Sent by W.H. Birdwood but no signature. This is another of 5 documents in a large frame called the West Collectioncopy of typed letter to Walter West from W.H. BirdwoodTop left corner: Copy. Top right Australian Imperial Force 130 Horseferry Road, Westminster, S.W.1 19th April, 1919 Dear West, I send you my heartiest congratulations on the award to you of the Military Cross, of which I have only now been informed; in recognition of your very good and gallant work in our operations at Montbregain on 5th October last. When your platoon was held up by heavy fire from a strong post, you most gallantly rushed forwatd alone, and bombing the position captures the gun and crew. Later, when your flank could not make progress owing to fire from a post containing two machine guns, you crawled round to the right, and rushed this post, which you captured with one of the guns, killing three and taking another three of the garrison prisoners. On your company commander becoming casualty, you took command, and consolidated the line with good judgment and ability. throughout you displayed courage, initiative and determination of a very high order. I am indeed pleased that your splendid work has been recognised in this way. with kindest regards and good wishes to you for the future. Yours sincerely. W. H. Birdwood ww1, walter, thomas, west, mm, mc

John Hughes was Awarded the Military Medal: "for conspicuous good work during operations at/ GIRD TRENCH, near LE SARS, on 14.11.1916./ This N.C.O. was in charge of a party of men engaged in digging a communication trench from/ our jumping off trench to the newly captured GIRD TRENCH. He displayed great courage and coolness under very heavy fire, and his personal efforts were mainly responsible for the completion of the task allotted to his party."// Service number: 3044 Rank: Lance Sergeant Unit: 2nd Pnr Bn Service: Army Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918 Award: Military Medal Date of London Gazette: 22 January 1917 Location in London Gazette: Page 836, position 34 Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 29 June 1917 Location in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Page 1395, position 37A framed embroidered cushion cover from WW1. Sent or brought home by Lt. Jack Hughes. Contained within the same frame is a paper clipping and a photo.1.Cushion cover: from the top down- Egypt.... 1914/ Rising Sun/ scrolls with Australian Commonwealth/ Military Forces/ Aust Div Train/ Palestine Sinai Syria/1919. 2.Newpaper clipping with photo: John Hughes (left) 81, and Hugh Mont/gomery, 87, are the two oldest veterans who/ will be taking part in the Frankston ANZAC/ Day March on Tuesday. Mr Hughes served/ in France and Belgium in WW1 and/ in Darwin in the Second World War. He is a/ holder of the Military Medal./ Mr. Montgomery served with the 29th Bat/talion AIF in France during WW1/ Both men have been residents of the RSL park War Veterans Home for the past eight years.// 3. Photo: Mr. John Hughes.belgium, france, ww1, lt, mm, jack, hughes

non-fiction Dick Horton, as a Lieutenant RNVR. was a member of the Special Forces with which this book is concerned and was awarded the DSC and the American Silver Star for his services. He writes from first-hand knowledge and pays fitting tribute to his brothers-in-arms. He describes the magnificent series of operations of the Independent Companies against the crack 5th and 48th Divisions of the Japanese Army on Timor and the achievements of HMAS KRAIT a converted Japanese fishing boat. He goes on to describe the revolt of the population in Borneo which was engineered by a handful of men. mostly Australians from Z Special Unit, and which materially assisted the Allied Forces when they invaded and re-took it. Apart from its unquestionable value to students of military history, "Ring of Fire" is an exciting account of a variety of imaginative

