Sepia photograph of Joyce McMahon and 'Tiny' Carroll at the War Memorial Tower, Kangaroo Ground c.1934. The guns were installed in 1934 and removed in 1942. Taken in the early 1930s, the photograph ... shows the Kangaroo Ground Tower of Remembance with Joyce McMahon, daughter-in-law of Mr. P. J.McMahon, the then Shire of Eltham Secretary, her horse and a very tall person patting the horse. He is ex-serviceman W. "Tiny" Caroll who was the council's caretaker of the surrounding War Memorial Park. He lived in the stone cottage which still stands in the park. "Tiny" is seen as the fictional character "Tiny Bourke" who, in author Alan Marshall's book "This is the Grass", "was a giant of a man, well over six feet high, with huge hands that completely encircled the cup of tea". The bronze casting, which shows the 79 names of those who paid the "supremen sacrifice" in World War 1 (1914-1918), was erecfed above the entrance to the Tower in September, 1930. The Monterey cypress trees which now form the windbreak around the park's fenceline, were just knee high in this photograph. They were planted in August 1926, with all the plantings paid for, and done, by the public as the Tower was being erected. The two field guns have been identified as of German origin, Krupp 77 mm calibre captured on October 4, 1918 at Geneve, France. They were removed in 1943/44 as a wartime requirement of the Australian Govenment. A public notice dated October 16, 1926 by Cr. H Rutter, Chairman of the Eltham Soldiers War Memorial League stated: "On the summit of that central and conspicuous landmark, Garden Hill, there is being erected a massive memorial tower which will, for all time, remind every passerby of the part played by the men of the Shire of Eltham in the Great War. The work has been undertaken by the people of the Shire a a tribute of love and admiration for those who were known and dear to use in the days of their youth and early manhood, who went out from amongst us, never to return, and whose self-sacrifice has made us, each and all, thier ever-lasting debtors" Harry Gilham, Eltham District Historical Society Kangaroo Ground Tower of Remembrance, A Journey in Time: a column about Nillumbik's history, Nillumbik Mail, 9th August, 2000 Since that research the following has been sourced from Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser and Diamond Creek Valley Advocate, April 8, 1921, p. 3 Retrieved April 25, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57639687 Eltham Shire Council From Town Clerk, Melbourne, stating that a light machine-gun captured by the 22nd battalion, A.I.F. at La Motte Farm, near Beaurvoir, on Oct. 3rd, 1918, during the operations which won the Beauvoir line and completed the smashing of the great Hindenburg defence-system, has been alloted to the Shire of Eltham. - On the motion of Crs Hubbard and Smedley, it was decided to have the gun placed in the Memorial Park. Sepia Photographgarden hill, gun, joyce mcmahon, kangaroo ground, memorial tower, shire of eltham war memorial tower, tiny carroll, war memorials, war trophy, william carroll

