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Thank you, Allies, and let's remember all who fought.

Both my Grandfathers fought at Gallipoli, my Mum's Dad could at least talk about it, my Dad's Dad could not, his unit was very badly bashed around. They were both in the Auckland Infantry Battalion, in different regiments. My Mum's Dad said no one can describe the terror and the carnage, and the sorrow at the lose of very good friends.

Heard a couple good podcasts recently on ANZAC and Gallipoli. Good stuff.

Just come back from a family visit to the grave of my father's older brother (yes, I am old....) in Belgium.
Killed by shrapnel a hundred years ago.

Geoff

Got a fair few relatives laying in war graves I think mostly in France, don't know about Belgium. Got a couple of other family shot down somewhere over the English Channel from the next bust up. I did catch a news report on the centenary memorial to some nasty battles there, Polygon Woods and earlier Passchendale, slaughter yards for sure.

Hat's off to my brothers in arms...as the saying goes, "Same blood, different mud"

My wife has a uncle buried in Belgium another in the Phillipeans.

Rest in peace

Here's quick note as to how good these WW1 guys were...My Dad and his younger brother were in high school during WW2, so too young to go overseas. Every so often some Military suits would go to the schools and ask for volunteers for different tasks, they didn't have the man power to do a lot of the tough work. Dad and his brother had gone on several of these, so when the Navy came and asked for help, of course, they're both in like Flynn. They get down to the docks and there's about 25 school kids and 25 old WW1 vets. Before they take them out into Hauraki Harbor to preform the "Task", they tell them what needs to be done. HMNZS Leander had been torpedoed and the ship had limped home on one boiler. The crew could not remove the dead from the port engine room, and she had a go in for repairs, the dockworkers were all women and the bodies had to be removed before she could go into dry dock in Auckland. The vets, who be this point had been paired up with a school kid, got together and said they would go below and recover and canvas bag the remains and the kids could carry the bags to the lighter. They all had to wear gas masks. The vets, to a man said, they has all seen this and done this before and it was not sometime for a bunch of kids to have in their heads for the rest of their lives...and they did it. 35 men lost their lives on the Leander...and some old and still brave WW1 vets brought them home.

Lest we forget

thecroweater wrote:

Congratulations on National 'Anzac day' I used to participate with your guys on Amateur Radio (Ham) a lot of the amateurs man their club stations for celebrations all over the world. Unfortunately I will miss it this year.

Cheers Paul

Bill The Bastard

One headstrong Waler who rose to fame during the Great War was the unusually-named Bill The Bastard (below), whose legendary feats at the Battle of Romani have seen him (cantankerously) gallop into equine immortality!

Bill was almost everything you'd want in a cavalry horse - big, strong, fearless, intelligent and tough. Where the ‘almost' (and bastard!) part comes into it is the fact that the partially broken-in Bill only allowed himself to be ridden by one man - Major Michael Shanahan - with his record of bucking and unseating all others who tried to ride him testament to that. He also resented being asked to gallop!

Bill would come to endear himself to the entire Light Horse force, however, at the Battle of Romani in 1916. Surrounded by Turkish forces, Major Shanahan and Bill came across four Australian troopers whose horses had been either killed or lost, and who continued to be pinned-down by heavy fire.

Seemingly appreciating the seriousness of the situation, Bill The Bastard permitted all four desperate diggers to climb aboard and join the Major - without putting on his customary buckjumping display! With a staggering five soldiers on his mighty back (two were hanging on for dear life with only a single foot precariously placed in a stirrup), Bill galloped across a kilometre of unforgiving soft sand without succumbing beneath the crushing burden, and ultimately ferried his grateful passengers to safety.

Bill The Bastard's unlikely act of valour is commemorated by a statue and plaque at the Australian Light Horse War Memorial in Murrumburrah, New South Wales.

Pic:AWM, Bill the Bastard with Major Michael Shanahan. WW1. Story by Costa Rolfe.

Thats a cool bit of history there Salty

There was a book written recently about Bill The Bastard Yummy. Its a good read if you get the chance.

Good looking horse, and as said great story. I love these old pictures.

Thinking again of my father's older brother, killed in the first war in France.
Visited his grave a while back.

Geoff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZqN1glz4JY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

No gatherings in Australia today because of the bloody Virus.
So people are standing in their driveway with a candle in the pre-dawn.
We stood with the neighbour and his lady in their drive, a proper distance apart, and
listened to the radio broadcast of the Canberra service.
And we could see quite a few other candles in the street.

I thought of family who have served, some of them died.
And especially of my younger brother, a Vietnam veteran.
He is very ill, and because of the virus I expect my visit of a few weeks ago will be the last time I see him.

Geoff. Sad today.

Sorry to hear of the situation Geoff, rotten luck to be ill at this time with visitation so restricted. Hope you guys can keep in touch over the phone or net. I feel for the veterans not being able to catch up with old comrades this year as these are the last year's for so many WWII vets now and there are so few left. Old Jimmy that reads the ode ever Thursday at 6 for the minutes silence is the last regular WW2 vet at the RSL and one of only 5 or so members still living. When his health fails that will be it as it was for the vets before him. Waikerie RSL still has a few Korean war Vets left in its ranks and at least one Malayan Emergency vet ( who also served during the Korean war) and who's house I worked on just before all this lockdown started.
Not sure if you've seen this flick Geoff but it is a good insight into Long Tan from an Aussie perspective

Another little bit of Australian war history here that a lot of Aussies and most Americans have never really heard of or thought about.
Worth a read of the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bride_trains and a listen to the song.

Thanks, people.

I will look at the videos later.

Geoff

Gentlemen, i salute you. Brothers in arms, absent from the table but still a mighty presence. Todays generation could learn a lot.

Lest We Forget