Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

P40 Kittyhawk A29-82 of 2 OTU in flight - similar Curtis P40 Kittyhawk aircraft were involved in fatal accidents at 2 OTU.

P40 Kittyhawks on the 2 OTU flight line

Studio portrait of Captain (Capt) Ronald Gilbert Horwood MM (left) and Capt Clarence Everard Pellew (right). Paris, France. October-December 1918

2 OTU Mildura WW2. A range of aircraft can be seen including the ubiquitous P40 Kittyhawk and some Vultee Vengeance dive bombers.

SX4193 Private SMART, Gilby Roy; 2nd/27th Battalion

Military Cross 1914/15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

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.

Richmond Baker's Pilots Course at Queen's College, Oxford University probably in April 1918. Bert Packer is second from the left front row and two places further right is Thomas Richmond Charles Baker who went on to become an Ace with No. 4 Squadron. Students all wear white hat bands. The Supervising staff are the three men centre front of the image. Men wearing peaked caps are already commissioned officer students whereas those in 'fore and aft' caps are Other Rank trainees who would be commissioned on graduation.

A page from a Stokes Mortar training pamphlet, illustrating the key features of the Stokes Mortar. Baseplate to absorb recoil, adjustable bipod to 'lay' the mortar on the required bearing and elevation, and the tube or barrel. Its cylindrical bomb was inherently unstable and its 'always' fuze was necessary to ensure detonation. Later developments saw the introduction of fin stabilised bombs which with the weapon itself, evolved into the 3 inch mortar used in WW2.

Sergeant John Francis Montgomery, 1st Light Horse Regiment Train, September 1914

A group of seven sergeants waiting to board on the troopship RMS Orontes. Identified back row right: 31661 Wheeler Sergeant (W/Sgt) William Richardson, 43 year old carpenter of Fremantle, WA. W/Sgt Richardson of 9th Reinforcements of 10th Field Artillery Brigade, has a wheel qualification badge on his right sleeve. All others are Master Gunners as denoted by their cloth gun badges on their right sleeves. Front row second left has a metal gun badge. Known to be amongst the group but exact positions unknown are: 31436 Sgt Keith A’Beckett Klingender, of Toorak, Vic, of 9th Reinforcements of 14th Field Artillery Brigade; 31586 Sgt Frank Moritz Michaelis, farmer of St Kilda, Vic of 12th Reinforcements of 6th Field Artillery Brigade. Sgt Michaelis died of meningitis on 14 May 1917 in England; 31361 Sgt Arthur Ernest McKean, clerk of Albert Park, Vic, of 12th Reinforcements of 4th Field Artillery Brigade (possibly centre front).

Gunners of the 2nd/4th Field Regiment with one of their short 25 pounder pack howitzers prepared for air dropping at Nadzab New Guinea September 1943.

Markham Valley, New Guinea. 1943-09-05. Screened by dense smoke, paratroopers of 503 US Paratroop Infantry Regiment and Gunners of 2/4th Australian Field Regiment with their 25 pounders land unopposed at Nadzab, during the advance of 7th Australian Division on Lae.

British gunnes try to drag an 18 pounder gun out of the mud. This photo was taken in August 1917, before winter rains set in and made the task of deploying artillery almost impossible.

1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory medal with the oak leaf clasp denoting Mentioned in Despatches.

The pilot of a Handley-Page Halifax of No. 35 Squadron in his position prior to take-off at Linton-On-Ouse, Yorkshire. Date between circa 1940 and circa 1942

3495A Gunner (Gnr) Harold Constantine 5th DAC

3495A Gunner (Gnr) Harold Constantine 5th DAC

Group portrait of five Australian Soldiers from the 5th Divisional Ammunition Column. Left to right, back row: 3495A Gunner (Gnr) Harold Constantine; 1513 Gnr Allen Wylie Scott; Probably 2222 Driver James Thomas Sheehan. Front row: Gnr H Williams; 2603 Gnr Arthur Rayworth Davison, later killed on 20 August 1917.