AMF Operational Ration This ration pack was developed by Sir Stanton Hicks. It contained three meals, each waterproofed (a vital consideration for the tropics), which offered a balanced selection of meat, vegetables, fruit and vitamin supplements. Before the development of this ration pack, Australian soldiers were supplied with quantities of preserved food that were difficult for a man to carry and divide, and which often did not provide a nourishing diet. Sir Cedric Stanton Hicks (1892-1976), university professor and army catering officer, was born on 2 June 1892 at Mosgiel, New Zealand. University of Otago (B.Sc., N.Z., 1914; M.Sc. Hons, 1915; M.B., Ch.B., 1923) 1916-18 Hicks served as a non-commissioned officer in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and he assisted Professor J. K. H. Inglis in the synthesis and production of Chloramine-T for use against meningitis among the troops. Hicks was appointed government analyst in 1918. On a Fellowship 1923, he travelled to England and studied at Trinity College, Cambridge (Ph.D., 1926) and caried out research in Switzerland, Germany and the United States of America. 1927 he was appointed to the new chair of physiology and pharmacology at Adelaide University, which he was to hold until 1957. During the Depression he studied the dietary patterns of five hundred families receiving relief. 1940 Hicks was appointed temporary captain, Australian Military Forces, and performed part-time duty as catering supervisor. Moved to Melbourne as chief inspector of catering, he began a campaign for applying scientific principles to the feeding of troops. 1943 the Australian Army Catering Corps was formed. Hicks altered the basis of the allowance for military rations from a monetary to a nutrient entitlement, improved the pay and promotion opportunities of cooks, established schools of cooking and catering, devised new methods for preparing food, supported the service's adoption of the Wiles steam-cooker, and designed jungle-patrol, emergency and air-drop rations. His 'Who Called the Cook a Bastard?' (Sydney, 1972) gave an account of his experiences in military catering.Men from most families in the City of Moorabbin area served in the Australian Military Forces during World War 2.A tin container , khaki colour, used for the storage of a food ration item for a soldier serving in the Australian Military Forces World War 11.TURN KEY ← TO OPEN CAN / diagram of key / A.M.F. / OPERATION/ RATION/ 02 / D↑Dworld war 11, australian military forces, sir cedric stanton hicks, army catering corps, soldier rations, food supplys, australian diggers, food preservation

This horse-drawn, two-wheeled cart with a tank, is known as a Furphy Farm Water Cart that was made in Shepparton, northern Victoria, c. 1942. John Furphy (1842-1920) was born in Moonee Ponds, in 1842 to Irish immigrant parents and subsequently raised in the Yarra Valley before the family moved to Kyneton in central Victoria, where he completed an apprenticeship with the firm Hutcheson and Walker. Murphy began operations of his own at a site on Piper Street in Kyneton in 1864. He relocated for a business opportunity and founded the first blacksmiths and wheelwrights shop in the newly surveyed town of Shepparton in 1873. Furphy invented many farming tools and machines including a patented grain-stripper, and won awards at the 1888-89 Melbourne International Exhibition. His most famous invention is the Furphy Farm Water Cart, designed in the 1880s, at a time when water for most households and farms was carted on wagons in wooden barrels. The Furphy’s water cart is a single item that combines a water metal tank and a cart. The design of the cart was simple yet effective, and became popular very quickly and established itself as a vital piece of farming equipment. The water cart has had a number of words cast into its ends over many years. References to the foundry’s location in Shepparton, as well as advertising of other products also manufactured by J. Furphy & Sons were present on the ends. However, the most significant set of words to feature on the tank, was a poem encouraging continual improvement: ‘Good Better Best, Never Let it Rest, Until your Good is Better, And your Better Best’. During The Great War (1914-1918), the water cart was used by the Australian militarily at a large AIF (Australian Imperial Force) camp in Broadmeadows (Melbourne) where thousands of men were camped for months, before being transported aboard. Furphy Water Carts provided water to the troops, and were usually placed near the camp latrines, which was one of the few places the troops could share gossip and tall tales away from the prying eyes and ears of their officers. The water cart drivers were also notorious sources of information, despite most of their news being hearsay, or totally unreliable. By the time the men of the AIF were in engaged in combat on the Gallipoli Peninsula and the Western Front, the carts used for water supply had no markings and became simply referred to as Furphys. This owed as much to the coining of the term ‘Furphy’, Australian slang for suspect information or rumour. After a number of decades as principally a soldier’s word, 'Furphy' entered the broader Australian vernacular and was used mainly by the political class until recently when the term was taken up by a Australian brewer as a beer brand. This Furphy Water Cart was purchased by Friends of Flagstaff Hill in 2014. The support of local individuals, organisations and businesses enabled its restoration and later its installation alongside the existing late-19th century water pipe stand and 1940s hand pump The Furphy Farm Water Cart is of historical significance as it represents a famous Australian time-saving and energy-saving invention of the 1880s, replacing the labour intensive activity of collecting and dispensing water from barrels and casks on the back of carts. The water cart’s connection with manufacturing companies J. Furphy & Sons and Furphy Foundry are significant for being early Australian businesses that are still in operation today. Furphy carts are of military significance for the role they played during The Great War (1914-1918) in Australian army camps, and theatres of war in Europe and the Middle East, to supply the AIF troops with fresh water. A wooden framed, two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart, fitted with a horizontally mounted, cylindrical metal tank. The tank is made of rolled, sheet steel with a riveted seam, and cast iron ends with cast iron ends. The spoked metal wheels have fitted flat iron tyres and metal hubs. A metal pipe is joined to the outlet. The tank is silver coloured, the ends, wheels and trims are crimson, and the script lettering on tank sides is black. There are inscriptions on the tank, ends, and hubs. The water tank was made in 1942 in Shepparton, Australia, by J. Furphy & Sons and has a capacity of 180 gallons (848 litres). Hub perimeter, embossed “J. FURPHY & SONS” “KEEP THE / BOLTS TIGHT” Hub centre embossed [indecipherable] Tank, each side, painted “J. FURPHY & SONS / Makers / SHEPPARTON” Tank ends, embossed – “FURPHY’S FARM WATER CART” “BORN ABOUT 1880 – STILL ‘GOING STRONG’ 1942” “j. FURPHY & SONS / MAKERS / SHEPPARTON - VIC “ “S - - - - - L MANUFACTURERS” [SPECIAL] “SPIKE ROLLERS” “SINGLE TREES” “PLOUGH WHEELS” “IRON CASTINGS” “LAND GRADERS” “STEEL DELVERS” “CAST IRON PIG” “CHAIN YOKES” “GOOD – BETTER – BEST / NEVER LET IT REST / TILL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER / AND YOUR BETTER – BEST” Image [Stork carrying a baby] above shorthand, transcribed "Produce and populate or perish" Image [Furphy Pig Feeder] beside ‘Cast Iron Pig’ Shorthand, transcribed “"Water is the gift of God but beer and whiskey are concoctions of the Devil, come and have a drink of water"warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, water cart, furphy cart, furphy tank, furphy farm water cart, furphy, john furphy, john furphy & sons, furphy foundry, kyneton, shepparton, mobile water tank, jinker, hutchinson & walker, blacksmith, farm equipment, implement maker, tool maker, horse drawn, stork and baby, good, better, best, barrel, tank, first world war, wwi, eastern front, gallipoli, j furphy & sons

