Thread: REMEMBRANCE DAY - Give one minute for so many many sacrifices

Thanks digger, I hadn't realised today was the 11th - disadvantages of retirement where one doesn't think about the date.

Thanks Digger.

I'm going to the service in Armidale where my son, an ex captain and now a chaplain in the reserves will be conducting a special memorial service for the relatives of a WW1 digger who was buried in the local cemetery and whose location has only just been discovered. Apparently he signed up in 1914, by lowering his age from 48 to 43 to gain acceptance, was wounded and discharged on medical grounds and eventually buried in March 1929 a pauper, hence his until now, unknown burial location.

We owe a lot to these guys and all those who have served and are currently serving.

LEST WE FORGET

Lest we forget....

And in remembering our fallen we should also try to learn, as life goes forward.

Coming back to east Africa and, by chance, coming across the Commonwealth War Grave located within the cemetery at Pemba, Cabo Delgado Province, in the very north of Mozambique, it has opened my eyes and mind to a very little known WW1 theatre of conflict.

The East African conflict did not finish until 25 November 1918.

I have found this image to be a very informing and illustrative of what happened, when & where:

[World_War_I_in_East_Africa.] http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:World_War_I_in_East_Africa.jpg[/URL]



Lest we forget.....to learn.

Lest We Forget!!

A bit cold, windy and threatening up here in Bundy. I think that may have kept some Diggers away from the service. I only counted about 150 people (including our Diggers) in total. A bit disappointing really. The (ch 7?) news tonight said Brissy had a bumper crowd.

Lest We Forget

We should also remember
Wartime Issue 14


ANZACS in Iraq

Gallipoli made ANZAC famous, but Australians and New Zealanders also fought side by side in the cradle of civilisation
In April, Australians and New Zealanders commemorate the birth of the ANZAC legend on a remote stretch of Turkish coastline in 1915. At the same time that men of the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps were engaged in the grim campaign on Gallipoli, the tradition of Australian and New Zealand military co-operation was also being played out at a different point in the Middle East. Only this time the men involved were aviators, not foot soldiers.
A month after the Gallipoli landing, a detachment of the Australian Flying Corps arrived at Basra, on the Persian Gulf, to join in efforts to secure Britain's oil interests in Mesopotamia (Iraq) from the threat posed by Turkish forces. On arrival the 45 Australians joined up with a smaller group of Indian Flying Corps personnel and also Lieutenant W.W.A. Burn, a New Zealand army pilot.
Lieutenant G.P. Merz climbing aboard a Bristol Boxkite. Merz was the first Australian military pilot to be killed in action. A03918
Burn was the only trained airman his government had available when British authorities in India asked New Zealand and Australia to raise an air unit for the campaign. He was not the only New Zealander present. One of the Indian Army pilots, Captain H.L. Reilly, originally came from Hawke Bay. Promoted to the temporary rank of major, Reilly was made commander of what became known as the Mesopotamia Flight of the Royal Flying Corps.
Ground operations began at the end of May with an advance on Amara, halfway up the Tigris River towards Baghdad. The airmen flew reconnaissance missions in support. Their aircraft were frail, primitive biplanes which an Australian, Captain T.W. White (later to become a federal government minister), described as "mere toys more suitable for a flying school than for active service". The truth of this was shown by the frequency of forced landings caused by overheated engines.
The remains of Lieutenant Merz's Caudron after it had been destroyed by hostile Arabs. Lt Merz and Lt W.W.A. Burn made a forced landing after their aircraft developed engine trouble. They were killed and their remains were never found. A02264
In July, two aircraft from the flight took part in a secondary thrust up the Euphrates River, aimed at clearing opposing Turks from the marshlands before pressing on to Kut, the next major town towards Baghdad. After British forces captured Nasariyeh, the aircraft were ordered back to Basra.
The crews intended to fly together and took off at 6 am on 30 July. However, they were soon separated and engine trouble forced both aircraft to make forced landings. Major Reilly and his Australian co-pilot met friendly Arabs who assisted with repairs, enabling the plane to get airborne again. The other aircraft, crewed by Burn and Australian pilot Lieutenant G.P. Merz, was not so lucky.
Reilly discovered Burn and Merz's aircraft several days later. It had been "hacked to matchwood" by Arabs, leaving no doubt that the aircrew had met a grim end. Information later obtained indicated that Burn and Merz had made a safe landing near several Arab camps and villages. These locals were hostile, however, and before the airmen could repair their engine, they were attacked.
A running fight over several kilometres had ensued as Merz and Burn fought off the tribesmen with revolvers until one of the pair was wounded. The other chose to remain with his fallen comrade and perished with him. Their remains were never recovered.
For Burn's family in Christchurch, there was more tragedy to come. The following month, Burn's brother was killed on Gallipoli.
In an odd twist to this tale, Burn was not a native New Zealander, but had been born in Melbourne. His Australian origins are not surprising when it is remembered that in 1911, five per cent of New Zealand's European population was Australian by birth.
While the Gallipoli campaign ended in evacuation at the end of 1915, the operations in Mesopotamia took a more disastrous turn. A large part of the British forces were besieged in Kut and forced to surrender in April 1916. Nine members of the Australian air detachment became prisoners of the Turks. Only two survived their captivity. By the time of Kut's fall, just one of the Mesopotamia Flight's eight original pilots was still in action.
Despite the setback at Kut, the campaign in Mesopotamia continued and gave rise to a further, little-known boost to the ANZAC tradition. The ANZAC Wireless Signal Squadron was formed in 1916 and continued until 1918, when the Kiwis were withdrawn due to manpower shortages in the New Zealand Division fighting on the Western Front. By then, of course, the ANZAC name was already famous throughout the empire.

