Around the water cart: 'Joe Furphy'.

Correction: There was a small omission from Around the Water Cart in December 2003 Sabretache,. At the foot of page 42, the concluding sentences of an item about war graves at Gallipoli should have read:

   The first boat loads of Australians landed around Ari Burnu on 25
   April and the official Dawn Service was held on Anzac Day at this
   cemetery before the construction of the nearby Anzac Commemorative
   Site at North Beach. (A Guide to the Battlefields, Cemeteries and
   Memorials of the Gallipoli Peninsula, Department of Veterans'
   Affairs, 1999)."

In a letter to Army published on 12 February 2004 and commenting on a recent article in the newspaper about warrant ranks, Major Ray Doust RACT (retd) reports seeing an entry on the memorial wall at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand for "WO 3rd Class (PSM) James Love of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders", who died on 29 May 1943. Joe says: I can recall reading somewhere that a rank of WO Class 3 was introduced into the British Army (temporarily?) during WW1 to meet the serious wastage of junior officer platoon commanders. I cannot find a reference to this and have never heard of the rank surviving into WWII. If anyone has more information, drop a line to Sabretache?

This March issue of Sabretache will be too late for the official commemorative activities of the Battle of Vinegar Hill, which will be staged in Rouse Hill Park in Sydney on Sunday 7 March. However you can read all about one of the most controversial and neglected events in Australian history--which a Sydney historian, Lynette Ramsay Silver calls the "first European battle fought on Australian soil"--on the Internet at www.battleofvinegarhill.com.au (Sydney Morning Herald Weekend Edition 24-25 January 2004, News page 11--includes a colour reproduction of a painting of the battle by an unknown artist).

The Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) now has copies of records relating to the 281 Australian casualties of the Korean War who are buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery at Pusan, Korea. Information contained in the records is quite detailed and includes previous burial sites, when re-burial was effected into the current cemetery and other details. For more information contact OAWG on [phone] or write to PO Box 21 Woden ACT 2606 (Vetaffairs, June 2003)

In Water Cart in Sabretache, December 2003, Joe mentioned the still-significant Swiss Army fortresses. In June 1999, the Swiss Government decided to take part in the peacekeeping operation in Kosovo. This led to the first operational deployment of Swiss troops since the 19th Century. The company-sized contingent provides logistical support to the Austrian battalion, but remains under Swiss control. While there has been Swiss military involvement in UN and other missions before, the deployment to Kosovo is the first of armed Swiss troops. Interestingly, the security element of the company is drawn from the Fortress Guard Corps, the long service, full-time professionals who make up Switzerland's "regular army". (Le Grognard, Newsletter of the ACT Branch, August 2003).

Joe believes (thanks to Graham Wilson of ACT Branch) that the last British soldier to be executed for any crime was Pte J Itumo, 3rd (Kenya) Battalion, King's African Rifles. Itumo was hanged for murder in Malaya on 10 November 1953. If anyone knows of any British military execution later than Itumo's, or any details of Itumo's offence and court-martial, perhaps you would write to Editor, Sabretache, with details?

Officer Cadet Andrew Hastie was awarded the MHSA History Prize at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) Awards Ceremony held on 10 December 2002.

In February 2003, 102-year-old Albert Flint died in Sydney. Mr Flint, retired Yeoman of Signals, was the oldest known living ex-member of the RAN. A former member of the RN, Mr Flint saw service aboard HM Ships Eagle, Seraph, Ajax, Ramilles, Senaton, Hood, Vivid, Monarch, Trinidad and Tedworth. Transferring to the RAN in 1925, Mr Flint served about HMA ships Cerberus, Canberra, Brisbane, Anzac and Penguin. He discharged from the RAN in 1931 and went to work at Concord Hospital. In 2000, the RAN hosted Mr Flint's 100th birthday aboard HMAS Brisbane in honour of his service aboard the "Steel Cat's" predecessor prior to WWII. (Le Grognard, Newsletter of the ACT Branch, July 2003).

On 30 August 2003, the community of the twin towns of Harden Murrumburrah, on the South West Slopes of NSW, some 360 km from Sydney, unveiled a spectacular bronze Beersheba scene and a bronze to a famous horse, "Bill the Bastard" and his rider Major Michael Shanahan. This represented the final act in a memorial project to the First Australian Horse and the Light Horse that had been some six years in the making. Harden Murrumburrah is an area rich in Australian military history. The First Australian Horse was raised in NSW in 1897 and its first half-squadron was formed at Murrumburrah. A Murrumburrah man, Captain (later Major) Reid, led B Company in the charge at Beersheba and in WWII local men served as Light Horsemen with pack horses in New Guinea. For the full story, details of the memorial and colour photographs of the memorials and the re-enactment by light horsemen during the unveiling ceremony see Despatch, Journal of the NSW Military Historical Society, October-December 2003.