The Dead Man’s Penny is a commemorative medallion which was presented to the next-of-kin of the men and women from England and the Empire who died during World War One. The Dead Man’s Penny was accompanied by a letter from King George V, stating ‘I join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War’.[http://nma.gov.au/blogs/education/2010/11/14/dead-mans-penny/] Popularly known as the "Dead Man’s Penny", because of the similarity in appearance to the somewhat smaller penny coin. 1,355,000 plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tonnes of bronze, and continued to be issued into the 1930s to commemorate people who died as a consequence of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Plaque_(medallion)] It was decided that the design of the plaque was to be picked from submissions made in a public competition. Over 800 designs were submitted and the competition was won by the sculptor and medallist Edward Carter Preston with his design called Pyramus, receiving a first place prize of £250.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Plaque_(medallion)] They were initially made at the Memorial Plaque Factory, 54/56 Church Road, Acton, W3, London from 1919. Early plaques did not have a number stamped on them but later ones have a number stamped behind the lion's back leg. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Plaque_(medallion)] Ted Cannon's plaquette does not have a stamped number. Ted Cannon was a gifted artist and cartoonist who studied at the Ballarat School of Mines Technical Art School. During the Battle of Pozieres on the Western Front Ted Cannon worked with the Scout Platoon sketching the enemy's gun emplacements. Ted proved invaluable to the Brigade and brought he came under the attention of the Australian High Command. On 13 September 1916 Ted was given a special assignment for General C.B.B. White. Ted was sent out forward of the Old Mill at Verbrandenmolen (in the Ypres Salient) to draw a panorama of the German lines in the area from Hill 60 to The Bluff. It was a hazardous task and Ted was warned to be careful. Tragically he was sniped by an enemy machine-gunner and sustained severe abdominal wounds. Stretcher-bearers rushed him to the 17th Casualty Clearing Station where he was operated on by the doctors at 8.30 that night. With little chance of success, but ever resilient, Ted remained conscious almost to the end. He died early in the morning of the 14 September 1916. His body was buried in the large Military Cemetery at Lijssenthoek. The effects of the late Ted Cannon were returned to his parents. These were an autograph book, three brushes, prayer book, housewife, whistle, book, hymn book, curios. Another listing gives his effects as "identity disc, letters, photos, wallet, 2 books, Mexican Dollar, 1 cent (Ceylon), 3 German Straps, Fountain Pen, Cigarette-holder, Franc Note, 50 centimes Note, devotional book, mirror, rosary, scapula, metal ring, two combs, book of views, nail clippers, badges, tie clip, Egyptian stamp.[http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=3202589] Ted Cannon was an only child. It is not known how the 'Dead Man's Penny' came into the ownership of the donor, but it is thought that it may have been left in a house owned by the donor's mother. Further information on Ted Cannon can be found at http://bih.ballarat.edu.au/index.php/Edwin_J._Cannon and http://www.ballarat.edu.au/about-ub/history/art-and-historical-collection/ub-honour-roll/c/edwin-joseph-ted-cannon-1895-1916Large bronze medallion or plaquette featuring an image of Lady Britannia surrounded by two dolphins (representing Britain’s sea power) and a lion (representing Britain) standing over a defeated eagle (symbolising Germany). Around the outer edge of the medallion are the words ‘He died for freedom and honour’. Next to Lady Britannia is the deceased solider’s name, with no rank provided to show equality in their sacrifice. (http://nma.gov.au/blogs/education/2010/11/14/dead-mans-penny) The plaque was distributed throughout the British Empire, and the first plaques were distributed in Australia in 1922 "Returned home" by W. & O. Mayne, 2013. ted cannon, edwin joseph cannon, cannon, world war 1, world war

Edwin (Ted) Cannon was born at Ballarat on 30 July 1895, the only son of Edwin and Florence Cannon. He studied art at the Ballarat School of Mines Technical Art School. Ted displayed a talent for industrial design but it was his black and white work that 'drew' most attention. His cartoons and caricatures, heavily influenced by Phil May, were of a particularly high standard. During the Ballarat Exhibition of 1913 Ted's work was singled out for notice and he was awarded First Prize. After completing his art course Ted was employed as an assistant teacher at the Ballarat Technical Art School, before taking a position as cartoonist with the Ballarat Star newspaper at the end of 1914. With the war raging in Europe Ted discovered a darker aspect for his artwork, but, still, he could not resist depicting Turkey as a full-feathered, fez-wearing bird. In 1915 Ted was awarded the prestigious Victorian Education Department Senior Technical School Scholarship. Only months into his scholarship, Ted volunteered for the AIF. A keen member of the local 71st "City of Ballarat" Regiment Ted was already primed for a life in the army. He embarked from Port Melbourne on 23 November 1915 with reinforcements to the 6th Infantry Battalion bound for Egypt. It was during the Battle of Pozieres on the Western Front that Ted Cannon came into his own. His work with the Scout Platoon (under the command of Lieutenant Jack Rogers) sketching the enemy's gun emplacements proved invaluable to the Brigade and brought Ted to the attention of the Australian High Command. On 13 September 1916 Ted was given a special assignment for General C.B.B. White. Ted was sent out forward of the Old Mill at Verbrandenmolen (in the Ypres Salient) to draw a panorama of the German lines in the area from Hill 60 to The Bluff. It was a hazardous task and Ted was warned to be careful. Tragically he was sniped by an enemy machine-gunner and sustained severe abdominal wounds. Stretcher-bearers rushed him to the 17th Casualty Clearing Station where he was operated on by the doctors at 8.30 that night. With little chance of success, but ever resilient, Ted remained conscious almost to the end. He died early in the morning of the 14 September 1916. His body was buried in the large Military Cemetery at Lijssenthoek. See http://www.ballarat.edu.au/about-ub/history/art-and-historical-collection/ub-honour-roll/c/edwin-joseph-ted-cannon-1895-1916Digital images of a number of cartoons published in the Ballarat School of Mines Students' Magazine, 1916. Ted Cannon sent cartoons home to Ballarat from the World War One front.edwin cannon, ted cannon, cartoons, world war, world war 1

