BROUGHT TO YOU BY TROY GRANT MP MEMBER FOR DUBBO

Transcription

1 BROUGHT TO YOU BY TROY GRANT MP MEMBER FOR DUBBO APRIL 2014

2 THE SPIRIT One hundred years on ANZACs define our country s character. ANZAC Day is considered to be the most sacred of all our national days, and this year we mark 100 years since World War One ( ). For Australia, the First World War is a clear reminder of the cost of conflict. With a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. This Spirit of ANZAC lets us commemorate the bravery and sacrifices made by men and women who have served Australia. Each year we pause on ANZAC and Remembrance Day to reflect upon the events and circumstances that led to so many of our forebears paying such a heavy price in the defence of Australia. Often we take for granted the free country we live in, as we spend each day going our own way, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that this freedom came at a price to many in wars past and present. The following quote from a memorial plaque sums up the Spirit of ANZAC ANZAC is not merely about loss, it is about courage and endurance, and duty, and love of country and mateship, and good humour, and the survival of a sense of self worth and decency in the face of dreadful odds. As we approach the 100th anniversary since the start of World War One, this year s Spirit of ANZAC publication pays tribute to some of our local people who served in this war. Troy Grant MP Member for Dubbo COVER: The Parkes War Memorial is a 33-metre high tower with a flagpole at each corner of the precinct. The memorial is located at the top of Memorial Hill Lookout. LEST WE FORGET They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Contact Troy Grant MP Postal address: PO Box 1327, Dubbo NSW 2830 Phone: (02) Fax: (02) dubbo@parliament.nsw.gov.au Web:

3 OF ANZAC James Lihou was a true warrior whose actions in The Great War of captured the legend which today we call the ANZAC Spirit. Wongarbon Digger one of our finest His courage and bravery on the battlefield put Sergeant James Lihou among Australia s most honourable soldiers. The 20-year-old labourer from Wongarbon enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Dubbo on 15 January 1916 ready for the adventure which awaited all these keen young men. The 13th Battalion was fighting on the Western Front in France when James was twice wounded in action in early Gunshot wounds to the hands, legs and face didn t stop his motivation or ability to lead men in battle. Throughout 1918 James showed his best qualities and was awarded a Military Medal for gallantry in April 1918 and a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) a few months later in July. Fighting continued in horrific conditions and then in September 1918 James was back in the thick of action. His efforts on 18 September 1918 earned a Bar to his DCM but also tragically cost him his life. He was severely wounded and died after single-handedly charging a machine gun post. Sgt James Lihou was 23 years old when killed in this action at Le Verguier, France. It was shocking news for his parents Stephen and Eliza back at Wongarbon but both were proud knowing their son had been decorated for many heroic actions. His DCM citations best summarise this local lad s bravery and camaraderie: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in charge of a Lewis Gun Section during an attack. Throughout the advance he fired from the hip and when an enemy post threatened to hold up the line he engaged it so effectually that a bombing section was enabled to approach it from a flank without casualties and kill all the occupants. Shortly after when one of his section became a casualty, he carried his gun as well as his own right up to the final objective. He set a splendid example of cheerfulness and cool confidence to his men.... and the Bar to his DCM: he and a small party of seven attacked a machine-gun post killing three of the crew and taking the remainder prisoners. Later, when the party reached the final objective, they met with opposition from several machine guns. Sgt Lihou charged ahead, bombed and captured one crew, thus enabling his party to get into the trench. He was later severely wounded while charging a machine-gun single-handed.