A couple of sites:

* www.archives.qld.gov.au/> Queensland State Archives. Boer War index to Pay Books 1899-1902. Compiled from the Queensland Volunteer Defence Force Pay Books. Lists name, rank, unit details and references.

* www.awm.gov.au/database/boxer/asp> Boxer Uprising Nominal Roll Database. Provides details of personnel serving in the NSW, Vic and SA Contingents to the Boxer Uprising, China, 1900-1901.

In July 2002, a sword, brooch and bloodstained purse containing 21 guineas and half-guineas were discovered in an English attic, together with scores of letters. All were apparently genuine relics of Lord Nelson and the letters were from his mistress, Lady Hamilton. The coins were thought to have been on Nelson's person when he was killed at Trafalgar. They were removed from his body before it was preserved for return to England and sent to Alexander Davison, Nelson's oldest friend, his prize agent and the executor of his will. Davison's descendants, the finders, proposed to auction the items and to include seven "Davison's Medal for the battle of the Nile" (two gold--one cased, two silver, one bronze-gilt and two bronze), together with a gold Earl St Vincent's medal, in glazed mount and named to Alexander Davison himself. The two gold Nile medals were estimated to bring between 17,500 pounds sterling and 22,500 pounds. The auction was planned for Trafalgar Day (21 October) in 2002. (Le Grognard, September 2002). Joe says: I have not seen reference to the results of the auction. Has an interested reader any details?

Llandudno is a popular seaside resort on the north coast of Wales, but after World War I a tragedy occurred there which has been hidden amongst the British Government's secret files until the passing of the recent Freedom of Information Act. At the beginning of 1919, there were large numbers of Empire soldiers awaiting repatriation in special holding camps throughout England. There was a shortage of passenger ships and much unrest and many strikes at British ports. Following the cancellation of the sailing of several troopships, a large number of Canadian soldiers in a camp near Llandudno became impatient and staged a mass breakout. The sentry on duty at the gates became so alarmed that he began to fire randomly upon the noisy protestors, killing several Canadians. In an attempt to cover up the matter, an official report stated that they had died from the Spanish influenza that was raging at the time. (Despatch, Journal of the NSW Military Historical Society, October-December 2003).

Harry Willey of Scone, NSW is researching all available sources in order to write a story about the 104 men from Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW who gave their lives for their country during WWI. He is now in the final revision and edit but would rather know now than later if there were more information available. If you can help, contact him at PO Box 551, Scone, NSW, 2337 (Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, 3-4 January 2004).

Men of No 6 Company, Royal Australian Garrison Artillery fired the first shot by Australians in WWI from the six-inch Mk VII guns at Fort Nepean, Victoria at the German steamer Pfalz at 11.57am on 5 August 1914. The British ultimatum to Germany over the neutrality of Belgium had expired at 10am Eastern Australian time on that day. The practice shell struck 50 metres off the ship's stern, a departure from the normal "shot across the bows", probably due to the gunners' haste, ricocheted off the water and finished up in a paddock at Queenscliff, where it was later found and preserved (Joe says: preserved where?). (For the full story, see Wartime, Official Magazine of the Australian War Memorial, Issue 22, 2003).

The Federal Government has provided funds for a Memorial Cairn at Parit Sulong in Malaysia to mark the site of the Muar River battle on 22 January 1942. In this action, Lt Col Charles Anderson was awarded the first VC bestowed in fighting against the Japanese. (Newsletter No 4, National Malaya and Borneo Veterans' Association of Australia, August 2003).

Two requests for information on the Malayan and Borneo campaigns:

   Kim Kennington (nee Falk) is seeking information on her father Pte
   Falk 28800, who won a Military Medal in the Pipeline Ambush in
   Malaya. Contact her at ailsa [e-mail]

   Sharon George from Reservoir in Victoria is keen to know more about
   a battle at Purinuan in Borneo, after which her street was named.
   Contact her on 03 9225 8566 (business hours).

