Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

GRaves of the crew of 460 Squadron Lancaster lost here 13th June 1943

A memorial to the 460 Squadron crew lost on 13th June 1943

Nine Elms British War Cemetery - near Popereinge Belgium

Commemorative Medallion which together with a Commemorative Scroll, were presented to the families of the Fallen

Personnel from HMAS Sydney, Tobruk and Murchison marching along George St, Sydney on 6 March 1953. [AWM 304621] ...

A Short Sunderland Mk.III (EK573/P) of No. 10 Squadron RAAF on the water after alighting to rescue 3 survivors from a Vickers Wellington of No. 172 Squadron RAF, clinging to a one-man dinghy (seen at right) after being shot down in the Bay of Biscay while attacking a German submarine on 26 August 1944. Although it was forbidden for flying boats to alight on the open sea in rescue attempts, the pilot of the Sunderland, Flight Lieutenant W.B. Tilley, decided the survivors could wait no longer for surface craft to arrive, and touched down to pick them up for a safe return to Mount Batten, Devon (UK). A fourth member of the Wellington crew, Flying Officer R.B. Gray RCAF, refused to risk the lives of the other survivors by overloading the dinghy, although he was seriously injured. He succumbed during their fifteen-hour ordeal at sea and was awarded a posthumous George Cross. The pilot of the Sunderland of No. 10 Squadron RAAF who made the hazardous sea landing and take-off was Flight Lieutenant William Boris Tilley DFC of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia).

Prowse Point Cemetery taken from its neighbour Mud Corner

Bellicourt Cemetery

Louverval Cemetery collonade - a striking memorial

Portrait of 437282 Flight Sergeant (later Pilot Officer) Norman George Steer of Prospect, SA, Pilot (left), and 434107 Flying Officer Basil Trevor Roberts of Townsville, Qld, Navigator. They formed a ship-busting crew flying Beaufighter aircraft with RAAF 455 Squadron operating out of RAF Langham station, UK. On 15 October 1944, their aircraft ditched into the sea after attacking enemy trawlers off Norway. Only the body of FO Roberts was recovered, and he is buried in the Risor Civil Cemetery on the south coast of Norway

A Halifax of 462 Squadron taken from the flight deck of another, with the Bristol Hercules radial engines that powered this variant (B Mk III) in detail. Earlier variants had been powered by the Rolls Royce Merlin V12 liquid cooled engines made famous by the Lancaster and Spitfire. The legendary Merlin was outclassed on the Halifax airframe by the Hercules which delivered better speed and ceiling performance. Paradoxically, the reverse was true on the Lancaster. The Halifax B Mk III was also characterised by larger rectangular vertical stabilisers compared to the smaller pointed fins of earlier variants that had lateral caused stability problems.

The grave of 937 Sergeant Harold Prisk of the 9th Light Horse Regiment, at the AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Adelaide

Clarence Lamshed's medal set - British War Medal and Victory Medal

HEadstones of two Commonwealth airmen

Risor, Aust-Agder, Norway

Reginald Alfred Charles HEALEY 54th Battalion

"SYDNEY" GETTING THE STORY IN THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN. CAPTAIN COLLINS, COMMANDER THRUSTON AND JOHN HETHERINGTON. (NEGATIVE BY PARER).

Australian delegates at the Japanese surrender ceremony on board USS Missouri. Left to right: (back row) Captain J. Balfour; Lieutenant Colonel D. H. Dwyer; Air Vice Marshal G. Jones; Lieutenant General F. H. Berryman; Commodore J. A. Collins. Front row: Rear Admiral G. Moore; General Sir Thomas Blamey (who signed for Australia) and Air Vice Marshal W. D. Bostock.

'He fell. The rest marched on to Victory. Ah my poor little son.' inscription on headstone gives an insight into the grief felt so far away.

P40 Kittyhawk A29-82 of 2 OTU in flight - similar Curtis P40 Kittyhawk aircraft were involved in fatal accidents at 2 OTU.

P40 Kittyhawks on the 2 OTU flight line

Studio portrait of Captain (Capt) Ronald Gilbert Horwood MM (left) and Capt Clarence Everard Pellew (right). Paris, France. October-December 1918

2 OTU Mildura WW2. A range of aircraft can be seen including the ubiquitous P40 Kittyhawk and some Vultee Vengeance dive bombers.

SX4193 Private SMART, Gilby Roy; 2nd/27th Battalion

Military Cross 1914/15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Studio portrait of 808 Private (Pte) Antonio Augustine Picone, 6th Machine Gun Company from Stawell, Victoria (born in Italy). A 19 year old fruiterer's assistant prior to enlisting on 14 June 1917, he embarked for overseas with the 15th Reinforcements from Melbourne on 26 November 1917 aboard SS Indarra. Following further training in Egypt and England and a period of illness in England, he arrived in France on 22 August 1918 and joined the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion. Pte Picone arrived back in Australia on 6 February 1920.

Richmond Baker's Pilots Course at Queen's College, Oxford University probably in April 1918. Bert Packer is second from the left front row and two places further right is Thomas Richmond Charles Baker who went on to become an Ace with No. 4 Squadron. Students all wear white hat bands. The Supervising staff are the three men centre front of the image. Men wearing peaked caps are already commissioned officer students whereas those in 'fore and aft' caps are Other Rank trainees who would be commissioned on graduation.

A page from a Stokes Mortar training pamphlet, illustrating the key features of the Stokes Mortar. Baseplate to absorb recoil, adjustable bipod to 'lay' the mortar on the required bearing and elevation, and the tube or barrel. Its cylindrical bomb was inherently unstable and its 'always' fuze was necessary to ensure detonation. Later developments saw the introduction of fin stabilised bombs which with the weapon itself, evolved into the 3 inch mortar used in WW2.

