N.B.: This thread is for thoughts, recollections, and like re ANZAC Day, Australian military history, and the like. Comments relating to other matters should be kept on the OT.
NX57689 Fitness, Denis Herbert. L/Cpl. Born 9th of March, 1922 in Bowenville, NSW. A signalman with the 2/4th Australian Independent…
@ScottJenningsKY Federal judge has blocked President Trump’s efforts to require proof of citizenship to register to vote The objective is…
NX39846 Smalley, Edward Joseph, Pte., 2/33rd Aust Inf Bn, Died of Injuries, 7th September, 1943, Port Moresby, PNG. Smalley was…
Trump orders probe of foreign funding, ‘straw donors’ in elections after ActBlue fraud claims
@barnes_law Now, left judges will claim control over tariff policy. Just waiting for them to claim Trump can’t cut taxes…
That “teacher” is talking sh*t . Revisionist garbage.
Infuriating stuff.
—
Avi:
‘Teachers for Palestine’ SMEAR Anzacs as villains to push hateful agenda
Lest we forget. I can’t make it to dawn service, but it’s dawn here so at least I can say that on this ANZAC memoriam thread. Thanks Dover.
Worthy of posting again on this day.
Two Steps from Hell – Victory Charge of the Australian Light Horse, Beersheba – extended version
From the Oz.
Loud booing erupted at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance during the Welcome to Country ahead of Friday’s Dawn Service ceremony.
Members of the crowd hurled abuse at Bunerong elder and senior cultural heritage officer Mark Brown as he welcomed the crowd to his father’s country.
“We pay our respects to all of my ancestors. We pay our respects to all of my elders. And we pay your respects to all of my community members, past, present and emerging, and we acknowledge the continuous and unbroken connection to country …” Mr Brown said.
Multiple attendees could be heard yelling “this is our country”, with one man saying “we don’t have to be welcomed”.
“Give us our country back,” another man yelled.
Despite the abuse, Mr Brown continued to deliver the heartfelt welcome, with other members of the crowd cheering in support.
An RSL Victoria spokesman returned to the microphone shortly after the Welcome to Country, saying “attendance is not mandatory” at the Dawn Service.
“There’s no team to cheer for… there’s no special prize for coming and no penalty if you don’t,” he said.
“… It’s an honour to stand next to uncle Mark Brown today as we acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet today, the Bunerong people.”
My local service did the acknowledgement of aboriginals last year, and again this year, much to my disgust.
It’s still the one day in the year you see the real Australia show up, even with the efforts to push “diversity” into the ceremony.
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
April 25, 2025 6:31 am
From the Oz.
Loud booing erupted at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance during the Welcome to Country ahead of Friday’s Dawn Service ceremony.
Good to see that some people have finally grown some testicles..
“… It’s an honour to stand next to uncle Mark Brown today as we acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet today, the Bunerong people.”
Not so good to see that some of the people “in charge” of these ceremonies are the usual gutless coward traitors, sometimes in uniform.
In my younger, much stupider days, I used to think ANZAC Day was a callous celebration of war.
It is now insultingly obvious that it is one of the rare remnants of what used to be a decent, patriotic Australia.
Hope all Cats have a Bonza Day!
Q36172 Samways, Norman. Lance-Corporal. No. 8 Platoon, ‘A’ Company, 49th Australian Infantry Battalion. Killed in Action 7 Dec, 1942, Sanananda, Papua. Born 18 Oct, 1918. Resided Rockhampton, Qld. Storeman in pre-war life.
An eyewitness, Sgt. McLean, stated: “Coming out of the jungle into [kunai] grass, we were opened on by the enemy with explosive and heavy shells. L/Cpl Samways taking the brunt of the first burst in the head and chest and I am quite certain he was dead.” His body had to be left, however, and was never recovered for burial.”
[NAA].
Please choose a name from the Australian War Memorial’s Roll of Honour and publish it here. Give this individual a brief acknowledgement for their sacrifice.
Make this The People’s Acknowledgement to Country by respecting those who actually did something to build the remnants we still see – sometimes only in the form of shadows – around us. (It shouldn’t be necessary to state, but I will, that this includes respecting the sacrifices of any Aussie serviceman with indigenous ancestry. If they wore the uniform, they were Australian).
(If the hijacking of our history and culture continues, I foresee a time when we will need to stage alternate events).
Q31475 Harold Dooley, Corporal, was born 17 Feb, 1919, Winton, Qld. A station hand in pre-war life. He had previously served in the 26th (Western Qld) Bn. Killed in Action with the 49th Australian Infantry Battalion at Sanananda, Papua, 7th of December, 1942.
Witness, Sgt. McLean: “They were advancing through the jungle under an artillery barrage and on coming out into swampy Kunai grass, they ran into direct fire at fairly close range. Cpl. Dooley was hit in the chest, just below the right shoulder with an artillery shell [fragment]. I attempted to render first-aid to Joe Dooley but under the circumstances little could be done as it was necessary for the platoon to push on. In my opinion the nature of the wound was such that he could not live for more than a few hours. His last words to me were “Well, Mac, I am as good as any of those A.I.F.” Joe had not been with the unit long and was not well-known to many of the lads, but in my opinion he was a very good soldier and section leader and showed great bravery.”
Dooley’s body was not recovered.
VX68190 Winch, Clarence Rozelle, 39th Aust Inf Bn. Born 9 Nov, 1918, Malvern, Vic. A married hairdresser pre-war. PHOTO in NAA file. Missing, presumed dead, 13 Aug, 1942.
According to a Sgt. R.S. Rosengreen of his platoon, Winch was seriously wounded in both legs and the back from mortar shrapnel in or in the vicinity of the village of Deniki, Owen Stanley Range (Kokoda Track). He was carried several hundred metres to the RAP (Regimental Aid Post) and his wounds dressed, but the Japanese cut the track behind him and Winch had to be left behind as his mates evacuated (they went to warn others and could not return to where they had left Winch). His body was never retrieved.
NX39846 Smalley, Edward Joseph, Pte., 2/33rd Aust Inf Bn, Died of Injuries, 7th September, 1943, Port Moresby, PNG. Smalley was one of many who were killed and injured in a catastrophic aircraft crash when an American bomber taking off at Jackson’s drome crashed into several truckloads of Australian infantrymen awaiting emplaning to participate in the Lae Campaign.
The bomber was loaded with bombs and fuel. Smalley sustained “extensive 3rd degree burns all over” his body when fuel drums were ignited by the impact of the bomber, and died of his injuries. He was buried in the Bomana War Cemetery outside of Port Moresby.
Smalley had been born on the 18th of March, 1815 in Mortdale, NSW. He was a labourer in pre-war life and had served in the 1st Division Australian Service Corps (Militia) prior to enlisting in the 2nd AIF, where he served initially with the No. 3 Australian Independent Company during their garrison duties on New Caledonia.
Smalley’s father No. 975 Edward Joseph Smalley had been Killed in Action at Gallipoli with ‘D’ Company of the 3rd Bn, 1st Bde, AIF. He was 35 years old when he enlisted in August, 1915. His date of death was listed as between “7 to 12” August, 1915.
NX57689 Fitness, Denis Herbert. L/Cpl. Born 9th of March, 1922 in Bowenville, NSW. A signalman with the 2/4th Australian Independent Company, Fitness died of disease (malaria?) in Portuguese (East) Timor on the 21st of May, 1943.