This 11 inch (28) Railway Gun was captured by the AIF in front of Harbonnieres near Villers Bretonneaux on the 8th of August 1918. It was one of the Guns used by the Germans to shell Amiens from a distance of 15 miles (24km) in an endeavor to destroy the railway centre in the city. However the destruction of the city was prevented by the advance of Allied Troops on the morning of 8th August when 5 Australian, 4 Canadian, 4 British and 9 French Divisions broke the German Front before Amiens./ The Barrel of the Great Gun, 41 feet (12,5m) long and weighing more than 45tons (45-80 tonnes), is exhibited at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. More information can be found at www.Wikipedia/The Amiens Gun Two copied photos of the Amiens Gun (seperate Frames) and a history of the Amiens Gun in seperate frame.None on Photos, the history frame has a short history and "Presented by the Canberra Services Club 2003"ww1, gun, the, railway, amiens, harbonnieres, villers, bretonneaux

German Flak 38. 2cm Anti Aircraft Gun (Flakvierling)model, ww2, army

Bronze, German soldiers with Skoda Mountain Gunplaque, ww1, army

ill (b/w, col), p.46.non-fictionA technical and pictorial description of the Sturmgeschutz 40, commonly abbreviated as STUGmilitary weapons - germany, tank destroyers - germany - history

ill (b/w,col), p.47non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of German self propelled gunsarmoured warfare - germany - history, self propelled guns - germany

ill (b/w,col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of German self propelled gunsarmoured warfare - germany - history, self propelled guns - germany

ill (b/w, col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of German railway gunsarmoured warfare - germany - history, german railway guns

maps, p.270.fictionThe classic World War II thriller from the acclaimed master of action and suspense. Twelve hundred British soldiers isolated on the small island of Kheros off the Turkish coast, waiting to die. Twelve hundred lives in jeopardy, lives that could be saved if only the guns could be silenced. The guns of Navarone, vigilant, savage and catastrophically accurate. Navarone itself, grim bastion of narrow straits manned by a mixed garrison of Germans and Italians, an apparently impregnable iron fortress. To Captain Keith Mallory, skllled saboteur, trained mountaineer, fell the task of leading the small party detailed to scale the vast, impossible precipice of Navarone and to blow up the guns. The Guns of Navarone is the story of that mission, the tale of a calculated risk taken in the time of war... world war 1939-1945 - fiction, special operations - fiction

Index, bib, ill, p.192.non-fictionListing of the victims of the ace German fighter pilots in World war IIfighter pilots - great britain - biography, fighter pilots - germany - biography

Edwin (Ted) Cannon was born at Ballarat on 30 July 1895, the only son of Edwin and Florence Cannon. He studied art at the Ballarat School of Mines Technical Art School. Ted displayed a talent for industrial design but it was his black and white work that 'drew' most attention. His cartoons and caricatures, heavily influenced by Phil May, were of a particularly high standard. During the Ballarat Exhibition of 1913 Ted's work was singled out for notice and he was awarded First Prize. After completing his art course Ted was employed as an assistant teacher at the Ballarat Technical Art School, before taking a position as cartoonist with the Ballarat Star newspaper at the end of 1914. With the war raging in Europe Ted discovered a darker aspect for his artwork, but, still, he could not resist depicting Turkey as a full-feathered, fez-wearing bird. In 1915 Ted was awarded the prestigious Victorian Education Department Senior Technical School Scholarship. Only months into his scholarship, Ted volunteered for the AIF. A keen member of the local 71st "City of Ballarat" Regiment Ted was already primed for a life in the army. He embarked from Port Melbourne on 23 November 1915 with reinforcements to the 6th Infantry Battalion bound for Egypt. It was during the Battle of Pozieres on the Western Front that Ted Cannon came into his own. His work with the Scout Platoon (under the command of Lieutenant Jack Rogers) sketching the enemy's gun emplacements proved invaluable to the Brigade and brought Ted to the attention of the Australian High Command. On 13 September 1916 Ted was given a special assignment for General C.B.B. White. Ted was sent out forward of the Old Mill at Verbrandenmolen (in the Ypres Salient) to draw a panorama of the German lines in the area from Hill 60 to The Bluff. It was a hazardous task and Ted was warned to be careful. Tragically he was sniped by an enemy machine-gunner and sustained severe abdominal wounds. Stretcher-bearers rushed him to the 17th Casualty Clearing Station where he was operated on by the doctors at 8.30 that night. With little chance of success, but ever resilient, Ted remained conscious almost to the end. He died early in the morning of the 14 September 1916. His body was buried in the large Military Cemetery at Lijssenthoek. See http://www.ballarat.edu.au/about-ub/history/art-and-historical-collection/ub-honour-roll/c/edwin-joseph-ted-cannon-1895-1916 Digital images of a number of cartoons published in the Ballarat School of Mines Students' Magazine, 1916. Ted Cannon sent cartoons home to Ballarat from the World War One front.edwin cannon, ted cannon, cartoons, world war, world war 1