4 THE GRE World War One, also called The Australia s character and development as Great War, was a conflict of a nation. This day became a national holiday known as ANZAC Day. unprecedented extent and 19 MAY 1915 Private John Simpson ferocity. Kirkpatrick of Simpson and his Donkey For Australia, the First World War of fame killed at Gallipoli. remains the most costly conflict in terms of MAY 1915 Lance Corporal Albert deaths and casualties. Jacka, 14th Battalion, AIF, became the From a population of fewer than five first Australian to win the Victoria Cross in million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which World War One for his action at Gallipoli. more than 60,000 were killed and 156, AUGUST 1915 Battle of Lone Pine, wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner*. Gallipoli Australians were awarded Listed here are just some of the major seven Victoria Crosses. events of the War, with particular relevance 7 AUGUST 1915 Charge of Australian Light to Australian troops. Horse Brigade at the Nek, Gallipoli. 28 JUNE 1914 Assassinations of Archduke DECEMBER 1915 Evacuation of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of ANZAC and Suvla at Gallipoli. By the time Austria-Hungary (Germany s close ally) of evacuation close to 46,000 allied and his wife Sophie, by 19-year-old troops had been killed from a total of nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. 250,000 casualties. Evacuation of Helles This triggers a diplomatic crisis which took place on 9 January soon spreads around the world. 7 APRIL 1916 Australian soldiers on the 4 AUGUST 1914 Great Britain declared war Western Front at Armentieres, France. on Germany. Australia pledged a force of 25 APRIL 1916 First commemoration of 20,000. ANZAC Day. 5 AUGUST 1914 A gun crew stationed at JULY 1916 Battle of Fromelles, Fort Nepean on the Mornington France. Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, fired 23 JULY 1916 Australians in action in the across the bow of German cargo steamer Battle of the Somme at Pozieres and SS Pfalz. This is the first shot fired by Mouquet Farm, France, until 3 British forces in WWI. September. 10 AUGUST 1914 Voluntary recruitment 3-5 AUGUST 1916 Australian Light Horse in for Australian Imperial Force (AIF) started. Battle of Romani, Egypt. 11 SEPTEMBER 1914 German New Guinea 18 NOVEMBER 1916 Somme campaign and nearby German-ruled island ended. Australian troops endured trench territories seized by Australian navy. warfare in a severe winter on the Western 1 NOVEMBER 1914 The First Division of Front. the AIF sailed from Albany, Western 20 MARCH 1917 Lieutenant F H Australia, for Egypt. McNamara, No. 1 Squadron, Australian 9 NOVEMBER 1914 HMAS Sydney sank the Flying Corps, the only member of the German cruiser, Emden, at the Cocos AFC to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Islands, Indian Ocean. 11 APRIL 1917 First Battle of Bullecourt, 25 APRIL 1915 Australian forces in dawn France. landing at ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli 3 MAY 1917 Second Battle of Bullecourt, Peninsula, Turkey. A defining moment in France. NARROMINE SIBLIN They last saw each other on the family farm at Narromine, so the chance to reunite in a war zone was a special moment for the Tomlins siblings. Fred and Jessie Tomlins served their country well during The Great War of Whilst Fred was on the frontline in some of the most renowned battles of World War One, Jessie was a nurse in a hospital seeing the aftermath of the battles. The photograph at left was taken in Egypt on 28 October 1918 of the brother and sister who went to war and both survived to return to Australia.

5 AT WAR AT WAR The Entente Powers or Allies: French Republic, British Empire (including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India), Russian Empire. Also Japan, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Greece, Czechoslovakia. Later, USA and Italy. The Central Powers: Germany, Austria- Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria and Italy. CASUALTIES Allies: 5,712,000 military dead, 12,809,000 wounded. Central Powers: 4,010,000 military dead, 8,419,000 wounded. Civilian deaths (on both sides): 6,841,000 Total deaths: 16,563,000 (all figures approximate) 7 JUNE 1917 Battle of Messines, Belgium. 1 AUGUST 1917 Third Battle of Ypres Australian soldiers were in action most notably at Menin Road, Glencorse Wood, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde Ridge and Passchendaele (until November 14). 31 OCTOBER 1917 Australian Light Horse in the famous charge on Turkish positions at Beersheba, Palestine. 25 APRIL 1918 Australians win Villers- Bretonneux, France. 29 SEPTEMBER 1918 Australians stormed the Hindenburg Line, France. 1 OCTOBER 1918 Australian Light Horsemen took Damascus, Syria. 11 NOVEMBER 1918 Germany signed an armistice to cease fighting. The war is over. 28 JUNE 1919 Representatives of Allied powers and Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, at Versailles, France, officially ending World War I. *Australian War Memorial GS REUNITED IN EGYPT Lieutenant Fred Harold Tomlins was a farmer at Narromine and served one year in the Citizens Military Forces before enlisting as a Signalman on 22 August He embarked aboard HMAT Star of Victoria (A16) on 20 October 1914 with the 1st Light Horse Regiment, C Squadron. Fred saw action in Gallipoli and later on the Western Front in France. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 10 October 1917 and returned to Australia on 15 November Nursing Sister Jessie Millicent Tomlins enlisted on 6 July She embarked aboard RMS Kashgar on 2 September 1916 with the Australian Army Nursing Service. She returned to Australia on 13 July 1919.

6 Canowindra Light Horseman part of the Gallipoli legend THE SPIRIT It was a long way from Canowindra to the rugged cliffs at Gallipoli, but that s the challenge Charlie Grimshaw faced just eight months after joining the Army. Trooper Charles Edward Grimshaw (right) enlisted on 7 October 1914 and was attached to the 7th Light Horse Regiment. A labourer prior to enlistment, he embarked with his unit, part of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, on HMAT Ayrshire on 20 December 1914, spending what would be his last Christmas at sea. After training in Egypt Charlie s unit arrived on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 15 May 1915 almost one month after the initial dawn landings. The Light Horse was considered unsuitable for operations at Gallipoli, and so the men were deployed without their horses to reinforce the infantry. The 7th Light Horse Regiment was part of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, and was attached to the 1st Australian Division. They became responsible for a sector on the far right of the ANZAC line, and played a defensive role which was still fraught with danger for these soldiers. Just 18 days into his campaign at Gallipoli, Charles Grimshaw was killed in action on 2 June He was aged 36. Charlie was buried at Shrapnel Valley Cemetery after a service performed by Rev. Keith Miller. A DIGGER S VIEW He may not have realised at the time but Gunner Norman Pearce s daily writings of life in the trenches on the Western Front has become a treasured piece of World War One history. The Parkes surveyor defied a ban on soldiers to keep diaries and recorded everything from humorous moments to terrifying ordeals in the face of battle. His words reveal a young man with a larrikin nature and spirit of adventure. The small diary, with 1916 inscribed on the front, has been housed in the NSW State Library since The neatly handwritten pages document military life for Norman, starting in Egypt and then in France where he saw much action.