Studio portrait of 427775 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Harry James Boyd, No. 24 Squadron, of Pomborneit North, Vic. Boyd enlisted as a private, service number V170264, in the Citizens' Military Forces in Oct 1941. In September 1942 he enlisted in the RAAF. On 23 March 1945, Flt Sgt Boyd was the 2nd pilot, and one of twelve men on board, of Liberator aircraft A72-80 which left RAAF Truscott to undertake reconnaissance over the Lombok Strait and island of Bali. Shortly after take off, A72-80 developed engine trouble and crashed into Vansittart Bay, WA. All on board were killed. Flt Sgt Boyd was 22 years of age.

2603 Gnr Arthur Rayworth Davison, later killed on 20 August 1917

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.

A photograph taken on 10 July 1918. Two men of the 7th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery operate a mortar established in a machine gun post on the new front line. From left to right: 1916 Lance Corporal A J Ellis and 2700 Private A Lawler. This position was part of a few hundred yards captured from the enemy in a silent daylight raid on 9 July by a party of the 27th Battalion. The location is just east of Villers-Bretonneux between the railway and the south side of the Amiens-St Quentin main road, alongside a position called 'The Orchard'. A fine example of the "peaceful penetration" tactics employed by the Australians at this time.

Following the success of Le Hamel on 4 July, and the August offensive 8-11 August, King George V, who had been one of Monash's advocates, visited the Australian Corps Headquarters at Chateau Bertangles on 12 August. A display of some of the captured war material was on display along with a large turnout of troops.

A 144 Squadron taken during the D Day operations phase at Davidstow in Cornwall

Jim Whalley's Boomerang A46-63 on short finals

Jim Whalley's Boomerang A46-63 on short finals

A 144 Squadron "Torbeau" during the period a squadron element was detached to Algeria in 1943. Pilot Sgt P.G. Fletcher

"Six Snug Signallers" Outdoor group portrait of six signallers in the snow. Identified back row, left to right: 19636 Gunner (Gnr) Reginald Sylvester Mason; 19822 Gnr Gilbert James Simmonds; 19657 Stanley Clarence Whiting; 19806 Gnr Lewis Ewen McKenzie (later MM). Front row, seated: 19616 Gnr Frank Orman Ball and 19634 Gnr Allan Lyle McPherson (later MM). These men embarked for service overseas with the 8th Field Artillery Brigade aboard HMAT Medic (A7) on 20 May 1916 (Gnrs McPherson, Whiting and Ball from Sydney and Gnrs McKenzie and Simmonds from Melbourne). Gnr Mason, a printer from Corrowa, NSW, prior to enlistment, died of wounds in Belgium on 27 September 1917, aged 22. The other five men survived the war.

"Six Snug Signallers" a group of 29th Battery signallers - Front row Bombadier Frank Ball and Allan McPherson

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.

No. 625 Squadron, RAF based in Yorkshire. Flying Officer Ian Denver, DFC, RAAF, front row, fourth from left. He is wearing the distinctive darker blue uniform of the RAAF in WW2. Denver and his crew flew 16 missions before being transferred to No. 156 (Pathfinder) Squadron, where they flew a further 32 together.

39-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal (UK service), 39-45 British War Medal, 39-45 Australian War Medal

Gunner George Edwin BAGGOTT

9708 Boothey Stanley Field RH#9

179 Sgt (later Lieutenant) William John Shaughnessy RH#14

920 Francis Michael LOCK AFC RH#23

3491 Private John Stanley SGELTON 9 LHR RH#21

Private Leslie Robert Templeman RH#26

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

The Vickers Armstrong QF 2 pounder Anti Tank Gun which equipped Australian Anti Tank / Tank Attack units. Although outclassed by the armoured protection of modern tanks such as the German Pzkw III and later so was hard pressed in the Middle East in WW2, it was more than adequate to deal with Japanese tanks encountered in the SW Pacific exemplified in the ambushes conducted in the Malaya campaign.

An Australian patrol in part of the anti-tank ditch. Compared to another photo purporting to be in an anti tank ditch, which is not much more than a shallow depression, this image gives avery graphic impression of the nature of the obstacle. The aim is to ground a tank in the bottom of the ditch at an angle that prevents self-recovery.

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

1986 Simpson Trophy - Winning Team 10RSAR Team1. L-R Capt Graham"Growler" Growden, Sgt Wayne Birch and Capt Steve Larkins. Dean Range Port Adelaide

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.

NX207799 Private John Ernest PARRY

Major Graham Growden

WARMAN.pdf