Readers will have noted the letter from Geoff Blackburn in Sabretache, December 2003, p54 about General Wingate and Australian involvement in the Ethiopian campaign of WWII. Believe it or not, Major General Wingate, late Royal Artillery and the famous Chindit leader of WWII, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington DC. When recovery crews reached the site of the plane crash in which Wingate was killed in Burma in 1944, it was found that the remains of Wingate and his ADC could not be separated from those of the US Army Air Corps crew. Under an agreement between the British and American governments, all the remains were removed to the United States and interred in a single site at Arlington. Wingate's family, angry at not being consulted, erected a separate memorial consisting of a headstone and burial plot at Chariton Cemetery in London. (Le Grognard, November 2003).

Legacy began in Melbourne in 1923 and was modelled on the Remembrance Club, founded in Hobart in the same year by General Sir John Gellibrand. The aim of these clubs was to uphold the reputation of returned servicemen, encourage them to recall the spirit of comradeship and cooperation which had existed in war and to ensure that servicemen found employment on return to civilian life. Melbourne Legacy grew rapidly and other Legacy Clubs were formed in Victoria and in Sydney. In 1926, these clubs were looking for a new focus when Legatee Frank Doolan of Melbourne said, "Have you fellows thought that the dying wish of any of our cobbers would be that we should look after his missus and kids?" Subsequently, Legacy adopted that care of deceased soldiers' dependants as its main objective. (Legacy Anzac Concert 2003 Programme)

Turkey has assured Australia that it would not start charging for visits to the Gallipoli battlefields and Anzac cemeteries. A Sydney newspaper had reported that the Turkish Government might start charging visitors to Gelibolu Historic National Park, which encompasses both the battlefields and the cemeteries, as early as Anzac Day 2004. The National Park's regional head has confirmed that an entrance fee would be charged. Apparently, the Turks are building facilities on Gallipoli including an entrance gate and possible a museum and reception centre. While their plans were not fully developed, they might charge for the museum if it was built. After enquiries by the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Turkish officials in Ankara have told our government they were not planning a charge. RSL President Maj-General Bill Crews said while he'd prefer a charge was not imposed, he understood Turkey's need to find a way to meet the infrastructure costs of the big recent influx of tourists, including Australians. He said he hoped an entrance fee would stay off the agenda, but "we have to be understanding. No matter how sacred the site, it still has to be managed". (The Canberra Times, 14 February 2004).

When Captain J P ("Little Jimmy") Lalor landed at Anzac Cove on 25 April at the head of D Company, 12th Battalion, he carried with him what was later described by Charles Bean as a "family sword ... its bright hilt wrapped in khaki cloth". An enduring military myth is that this was in fact the sword that his famous grandfather, Peter Lalor, was carrying when he led the 1854 miners' revolt at Ballarat, Victoria, which ended in the Eureka Stockade. The sword carried at Gallipoli was invested with even greater significance and myth when Captain Lalor was killed later that same day on the northern side of Baby 700. A Turkish account exists of an Australian officer "with a sword in his hand" ordering an attack. However, other accounts suggest that Lalor dropped his sword some time before his death. It is claimed that the sword was found back at The Nek hours later by Lcpl W H ("Harry") Freame (later to become famous in his own right as a sniper) Later that day, Freame reportedly lost it again, but it was retrieved a second time by Pte C M deMole of the 11th Battalion, who took it back to the beach, from where it seems to have disappeared. In another remarkable piece of historical conjunction, Clive de Mole was the brother of Lancelot De Mole, the Australian designer of a 1912 version of an armoured vehicle, which preceded the wartime "tanks". The belief that Lalor's sword had links with Eureka led to attempts to track it down during WWII, because Charles Bean had published a claim that it "said to be in a Turkish museum". Regardless of its present (and unknown) location, the sword was probably NOT what the myth says it was. For the full story, see "The Gallipoli Sword" by Chris Clark, a historian in the Military History Section of the AWM, in Wartime, Official Magazine of the Australian War Memorial, Issue 23, 2003.

Australia's youngest VC winner was Pte William Alexander Jackson VC DCM (?), a member of the 17th Battalion. Jackson was aged 18 years and 9 months when he won the VC near Armentieres on the night of 25/26 June 1916. His VC was gazetted nine days before his 19th birthday. There has been a great deal of confusion over the years about Jackson's DCM. It would appear that he was recommended for both the VC and the DCM for the same action and in the confusion both awards were officially promulgated. Although his DCM was later cancelled, Jackson refused to surrender the medal or to give up wearing the ribbon. He based his position on the fact that the DCM was officially recorded in his paybook and that his father had received written official notification of the award. (Le Grognard, April 2003). (see Editorial)

And, finally, some books and other publications for your interest:

   Betrayal in High Places. James Mackay, Tasman Books (NZ) (reprint).
   Hard cover, dust wrapper, 271pp, some b&w photos. Focuses on the
   work of Captain James Gowing Goodwin, an Army officer
   attached to the 2nd War Crimes Section as a senior investigating
   officer in Tokyo. Details abuses to prisoners of war of the Japanese
   during WWII. Although published some time ago, the author had
   trouble with the Australian distributor and interested readers could
   pretty much only obtain this secondhand. Now, after litigation, the
   author has finally gained control of the stock and the book is
   available again. $25.