7 OF ANZAC Our 100th VC Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird VC MG The Victoria Cross the highest form of recognition that can be bestowed on a soldier for remarkable and unselfish courage in the service of others. There is no greater single honour, award, or accolade. Cpl Baird became the 100th Australian recipient of this prestigious military award in February this year. It was posthumously awarded to his parents for his actions in Afghanistan on 22 June His acts of valour and selfsacrifice in battle saved the lives of his comrades. His actions which cost him his life were of the highest order and in keeping with the finest traditions of the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force. Cpl Baird, serving with the 2nd Commando Regiment, was on his fifth tour of Afghanistan. He was awarded the Medal for Gallantry in 2007 on his second tour. The VC award ceremony was fitting in the year 2014 the 100th VC winner in the 100th year since the start of World War One. There were 64 VC medals awarded to Australians in WWI. FROM THE TRENCHES Norman was part of the 5th Field Ambulance at Gallipoli from August 1915 until the evacuation. He then joined the 51st Battery, 13th Field Artillery when sent to the Western Front. It was in France that Norman wrote of the terror of war. His last recording was the day before he was wounded at the Somme on 19 November 1916 he died a day later on the 20th aged 25 years. Two other Pearce brothers, of Parkes, also joined the Australian Imperial Force. Thomas Ede Pearce was a bank clerk who signed up in March He was wounded in action in July 1918, effectively ending his war. He returned to Australia. Joseph Henry Pearce joined in early 1918 and embarked for London but the war ended soon after with the Armistice of 11 November 1918.

8 THE SPIRIT OF ANZAC Bertie did his duty in two wars Private Bertie Duckering was a veteran of another war and put his hand up to fight in World War One when he was aged almost 40 years. Bertie signed up for duty on 26 February 1916 at his hometown of Forbes and six days before Christmas the same year he moved onto the Western Front in France. It was a different fight to the 15 months he spent with the 3rd Mounted Rifles in the South African Boer War, where he was wounded but survived to return home. Bertie, who was born in England and whose father died when he was just 10, was a single man who had a tough life and was working as a mining labourer when he joined the Australian Imperial Force. Attached to the 3rd Battalion and later transferred to the 4th Field Ambulance, Bertie s records reveal a strong character who let his feelings be known. In June 1917 Bertie had his pay docked for using insubordinate language towards a superior officer one of the highlights on his otherwise clean record. Bertie was killed four months after his slight indiscretion, making the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country in Belgium on 25 October He is buried in the Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery, Ypres ANZAC Day activities in the region BOGAN GATE 6.00am: Dawn Service at the War Memorial Monument. CANOWINDRA 6.00am: Dawn service at Memorial Park. Breakfast afterwards at the club am: March steps off am: ANZAC Day Service at Memorial Park. DUBBO 5.45am: Dawn Service at the Cenotaph in Victoria Park. 8.30am: Combined ANZAC service at St Brigid s Catholic Church am: March steps off in Wingewarra St to the Cenotaph am: ANZAC Day Service at the Cenotaph in Victoria Park. EUGOWRA 11.00am: ANZAC Day Service at Memorial Park Cenotaph. FORBES 5.15am: Dawn Service at the Cenotaph 10.15am: Main march steps off followed by Commemoration Service at the Cenotaph. Form up at 10am in Cross St. 5.00pm: Lowering flag at Cenotaph. NARROMINE 5.30am: Dawn Service at the Cenotaph, intersection of Burraway and Dandaloo Streets. 9.30am: Service at the War Cemetery on Tomingley Rd am: March starts outside United Services Club am: ANZAC Day Service at the Cenotaph. PARKES 5.30am: Dawn Service at Memorial Hill. 8.30am: ANZAC March steps off. 9.00am: Civic Ceremony, Cooke Park am: Pilgrimage to the war graves at the Parkes Cemetery. 12 noon: RSL Sub-branch luncheon. PEAK HILL 6.00am: Dawn Service at the AIF Memorial Gates. Breakfast at the Ex-Services Club afterwards am: March and main service at the Gates. Service at the cemetery to follow. Luncheon at Ex-Services Club afterwards. TRUNDLE 11.00am: ANZAC Day Service at Trundle Memorial Hall. Fall-in at 10.50am at the Central School. TULLAMORE 5.45am: Dawn Service in Memorial Park. 9.00am: Memorial visit to the Cemetery to lay poppies on graves am: ANZAC Day Service at Tullamore Memorial Park. PLEASE NOTE: All times and venues have been supplied by various RSL Sub-branch officials. Care has been taken to ensure as many services as possible have been included and were correct at the time of publication. For verification of other services please contact your local RSL Sub-branch. Authorised by Troy Grant MP. Printed by MSS Media April 2014, 161 Lake Albert Rd, Kooringal 2650 using Parliamentary entitlements.