maps, p.157.non-fictionDavid James was serving in Motor Gun Boats when he was captured in February 1943. Imprisoned initially in Dulag Marlag, he immediately decided to escape. In December 1943 he succeeded in escaping disguised as an officer of the Royal Bulgarian Navy. He was captured while attempting to board a ship at Lubeck.Undeterred, in February 1944 he broke out again, this time dressed as a Swedish sailor. He eventually succeeded in reaching Stockholm after two and a half days in a ship's engine room. prisoners of war - germany - escapes, world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – germany

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.384.non-fictionThe true story of an epic voyage of destruction in World War One. July 1917: the First World War is about to enter its fourth horrendous year and ships are mysteriously disappearing off Australia and New Zealand, as a young Australian woman named Mary Cameron sails with her husband and daughter across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney. Less than a thousand miles from Sydney, a black-hulled freighter appears out of the vast blue emptiness, and Mary and her daughter rush to the deck to greet her. Suddenly, two hinged iron sections of the freighter's bulwarks drop down to reveal she is bristling with guns. She is in fact the German warship the Wolf, and the Cameron family are about to find themselves captive on one of the century's most extraordinary wartime sea voyages.naval warfare - germany, commerce raiders - germany

On the night of August 24, 1941 HMS Kanimbla, with 300 Indian troops on board led a flotilla in a surprise attack on the Iranian port of Bandar Shahpur capturing eight German and Italian merchant vessels all containing valuable cargoes, as well as two Iranian gunboats and a floating dock. Kanimbla went alongside the burning Italian tanker Bronte and fought the fires while engaging a train with her main armament and with her 3-inch guns. She remained in the region until October 11, supervising the port and carrying out salvage work on the captured vessels, including salvage work on the German freighter Hohenfels. After further work in Indian waters during the latter part of October and November, Kanimbla proceeded to Singapore and escorted the first convoy out of that city after the Japanese attack on Malaya. She arrived in Melbourne on Christmas Day. She carried out further convoy work off the Australian coast and in both the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. At the end of the war HMAS Kanimbla was employed in repatriating Australian servicemen from the Pacific Islands and also in returning Dutch dependents to the East Indies (Indonesia). Between October 1946 and June 1948 she sailed between Australia and Japan transporting British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. MS Kanimbla was unique for many reasons, she was the only passenger liner in history to have a fully operational radio broadcasting station built into the ship at the time of construction. The equipment was manufactured by AWA in Australia and had been shipped to Ireland for installation whilst the ship was still under construction.Brown timber frame housing white mount and dark blue print with grey ship in the centre above list of names below and top right and left corners.THE GREAT GREY RAIDER Captured 22 Ships, / Floating Dock, / 1Train Ships captured: Weissenfels, Wildenfels, V. Mayakovsky, Sheng Wha, Marienfels, Karakoram, Hathor, Winford, Sturmfels, Hohenfels, Store Nordiske, Tonjer, Chahbaaz, Barbara, Talisman, Corona, Carboto, Dah Pu, Sygna, Gabon, Bronte, Agnes Pre War: M.V. Kanimbla, McIlrath McEachern Line, 12000 Tons War: Commissioned as H.M.S. & Later H.M.A.S as armed Merchant Cruiserkanimbla, great grey raider, hohenfels, bronte, ww2, 1941

Camp 13, German compound. Memorial erected by German POW's to honour their comrades on the German Raider "Kormoran" which sank HMAS Sydney in the Indian ocean before going down, too.Camp 13, Camp Road, Murchison, Victoria. Memorial to fallen comrades, German compound. Concrete with local stone. German inscription on rectangular recessed area to "Kormoran" crew. Note. concrete machine gun emplacement (background), Eucalyptus bush distant background.camp 13, german pow's, kormoran, hmas sydney, memorial, german raider kormoran, german memorial, kormoran memorial, kormoran komeraden