Observers, Air Gunners & WT operations Log Bookdocuments, ww2, raaf

Special Operations Task Group TF66badge/buttons, somalia, army

An Poster, Information Board of The 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment ("Battalion") were the leading element of the First Australian Task Force (1 ATF) and stationed in vietnam from 1966 - 1967. The Battalion's task was to break Viet Cont control over the central region of Phuoc Tuy Province - an area that communists had freely operated in since 1945. Commencing of the 24th May 1966, the Battalion conducted its first operation codenamed "Hardihood". Their objective was to sweep and clear areas of the north and east of Nui Dat to a distance of 5000 meters, then create a defensive position to enable 1 ATF to establish an operational base.5 rar, 1 atf, viet cong, phuoc tuy province, nui dat, nui thai vai mountains, 274 vc regiments, 275 vc regiments, military awards, rj o'neill, operation canberra, operation queanbeyan, operation hardihood, poster, information board

Private Horne was originally buried in Terendak Cemetery, Malaysia in 1966 and Re-intered at Sydney War Cemetery, Rockwood NSW on the 3rd June 2016.1st battalion rar, private neville wayne horne, terendak cemetery - malaysia, royal australian infantry corps, operation crimp, binh duong province

After 2 years of negotiation between VVAA Representatives and the US Army, the Huey Cobra has landed in Melbourne. The exercise needed the support of our local Member, Mr. Greg Hunt, to ‘clear the way ‘ through the Customs and GST minefield. The helicopter, valued at $7.9 million is complete with full armaments and was brought to Museum standard while ensuring that no weaponry could ever be reactivated. The Museum paid for the helicopter to be ‘brought to museum standard’. This meant in part that the weaponry was rendered innocuous and various structural members were weakened to ensure that the craft would never fly again. Fortunately the alterations are not apparent to the display, and while there are two other Cobras in Australia, this is the only one with full armament. A heavily armed ground attack helicopter with single Lycoming T53-L-13 turbine engineused by the U.S. Army in Vietnam to support Australian & U.S. army ground operations. In addition to the M197 three barrelled 20mm Gatling gun, it carried eight anti-armour missiles and forty eight 2.75mm unguided air to ground rockets. This particular aircraft served in Vietnam from 1968 until 1971 and was damaged twice in combat. The aircraft is currently finished in a low visibility all-over mid green which includes the full US Army insignia and carries the Serial No. 69-15092helicopters, bell, weaponry, cobra, us military equipment, gunship