Sergeant John Francis Montgomery, 1st Light Horse Regiment Train, September 1914

Private Leslie Robert Templeman RH#26

A group of seven sergeants waiting to board on the troopship RMS Orontes. Identified back row right: 31661 Wheeler Sergeant (W/Sgt) William Richardson, 43 year old carpenter of Fremantle, WA. W/Sgt Richardson of 9th Reinforcements of 10th Field Artillery Brigade, has a wheel qualification badge on his right sleeve. All others are Master Gunners as denoted by their cloth gun badges on their right sleeves. Front row second left has a metal gun badge. Known to be amongst the group but exact positions unknown are: 31436 Sgt Keith A’Beckett Klingender, of Toorak, Vic, of 9th Reinforcements of 14th Field Artillery Brigade; 31586 Sgt Frank Moritz Michaelis, farmer of St Kilda, Vic of 12th Reinforcements of 6th Field Artillery Brigade. Sgt Michaelis died of meningitis on 14 May 1917 in England; 31361 Sgt Arthur Ernest McKean, clerk of Albert Park, Vic, of 12th Reinforcements of 4th Field Artillery Brigade (possibly centre front).

Gunners of the 2nd/4th Field Regiment with one of their short 25 pounder pack howitzers prepared for air dropping at Nadzab New Guinea September 1943.

Markham Valley, New Guinea. 1943-09-05. Screened by dense smoke, paratroopers of 503 US Paratroop Infantry Regiment and Gunners of 2/4th Australian Field Regiment with their 25 pounders land unopposed at Nadzab, during the advance of 7th Australian Division on Lae.

British gunnes try to drag an 18 pounder gun out of the mud. This photo was taken in August 1917, before winter rains set in and made the task of deploying artillery almost impossible.

1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory medal with the oak leaf clasp denoting Mentioned in Despatches.

The pilot of a Handley-Page Halifax of No. 35 Squadron in his position prior to take-off at Linton-On-Ouse, Yorkshire. Date between circa 1940 and circa 1942

3495A Gunner (Gnr) Harold Constantine 5th DAC

3495A Gunner (Gnr) Harold Constantine 5th DAC

Group portrait of five Australian Soldiers from the 5th Divisional Ammunition Column. Left to right, back row: 3495A Gunner (Gnr) Harold Constantine; 1513 Gnr Allen Wylie Scott; Probably 2222 Driver James Thomas Sheehan. Front row: Gnr H Williams; 2603 Gnr Arthur Rayworth Davison, later killed on 20 August 1917.

Studio portrait of 427775 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Harry James Boyd, No. 24 Squadron, of Pomborneit North, Vic. Boyd enlisted as a private, service number V170264, in the Citizens' Military Forces in Oct 1941. In September 1942 he enlisted in the RAAF. On 23 March 1945, Flt Sgt Boyd was the 2nd pilot, and one of twelve men on board, of Liberator aircraft A72-80 which left RAAF Truscott to undertake reconnaissance over the Lombok Strait and island of Bali. Shortly after take off, A72-80 developed engine trouble and crashed into Vansittart Bay, WA. All on board were killed. Flt Sgt Boyd was 22 years of age.

Two men of the 7th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery operate a mortar established in a machine gun post on the new front line near Villers-Bretonneux. From left to right: 1916 Lance Corporal A J Ellis and 2700 Private A Lawler. Photograph taken 10 July 1918.

A photograph taken on 10 July 1918. Two men of the 7th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery operate a mortar established in a machine gun post on the new front line. From left to right: 1916 Lance Corporal A J Ellis and 2700 Private A Lawler. This position was part of a few hundred yards captured from the enemy in a silent daylight raid on 9 July by a party of the 27th Battalion. The location is just east of Villers-Bretonneux between the railway and the south side of the Amiens-St Quentin main road, alongside a position called 'The Orchard'. A fine example of the "peaceful penetration" tactics employed by the Australians at this time.

Following the success of Le Hamel on 4 July, and the August offensive 8-11 August, King George V, who had been one of Monash's advocates, visited the Australian Corps Headquarters at Chateau Bertangles on 12 August. A display of some of the captured war material was on display along with a large turnout of troops.

A 144 Squadron taken during the D Day operations phase at Davidstow in Cornwall

Jim Whalley's Boomerang A46-63 on short finals

Jim Whalley's Boomerang A46-63 on short finals

A 144 Squadron "Torbeau" during the period a squadron element was detached to Algeria in 1943. Pilot Sgt P.G. Fletcher

Kenneth Roy "Curly" McPherson, 13th Field Ambulance

"Six Snug Signallers" Outdoor group portrait of six signallers in the snow. Identified back row, left to right: 19636 Gunner (Gnr) Reginald Sylvester Mason; 19822 Gnr Gilbert James Simmonds; 19657 Stanley Clarence Whiting; 19806 Gnr Lewis Ewen McKenzie (later MM). Front row, seated: 19616 Gnr Frank Orman Ball and 19634 Gnr Allan Lyle McPherson (later MM). These men embarked for service overseas with the 8th Field Artillery Brigade aboard HMAT Medic (A7) on 20 May 1916 (Gnrs McPherson, Whiting and Ball from Sydney and Gnrs McKenzie and Simmonds from Melbourne). Gnr Mason, a printer from Corrowa, NSW, prior to enlistment, died of wounds in Belgium on 27 September 1917, aged 22. The other five men survived the war.