   Little Hell. The Story of the 2/22 Battalion and Lark Force. Carl
   Johnson (compiler) and Owen Jenkin (editor). History House, Victoria
   2004. Hard cover, dust wrapper, 4t0, b&w photos, maps, 320pp.
   Focuses on the Battalion's POW experiences. Contains 600 photos and
   draws on letters and contemporary news articles; nominal rolls for
   the 2/22nd Battalion, Lark Force, 1st Independent Company, New
   Ireland and a list of civilians lost. $135.

   Simpson SO-in-C. Leon Stubbings; Penfolk Publishing Victoria, April
   2003. Biography of the "Father of Australian Signals", Major-General
   Colin H Simpson, CBC, MC, VD. Simpson was the founder of the Corps
   of Signals and the first General of the Corps. He prepared the Corps
   for the demands of war and establishment the foundations for the
   post-WWII Corps of Signals. A large segment of this book focuses on
   the vital role of Signals in all levels of Australia's war effort in
   WWII and the part played by the Australian Women's Army Service.
   Also includes details of Simpson Barracks. $35

   The Pony Soldiers. The Australian Light Horse Vietnam 1965-1966.
   Neville J Modystack. Australian Military History Publications (AMHP)
   Loftus NSW, 1st edition, 2003. Describes the combat experiences of 1
   Troop of A Squadron of the 4th/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse in
   Vietnam, when attached to 1RAR, which in turn was attached to the US
   173rd Airborne Brigade. After a short period of acclimatisation and
   organization, the Troop was committed to action, being engaged in
   APC work, including troop-carrying assaults, POW transport, road
   convoy escort, road blocks, fire support with mortars and route
   reconnaissance. The Troop also had a number of enemy contacts and
   operations with IRAR and the Americans, including Operation Rolling
   Stone. Includes nominal roll. $40.

   The Third Force: ANGAU's New Guinea War, 1941-1946. Alan Powell. The
   Australian Army History Service, Oxford University Press, 1st
   Edition, 2003. Reassesses Australia's record as a colonial power
   and examines the role of both the Allied Forces and the Papua New
   Guineans in winning the New Guinea campaigns during WWII. Powell
   argues that there could have been no New Guinea victory
   without the immense contribution of the native peoples. $55.

   Vietnam. A Technical Tour with the 1st Topographical Survey Troop.
   R M McMillan-Kay. Joshua Books. 174pp. Follows 1 Topo Svy Tp's tour
   of Vietnam from 1966-1972. One of the better Vietnam "memories",
   focussing more on the troops and the communities than tactics.
   Available from the author for $30 plus postage of $6 in Queensland
   and $8 in the rest of Australia. Write to R McMillan-Kay,
   PO Box 125, Maleny, Qld 4552 (Army, 12 February 2004).

Members Notice

Neil Smith, Mostly Unsung ([e-mail]) seeks assistance:

   December 2004 is the 150th Anniversary of the Eureka Stockade. I am
   working towards publishing on the subject of the British Army
   Redcoats who served at the Eureka Stockade and in the build-up
   around Ballarat for the several days prior to the actual assault. My
   efforts thus far confirm that little attention has been paid to the
   men of the 12th and 40th Regiments (and a few others) who simply did
   their duty and, in many cases paid a price in blood. 1 have gathered
   a good deal of material on these men from resources in Australia and
   London but am hopeful that readers of Sabretache may be able to
   contribute some additional information concerning their biographical
   and service details. The 12th for instance had come to Australia
   after a long sojourn in Mauritius whilst the older men from the 40th
   had served in India. Despite the lure of gold and an attendant rash
   of desertions, many Eureka veterans from both Regiments later saw
   action in New Zealand with dozens settling in Australia. Whilst the
   weight of public opinion then and now usually supports the miners at
   Eureka, the fact remains that the British Redcoats played an
   important part in one of the earliest chapters of our military
   heritage and warrant greater recognition.