Basic webbing was used by Australian Defence forces during the Vietnam War era (1962 - 1975) to carry personal equipment such as ammunition, water, basic rations, shelter usually on short duration operations such as patrols. Basic webbing was a classic and iconic item of equipment universally used by servicemen in Vietnam.Army basic webbing set. Jungle green colour and made of canvas. Consisting of a webbing belt, 2 ammunition pouches, 1 water bottle cover, a shoulder harness and a patrol bag.The name 'A Kelly' on the front and the name 'Ceskus. 6102716 on the back.basic webbing, vietnam war, military equipment, webbing

What makes Jewish Anzacs unique is its interweaving of the many remarkable lives and personal accounts of Jewish Australians who have served in uniform.Produced by the Bendigo South East College in co-operation with members of the Bendigo Sub Branch of the VVAA.jewish soldiers - australia, armed forces

A black board with white text about Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) award to the recipient of 5 RAR. The medal includes a silver cross with a rose in center and a ribbon of diagonal alternate stripes of white and purple. Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is the third military decoration awarded to personal of the United Kingdom's Royal Airforces and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, instituted for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy".Distinguised Flying Cross (DFC)'s Details and names of recipientsmedal, distinguished flying cross, 5 rar, capt james campbell, replica medals

A black board with white texts about MC award and the recipients from 5 RAR. The medal includes a silver cross with crown at each end and "ER" in the center. The ribbon has three equal stripes of one purple in between of two white. MILITARY CROSS (MC) The Military Cross (MC) is the third level military decoration awarded to commissioned army officers of the substantive rank of captain or below for "gallantry during active operations against the enemy". 5 RAR recipients: Maj M P Blake, Maj R F Sutton, Lt M G Langley, 2nd Lt R A Brett, 2nd Lt M G Deak, 2nd Lt J D McAloney, 2nd Lt C D RainerMilitary Cross (MC)'s details and names of recipients.military cross, 5 rar, maj m.p. blake, maj r.f. sutton, lt m.g. langley, 2nd lt r.a. brett, 2nd lt m.g. deak, 2nd lt j.d. mcaloney, 2nd lt c.d. rainer, replica medals

Index, bibliography, notes, ill. (some col.), maps, ports, p.318.non-fictionOn 25 April 1915 - the day the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli - Lieutenant Commander Dacre Stoker set out as captain of the Australian submarine AE2 on a mission to breach the treacherous Dardanelles Strait with the intention of disrupting Turkish supply lines to the isolated Gallipoli peninsula. Facing dangerous currents, mines and withering enemy fire, Stoker and his men succeeded where British and French submarines had come to grief." "Stoker's achievement meant much in military terms, and even more emotionally in boosting the morale of embattled Allied troops. But what was proclaimed at the time as 'the finest feat in submarine history' has since sunk into oblivion. Few Australians even know their country had a submarine at Gallipoli, much less that it achieved daring feats, sank an enemy craft, and possibly played a pivotal role in Anzac troops staying on the beachhead for eight months." "Now, finally, Stoker's Submarine tells the story of a remarkable naval hero and the men under his command. And the AE2 itself, still lying intact on the floor of the Sea of Marmara, is celebrated as the most tangible relic of Australia's role at Gallipoli, the crucible of nationhood.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, gallipoli campaign - naval operations, submarine ae2

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.625.non-fictionIn the wake of the September 11th horror, nothing could be timelier than this exploration of world terrorism and the forces that fight it--armies and missions often shrouded in mystery. A foremost expert on guerrilla warfare presents, for the first time, a comprehensive investigation of covert military operations from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Among the revelations: that the CIA handed out shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles "like lollipops" to Osama bin Laden and other mujahadeen leaders, weapons they may now turn against us how British SAS operated inside Afghanistan against the Russians and used "former special forces" personnel for clandestine missions why secret militia and locally recruited fighters successfully defeated guerrillas and terrorists in Oman, Malaya, and Borneo, but could not in Indochina and Algeria and how "fighting dirty" sometimes meant helping drug dealers in exchange for their support. Most relevant is the detailed analysis of why Russia failed to conquer Afghanistan, what we can learn from their experience, and the perils awaiting any invader. special forces - operations - 20th century, special forces - operations - 20th century

Index, bibliography, maps, ill, p.173.non-fictionThe German army in the Second World War sought to fight and win swift, decisive victories in a succession of short campaigns - blitzkrieg, or lightning war. Flexibility was as essential as the will to win. Battle groups, or shock troops, were created from miscellaneous, and often disparate military units to undertake a specific local operation; it was the army's skill in combining superior numbers, aggressive tactics and the battle group commander's ability to exploit the changing situation on the ground which brought success on the battlefield.