Photographs show German civilian internees being transferred from Dhurringile internment camp (Mansion) via "Kiota" farm to Camp 1. Bill Pargeter owned "Kiota" farm at that time (January 1940).2 sepia coloured photograph depicting internees marching across paddocks, under guard, with soldiers carrying guns.german civilian internees, dhurringile camp, kiota farm, camp 1

Captain Robert Ure Bain was Adjutant to Lt. Col. Bush, POW Group Commandant from 1942 - 1947. He was chosen to be one of the Australian Army officers who escorted the German POW's back to Germany in January 1947. A German POW and former member of the Afrika Korps made the item and donated it to Robert.Afrika Korps banners, embroidered, one piece of material. Large hemmed square of white/ cream cotton material embroidered with two unfinished Afrika Korps banners. Line drawn around both, to indicate edge/cutting point/unfinished embroidery point. The photograph show banner 1 which has a palm tree & swastika (emblem of the Afrika Korps). Swastika has been left outlined in pencil but not embroidered, probably so as not to create trouble by displaying the now banned swastika: Banner 2 has red stylised German eagle over the number 8. Also in picture is a model of an aeroplane and a framed coat of arms with Braunschweig (a place in north west Germany otherwise known as Brunswick).Banner 1: Afrika Korps (pink lettering); 1941 (light blue lettering). Banner 2: Zullighau (brown/gold lettering); 4. KOMP / M. G. BATL. (green lettering). (Number 4 company of the Machine Gun Battalion); framed coat of arms "Braunschweig"afrika korps, internment camps, camp 13, garrison, military, handcrafts, embroidery, captain robert bain, german pow's

Used by internees at Camp 3. Given as a gift to son of a Stanhope dairy farmer by a German internee when they delivered milk to Camp 3 in WW2Handmade wood and metal toy/model gun. Piece of rubber nailed on the endLA 5 No 134 T 14 cal CY Dunlopgun, toy, camp 3, tatura, ww2 camp 3

HMS Iron Duke was a dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class, named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard, and her keel laid in January 1912. Launched ten months later, she was commissioned into the Home Fleet in March 1914 as the fleet flagship. She was armed with a main battery of ten 13.5-inch (340 mm) guns and was capable of a top speed of 21.25 knots (39.36 km/h; 24.45 mph). Iron Duke served as the flagship of the Grand Fleet during the First World War, including at the Battle of Jutland. There, she inflicted significant damage on the German battleship SMS König early in the main fleet action. In January 1917, she was relieved as fleet flagship. After the war, Iron Duke operated in the Mediterranean as the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. She participated in both the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War in the Black Sea and the Greco-Turkish War. She also assisted in the evacuation of refugees from Smyrna. In 1926, she was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, where she served as a training ship.WW1 HMS Iron Duke in the Battle of Jutland 1916. a Piece of wood (teak) taken from the ship HMS Iron Duke Admiral Jellicoe's flag ship, in 1916 (Jutland). Brass plate attached to wood reads as follows: From the Teak of HMS Iron Duke Admiral Jellicoe's Flag Ship Jutland 1916. ww1 the great war 1914-1918, hms iron duke, british navy, battle of jutland

Collected by Charles Honybun during his service W W IAn example if items souvenired by servicemenA small book of 7 pages in German Kruze Beschreibungder 1 F.P. Kp Short description of L>F> Kp (Krupp 105cm leicht Feldhaubitze 98/09/gun) Neudruck vom Januar1918 Reprint from January 1918 Berlin Printed by Richprinting Headings include Munition, Vehicles, Gun Carriage, Dissamble, Set Up, Trench Warfare, and Mobile Warfare, Leaflet for driving Stamp on inside page 3 & final page reads Royal Prussian Ammunition Equipment Administrator Koniglich Pressische, Etappen,Munitions, V Gerate VerwltzAS Abovebooks, military

