Flying Training School. As the end of the war neared, a number of operational units were moved to the base to be disbanded.

Wirraways of No. 2 SFTS, c. July 1941; No. 7 SFTS also operated the type, and inherited aircraft from No. 2 SFTS when it disbanded in April 1942

Three B24 Heavy Bombers of 7 OTU on a training flight in southern NSW in 1944/45

418913 Flying Officer Norman Jack Bowman

A B25 Mitchell medium bomber of No. 180 Squadron RAF

Informal group portrait of RAF ground staff with RAAF and Royal New Zealand Air Force air crew of a Mitchell bomber squadron, 180 Squadron RAF with the Second Tactical Air Force. Left to right: two RAF ground crew, Jock (Fitter) and Alf (Rigger); 422248 Flying Officer (FO) Jack B O'Halloran, pilot of Sydney, NSW, (later Flight Lieutenant and DFC); 417379 Pilot Officer James Crosby (Jim) Jennison (later Flying Officer and DFC) of Adelaide, SA; 422175 FO Reg J Hansen of Sydney, NSW; FO Harry M Hawthorn, RNZAF of Hastings, NZ. The aircraft was lettered D and the pilot named it 'Daily Delivery' and the nose art illustration portrays a stork carrying a large bomb. RAF Dunsfold Surrey UK C263114

No. 180 Squadron B25 Mitchell Bomber taxiing for take off from RAF Dunsfold, Surrey UK June 1944

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens cathedral from the canal precinct

Amiens Cathedral

The Magill Soldiers' Memorial Opening

Sketch map, the action at Isurava, 29 August 1942

England. 1944-06-11. Group of aircrew at No. 180 squadron RAF. Left to right: 405107 Flying Officer (FO) W. Kirk, Brisbane, QLD (KIA 20 June 1944); 405054 FO B. W. Klemm, Brisbane, QLD; 415259 FO H. Hawthorn, Hastings, NZ; 417379 Flight Sergeant J. Jennison, Adelaide, SA; 422248 FO J. B. O'Halloran, Sydney, NSW; 422080 FO R. M. Kennard, Canberra, ACT.

PORTRAIT OF 405054 FLYING OFFICER B. W. KLEMM, BRISBANE, QLD, AN RAAF AIR GUNNER IN A MITCHELL MEDIUM BOMBER OF NO. 180 SQUADRON RAF WITH THE SECOND TACTICAL AIR FORCE.

Wing Commander Bob McINtosh, AFC OAM MiD, Member SA Veterans Advisory Council

A Consolidated Catalina aircraft (right), with the serial number A24-100 and code number RK-L of 42 Squadron, RAAF, piloted by 401846 Pilot Officer (PO) (later Flying Officer (FO)) Clifford Dent Hull of Hawthorn, Vic. After completing a successful mine laying operation off Macassar (Celebes) Harbour on the night of 23 & 24 October 1944, the starboard engine of this aircraft was damaged by Japanese anti aircraft (AA) fire. Unable to maintain height on his return and with the second engine failing, PO Hull made a forced landing in the open sea south of the South Western Celebes Peninsula. He and his crew spent the next twelve hours on the water uncomfortably close to four Japanese airfields based in Southern Celebes, before a second Catalina (left), OX-U of 43 Squadron, RAAF, arrived to rescue PO Hull and his crew. A rubber dingy is visible transferring the downed crew to the rescue aircraft. A United States B24 Liberator bomber located the downed Catalina and guided the rescue Catalina in. The B24 continued to circle overhead providing protection. After the disabled Catalina had been sunk by machine gun fire, the rescue Catalina took off and returned safely to Darwin. This operation was one of the epic sea rescues of the Second World War, entailing a round trip of 1800 miles mainly through Japanese held territory. The rescue crew were: 415632 FO (later Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt, DFC)), Armand Andre Etienne (Captain), of West Perth, WA; 408409 FO (later Flt Lt), Ian McCallister Robson of Sandy Bay, Tas; 428809 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) (later Warrant Officer (WO)), John Joseph Sweeney (Navigator), of Newcastle, NSW, (visible standing on the wing of the rescue aircraft); 428832 Flt Sgt (later WO), Raymond Victor Tumeth of Haberfield, NSW; 428360 Flt Sgt (later WO), Derek Fanshawe Robertson of Camberwell, Vic; 12912 Sergeant (Sgt) (later PO), Robert Richard Tingman of Brighton, Vic; 12223 Sgt (later Flt Sgt), Albert Leslie Warton of Sydney, NSW; A2398 Sgt, Thomas Roy Elphick of Bondi, NSW; 33642 Corporal, James Francis Burgess Oliver of Glen Innes of NSW.

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.

Corporal Philip Ness "Doc" Dobson, MID.

https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=137281&c=WW2