The actions described here cover all theatres of the war, and include battle groups large and small, deployed usually to smash a breach in the enemy line or seal off an enemy penetration. It covers operations in the first dynamic years when Wehrmacht forces defeated the armies of one European country after another in fast campaigns, through to the years after Stalingrad and Africa as they moved towards defeat. 

The battle groups' contribution to Wehrmacht fortunes offer powerful lessons in the tactics of battle management and this book by James Lucas, a military historian known for his close studies of the German soldier, is considered to be one of the most detailed and authoritative accounts on the subject. Collapse summary germany - armed forces - history, germany - regimental histories

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.374.non-fictionhis is the largely unknown story of another Anzac force, which fought not at Gallipoli, but in Greece, during World War II. Desperately outnumbered and fighting in deeply inhospitable conditions, these Anzacs found themselves engaging in a long retreat through Greece, under constant air attack. Most of the Anzac Corps was evacuated by the end of April 1941, but many men got only as far as Crete. Fighting a German paratroop invasion there in May, large numbers were taken captive and spent four long years as prisoners of the Nazis. The campaign in Greece turned out to have uncanny parallels to the original Gallipoli operation: both were inspired by Winston Churchill, both were badly planned by British military leaders, and both ended in defeat and evacuation. Just as Gallipoli provided military academies the world over with lessons in how not to conduct a complex feat of arms, Churchill's Greek adventure reinforced fundamental lessons in modern warfare - heavy tanks could not be stopped by men armed with rifles, and Stuka dive-bombers would not be deflected by promises of air support from London that were never honoured. In this revised edition, based on fresh archival research, and containing a collection of previously unpublished photos, the truth finally emerges as to how the Australian, Greek, and New Zealand Governments were misled over key decisions that would define the campaign. world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - greece, greek campaign - australian involvement

Index, ill, maps, p.274.non-fictionSixty years ago, specially trained men were parachuted onto a Norwegian glacier, carrying only the most basic equipment. Their mission was to prevent the Nazi regime from building an atomic bomb. Now wilderness expert Ray Mears tells the true story of this gruelling campaign, showing how these men's ability to survive in extreme conditions influenced the outcome of the Second World War. Using crucial military information which has only recently been declassified, shows how a highly secretive operation came into being. Titleworldwar 1939-1945 - special operations, norwegian heavy water sabotage

Bibliography, ill, maps, p.304.non-fictionThis book describes the battles on the Eastern front in 1944 which resulted in the destruction of Army Group Centreworld war 1939-1945 - campaigns - soviet union, operation bagration

Index, ill, p.190.non-fictionThe biography of Joe Leach and his exploits in World War twoworld war 1939 – 1945 – aerial operations - australia, joe leach - biography

Ill, maps, p.203.non-fictionPacked with interesting anecdotes this book brings to life events that have escaped or have been overlooked about Australian military historyworld war 1939 – 1945 – aerial operations - australia, catalina - seaplane

Index, bibliography, notes, ill (b/w), p.348.From the 1930s through WWII to Afghanistan today, from total war to counterinsurgency, this history unravels and defines the intangible qualities that differentiate the "Sky Men" from other soldiers Seventy years ago the Parachute Regiment was formed - the army's elite air assault force was tough, well-trained, and designed to fight hazardous operations behind enemy lines with little or no backup. Dropping into the middle of enemy territory, these "Sky Men"- British, American, German, and Russian soldiers - engage in gruelling combat in the most dangerous conflict zones around the world. Ex-Parachute Regiment officer Robert Kershaw reveals the history of these airborne forces and their role during the most dramatic battles of the 20th century. He finds out what drives a "Sky Man" to take these extraordinary risks, and what marks these sky warriors out from ordinary soldiers. How do military paratroopers conquer the fear of jumping from aircraft at low level, by night, and frequently under fire? Has the helicopter replaced the need for parachutists in the 21st Century? Has the increasing lethality of anti-aircraft weapons made the airborne option redundant? These issues are examined alongside the personal experiences of the Soviet "Locust Warriors," German Fallschirmjäger, British Red Devils, American "devils in baggy-pants," and Les Paras. Based on letters, diaries, and exclusive interviews with soldiers from around the world, this book is full of vivid personalities and nail-biting action.great britain - history - military, great britain - parachute regiment

Index, ill (b/w), p.170.non-fictionThe de Havilland mosquito was the most versatile and successful military aircraft of World War Two, used in a variety of rolesde havilland mosquito, world war 1939-1945 - aerial operations - britain

ill, p.60.non-fictionPhotos of Australian service men and women in wars, conflicts and peace operations.australia - history - military, australia - military history