Fort Queenscliff was established in 1860 when an open battery was constructed on Shortland's Bluff to defend the Port Phillip Bay entrance. The Fort, which underwent major redevelopment in the late 1870s and 1880s, became the headquarters for an extensive chain of forts around Port Phillip Heads. Its garrison included volunteer artillery, engineers, infantry and naval militia, and it was manned as a coastal defence installation continuously from 1883 to 1946. The other fortifications and armaments around the Heads were completed by 1891, and together made Port Phillip one of the most heavily defended harbours in the British Empire. It is claimed that the first British Empire artillery shots of World War One were fired when a gun at Fort Nepean fired across the bow of the German freighter Pfalz, as she was attempting to escape to sea. The orders to fire came from Fort Queenscliff. It is alleged that the same gun, with a different barrel, also fired the first Australian artillery shot of World War II. By 1946 coastal artillery was outmoded, and the Fort became home of Army's Staff College. After the three Service Staff Colleges were combined in Canberra, it became the base for Army's Soldier Career Management Agency in 2001.Colour panoramic photograph of Fort Queenscliffqueenscliff, fort queenscliff, army, volunteer forces

Fort Queenscliff was established in 1860 when an open battery was constructed on Shortland's Bluff to defend the Port Phillip Bay entrance. The Fort, which underwent major redevelopment in the late 1870s and 1880s, became the headquarters for an extensive chain of forts around Port Phillip Heads. Its garrison included volunteer artillery, engineers, infantry and naval militia, and it was manned as a coastal defence installation continuously from 1883 to 1946. The other fortifications and armaments around the Heads were completed by 1891, and together made Port Phillip one of the most heavily defended harbours in the British Empire. It is claimed that the first British Empire artillery shots of World War One were fired when a gun at Fort Nepean fired across the bow of the German freighter Pfalz, as she was attempting to escape to sea. The orders to fire came from Fort Queenscliff. It is alleged that the same gun, with a different barrel, also fired the first Australian artillery shot of World War II. By 1946 coastal artillery was outmoded, and the Fort became home of Army's Staff College. After the three Service Staff Colleges were combined in Canberra, it became the base for Army's Soldier Career Management Agency in 2001.Colour panoramic photograph of Fort Queenscliffqueenscliff, fort queenscliff, army, volunteer forces

Hellfire Corner was a junction in the Ypres Salient in the First World War. The main supplies for the British Army in this sector passed along the road from Ypres to Menin - the famous Menin Road. A section of the road was where the Sint-Jan-Zillebeke road and the Ypres-Roulers railway line crossed the road. The German Army positions overlooked this spot and their guns were registered upon it so that movement through this junction was perilous, making it the most dangerous place in the sector.hellfire corner, ypres salient, war, road, ww1, world war 1

John Alexander Spence was born in Fremantle 2nd July 1893. In 1912 he joined the Australian Navy as a Stoker and was posted to H.M.A.S. Australia. He was on this ship when it sailed at the head of the convoy into Sydney Harbour in 1913. At the outbreak of WW1, his ship was sent to German New Guinea where he saw conflict with the enemy and received a gunshot wound to his hand. This required him to be returned to Australia and the Naval doctors considered him unfit for further Naval service. When his hand healed Spence joined the AIF on the 2 August 1915 and was posted to the 52nd Battalion and embarked on the “Benalla” on the 1 November 1915. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 1 June 1916 on 9 September was promoted to Corporal and the next day to Sergeant. At Messines Ridge he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. At Dernancourt, a village near Villers he was awarded the Military Medal on 6 April 1918. Subsequently he was badly injured. He had captured four German soldiers and one Officer. While marching them back to the Allied lines the Officer grabbed one of the patrol member’s gun and fired three shots at Sergeant Spence which smashed his hip. Despite his injuries Spence managed to bring the Officer down with a revolver shot. On the 30th April he was repatriated to England and admitted to the Alexandria Hospital at Cosham. He did not return to the western front as his injuries were too severe. He returned to Australia on board the Somalia arriving home on the 21st December 1919. Before joining the forces he was a prominent amateur boxer, a pupil of the renowned heavyweight Bill Doherty. During WW1 he won the Army lightweight championship, competing against professionals as well as amateurs. He defended the title successfully for three successive years. On his discharge from the Army he fought under the name of Sonny Kidson. He also turned to coaching and had remarkable success having coached the Army and Navy boxing teams. John Spence died on the 20 November 1962 at Hollywood Repatriation Hospital aged 69. Post card sized photo of 3400 Sergeant John Alexander Spence DCM, MM, 52 Battalion AIF. Photo shows medal ribbons of Distinguished Conduct Medal (awarded June 1917) and Military Medal (awarded April 1918), 2 wound stripes, 5 service stripes, 52 Battalion AIF colour patch and soft style forage cap.spence, 52 battalion, aif, dcm, mm