POEM, "In Memory of Herbert Smith KIA, October 1914" and POST CARD of Méteren village's "Needle-eyed chuch."

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From the Collection of Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch Merri Street Warrnambool Victoria

Attached Files

Poem IN MEMORY OF HERBERT SMITH, KIA, Oct 1914.docx (docx, 11.64 KB)

Object Registration

SNAPE-034 BOB: POETRY, "In Memory of Herbert Smith KIA, October 1914"

Last updated

3 Mar 2017 at 10:10AM

'THE BREMEN BABBLER' Troopship weekly newspaper pp36 (Bob Snape, the paper's Editor, June to July 1919) courtesy, AWM Canberra. - 'THE BREMEN BABBLER' Troopship weekly newspaper pp36 (Bob Snape, the paper's Editor.)

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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TIMELINE of MAJOR BATTLES on the WESTERN FRONT with Australian participation highlighted in green.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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EGYPT PICTURE POSTCARDS, 56 images.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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5th and 6th Batts crossing Suez Canal on the NBT pontoon bridge at Serapeum.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

Inscriptions & Markings

Harold's hand-printed annotation on reverse side of photo."5th and 6th Batts crossing the Suez Canal on the NBT pontoon bridge at Serapeum"

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Scuttling of the destroyer HMS Louis which had stranded off Suvla Bay on 31 October 1915. - The scuttling of the destroyer HMS Louis.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

Photograph measures 4.5 x 6.5 cms

Inscriptions & Markings

Hand-printed annotation on reverse side reads: "A party of sailors from the Cruiser Canopus broke the Dest. Louis in halves with a charge of gun cotton. The after part sank and the for'ard portion (see here) was towed into deep water and sunk also."

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NCOs of the staff of the Australian Corps Headquarters outside their quarters, Querrieu, France. 20 July 1918: AWM EO2763 - NCOs of the staff of the Australian Corps Headquarters outside their quarters, Querrieu, France. 20 July 1918. Cpl R O Snape is identified on the far left of the third row from the front.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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'A Little Parable'. A humourous piece written in the 1950s, about Bob's friend (and Madge's younger sister Betty's husband) LES ROSS, Reg. No. 2475, a veteran of the 5th Machine Gun Company, 18th Battalion, in the Middle East and on the Western Front and later, a fighter pilot with the Australian Flying Corps. He re-enlisted in WW2 and served in the RAAF, in northern Australia, in air traffic control. (Photos of Les courtesy of Les and Betty's son, Robert Hamilton Ross).

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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'Return, O Wanderer, to thy home' (One of Bob's maternal grandfather's favourite hymns).

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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c.1924. A self-guided battlefields tour retracing his brothers' footsteps? Young brother, FRANK SNAPE dressed up in Army uniform, for the photo opportunity, just for fun. "You didn't think I could grow one like this, did you?" is written on the back of the photograph, posted home to Bob. (As a small child, whilst playing with the fire in his family sitting-room, Frank accidentally burnt his hand badly on the fire-grate. Unable to properly open and close his hand, Frank would later have proven to be medically unfit for military service.)

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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BOB SNAPE, aged 84 years (approx.)

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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A RETROSPECTIVE ON THE SOLDIERING LIFE OF HAROLD (undated and unfinished, but probably September 1918). HAROLD'S COMMISSION as 2nd LIEUTENANT.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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Trip to Brussels - January 1919.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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City of Essendon: 'For Duty Nobly Done'.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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CERTIFICATE of DISCHARGE

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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Repatriation arrangements.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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Letters (x 2) dated 20 April 1919, from J Talbot Hobbs, Lieut.General, Commanding Australian Corps, re Bob's wish for demobilisation.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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AUSTRALIAN CORPS Camp Order No. 27, 10 December 1918, pp 1 - 2

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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MUSIC, Bob's passion. He always carried his favourite music scores in his kit, including some hard cover grand operas. On leave, he saw as many operas as he could, taking the score along to each performance, keeping one eye on the show and the other on the music. On 29 November, 1916, while stationed at Vignacourt, Bob was given permission to play the church pipe organ for an hour or so (3 recent photos, courtesy Isabelle Godard, see attached). One day in September 1917, somewhere in Flanders, whilst visiting 2nd Division HQ, Bob had a chance meeting with the decorated infantry officer, Captain Rupert 'Sos' Wertheim (whose interrogation of German POWs crucially affected the Allies preparation for the Battle of Menin Road). He was the son of the German Jewish emigré who set up the famous Richmond-based Wertheim piano-factory in the early 1900s. Captain Wertheim asked Bob to play all the operatic pieces he could remember. (A few days later, a stray German shell hit the 2nd Div. HQ killing a number of officers).

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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BOB & HAROLD: ATTESTATION PAPERS

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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BOB and HAROLD SNAPE. 7 PHOTOS: BOB, AMC 6th Field Ambulance (x2); HAROLD, RANBT (x1) and 12th Brigade AFA (x2). QUERRIEU, France, 20 July 1918. NCOs of AUSTRALIAN CORPS HQ... Bob is on extreme Left of 3rd row.

Warrnambool RSL Sub Branch, Warrnambool

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POEM, "In Memory of Herbert Smith KIA, October 1914" and POST CARD of Méteren village's "Needle-eyed chuch."

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