I ran in the City to Sea in Melbourne this morning.
Lots of people, myself included, ran with poppies stuck on running vests.
Before the race there was a brief ceremony and the last post was played.
Poignant start to the race.

Dan

As this year is the last Remembrance Day that shall pass whilst we have a force in Afghanistan I think it appropriate to look back on our fallen in that campaign ...

Australian Service personnel Killed in Afghanistan - Lest We Forget

• Sergeant Andrew Russell, SASR, died of wounds sustained when his patrol vehicle struck an anti-tank mine on 16 February 2002.

• Explosives Detection Dog Merlin, died of wounds sustained during vehicle accident whilst training on 5 September 2007.

• Explosives Detection Dog Razz, died of wounds sustained whilst detecting an Improvised Explosive Device on 24 September 2007.

• Trooper David Pearce, 2/14 Lt Horse Regt Qld Mounted Inf., was killed when his ASLAV was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device on 8 October 2007.

• Sergeant Matthew Locke MG , SASR, was killed by Taliban insurgent small-arms fire on 25 October 2007.

• Private Luke Worsley, 4RAR (Cdo), was killed by Taliban insurgent small-arms fire on 23 November 2007.

• Explosives Detection Dog Andy, died of wounds sustained during vehicle accident on 24 November 2007.

• Lance Corporal Jason Marks, 4RAR (Cdo), was killed by Taliban insurgent small-arms fire on 27 April 2008.

• Signaller Sean McCarthy, SASR, was killed when the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device on 8 July 2008.

• Lieutenant Michael Fussell, 4RAR (Cdo), was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device during a dismounted patrol on 27 November 2008.

• Private Gregory Sher, 1st Commando Regiment, was killed in a rocket attack on 4 January 2009.

• Corporal Mathew Hopkins, 7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, was killed during an engagement with the Taliban on 16 March 2009.

• Sergeant Brett Till, Incident Response Regiment, was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device during a route clearance task on the 19 March 2009.

• Private Benjamin Ranaudo, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device on 18 July 2009.

• Explosives Detection Dog Nova, a 4 year old mixed breed dog died of wounds sustained during training on 23 October 2009.

• Sapper Jacob Moerland, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 7 June 2010.

• Sapper Darren Smith, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment died of wounds sustained during an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 7 June 2010.
• Explosives Detection Dog (Sapper Smith’s dog) Herbie, a 3-1/2 year old Collie Cross and also died of wounds sustained during the Improvised Explosive Device strike on 7 June 2010.
(deliberately left together)

• Private Timothy Aplin, 2nd Commando Regiment died as a result of a helicopter crash on 21 June 2010.

• Private Scott Palmer, 2nd Commando Regiment died as a result of a helicopter crash on 21 June 2010.

• Private Benjamin Chuck, 2nd Commando Regiment died of wounds sustained in a helicopter crash on 21 June 2010.

• Private Nathan Bewes, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device on 9 July 2010.

• Trooper Jason Brown, SASR, died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained in an engagement with insurgents on 13 August 2010.

• Private Tomas Dale, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 20 August 2010.

• Private Grant Kirby, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 20 August 2010.

• Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, was killed during an engagement with insurgents on 24 August 2010.

• Corporal Richard Atkinson, 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 2 February 2011.

• Sapper Jamie Larcombe, 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, was killed during an engagement with insurgents on 19 February 2011.

• Sergeant Brett Wood MG DSM, 2nd Commando Regiment, was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device during a dismounted patrol on 23 May 2011.

• Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, 9th Force Support Battalion, died of wounds as a result of a small-arms fire incident on 30 May 2011.

• Lieutenant Marcus Case, 6th Aviation Regiment, died of wounds sustained in a helicopter crash on 30 May 2011.

• Sapper Rowan Robinson, Incident Response Regiment, died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained in an engagement with insurgents on 06 June 2011.

• Sergeant Todd Langley, 2nd Commando Regiment, was killed during an engagement with insurgents on 4 July 2011

• Private Matthew Lambert, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, died of wounds as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 22 August 2011.

• Captain Bryce Duffy, 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, was killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 October 2011.

• Corporal Ashley Birt, 6th Engineer Support Regiment, was killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 October 2011.

• Lance Corporal Luke Gavin, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment died of wounds as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 October 2011.

• Explosives Detection Dog Quake, died of gunshot wounds on 25 June 2012.

• Sergeant Blaine Flower Diddams MG, from the Special Air Service Regiment was killed during a small arms engagement with insurgents on 02 July 2012.

• Explosives Detection Dog Devil, died of gunshot wounds on 2 July 2012.

• Sapper James Martin, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment was killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 August 2012.

• Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (QMI), was killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 August 2012.

• Private Robert Poate, 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment was killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 August 2012.

• Private Nathanael Galagher, 2nd Commando Regiment was killed in a helicopter crash on 30 August 2012.

• Lance Corporal Mervyn McDonald, 2nd Commando Regiment was killed in a helicopter crash on 30 August 2012.

• Corporal Scott Smith, Special Operations Engineer Regiment, was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device on 21 October 2012.

• Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird MG, 2nd Commando Regiment, was killed by small arms fire during an engagement with insurgents on 22 June 2013.

• Rifleman Stuart Nash, was a Rifleman in the British Army. He was born in Sydney and was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2008. He is not counted in the list of Australian casualties above but included here as I believe he is entitled to be.

LEST WE FORGET

Pause for a minute, think of these and of their mates and families and be grateful for all they and all servicemen/women have given or may have to give.

To those who are serving and those who have served, Thankyou to yourselves and to your families.