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Great War Tours Ltd, Park Lane, , OLD KNEBWORTH, Herts (2025)

05/08/2023

Once again I am within hours of leaving Black Rock / Melbourne to return to the UK although, at least this time, I have my return date in the diary already - 22nd April 2025. Which means that I should be jet lag free in good time to attend the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the Shrine, exactly ten years after doing so for the first time in 2015 when the observation was for the centenary commemorations? In the meantime, I hope to both complete writing my book, offered in answer to the one I have been following over the period of my Antipodean Adventure (parts 1 & 2) and, under the guise of my ‘Never Forgotten’ project, visit at least one grave along the Western Front from every memorial I have visited in Australia. In leaving a photograph of the soldier’s name inscribed in memory upon his town’s War Memorial the aim is to show passers by that, although buried half a world away, the mens’ sacrifice was indeed ‘Never Forgotten’!

Of course, each soldier as he was leaving Australia would have been hoping like crazy that he would return safely - even although his sense of history might have told him that at least some of his companions would become casualties. And even if he considered that he might not survive the great adventure upon which he was embarking, at least he might have drawn satisfaction from the thought that, in dying in the course of doing his duty, he had delivered a suitable retribution to the enemy. Sadly, for some, even that ‘honour’ was to be denied them as I discovered when delving into the service record of a soldier whose name I thought I recognised this last week on an Honour Board - although the board itself was very far away from the War Memorial upon which I thought I had read the same name.

I have observed before that, when looking at the names inscribed upon any War Memorial, I first look for any of my family surnames - even although I know there is no real link. Next I look for groupings of the same surname eg x3 men with the surname ‘Lennon’ which I saw on the memorial at Williamstown yesterday ; were they brothers, who survived if any and, if they weren’t brothers, what was their relationship? Finally I look at any unusual names, eg ‘Drosen' which again I spied on the Williamstown memorial. But the name which jumped out at me last week from an Honour Board archived within a Military Museum at Nar Nar Goon, was that of ‘J A Salmon’. (I have a very close friend whose surname is indeed ’Salmon’, hence my interest.) When I got back to my records and the map, I was delighted to discover that, as far back as January this year - so right at the start of my Antipodean Adventure part 2 - I had indeed seen this name inscribed upon the memorial at Beeac / Victoria.

John Allen Salmon was 28 yrs old when he enlisted in September 1916, giving his home address as Beeac, Victoria - about x160 kms west of Melbourne - and his occupation as ‘Farmer’. As (561) Private Salmon he was allocated to 4th Machine Gun Company and his military transport ship left Melbourne on 6th December 1916. According to his service record, John arrived in England in February 1917 and, no sooner had he moved from the main Australian mustering camp at Perham Downs (Salisbury Plain / Wiltshire) to his training depot at Belton / Grantham than he was admitted to hospital. Where, on 2nd April 1917, he died of disease, specifically Cerebrospinal Meningitis! According to both his service record and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database, John was buried two days later ie 4th April 1917, within the Grantham Cemetery, never having been in the same country as his ‘enemy’ let alone having fired his weapon at him! His bereaved parents, William and Eliza, ensured that his grave marker bears the epitaph, “Though Death Divides, Fond Memory Clings”. And, of course, in due course his name was inscribed upon the Beeac War Memorial.

But it was John’s name inscribed upon an Honour Board hanging up in the Light Horse & Field Artillery Museum at Nar Nar Goon (itself some 210 kms east of Beeac) that ignited my memory / curiosity. What was it doing so far away? Wonderfully, the answer to that question is that the owner of the museum, Bernie Di**le OAM, is well known for his personal collection of war memorabilia and his determination never to say ‘no’ when asked to take custody of any single item ; for which dedication to the preservation of military history he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2017. As you will see, the Honour Board itself comes not just from Beeac but from the town’s branch (recorded as Eureka Tent No. 355) of the Independent Order of Rechabites - in other words, the town’s temperance society! Unfortunately, when I visited Beeac back in January 2023, I didn’t know to look for the ‘tent’ ; although I suspect now that the Honour Board was given into Bernie’s safe keeping when the building was either re-developed or knocked down to make way for something more modern? At least John’s name is still on the war memorial and, in due course, I will be sure to visit his grave and take a photograph which shouldn’t add too much to Bernie’s extraordinary collection?

19/07/2023

Absolutely I feared that it would happen. But ….. I really didn’t expect that it would happen even before I had left the continent. Further …… I really didn’t expect it to concern my geeky project about Great War Memorials. Rather I thought that ‘it’ would happen when someone I was talking to - in the course of my ordinary day back home in Dundee - would observe casually that he / she had relatives living in a specific place in Australia whom they had visited and would then ask whether I had visited that place on my travels? And, of course, the answer - to much gnashing and grinding of teeth - would be “NO” ; (ggghhhrrrr)! But that is exactly what has happened. A friend has picked up a notice from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website about a soldier from Western Australia (Dardanup) and wondered whether I had been to look at the memorial upon which his name is commemorated? And, of course, the answer is a resounding “NO”! Amazingly however, because of the wonder of Australian archives, I have not only been able to look at the particular soldier’s service record, I have also been able to look at the memorial. And, as it happens, this soldier’s death x107 years ago today, gifts me another opportunity to tell you about what remains Australia’s deadliest day in any armed conflict in which it has participated since the country was formed.

According to the record, the first timber license was granted for the felling of local Jarrah (Eucalyptus) trees as early as 1881 ; the wood was used in the building of homes, sheds and bridges because it was strong, proved resistant to white ants and didn’t deteriorate in water. But it wasn’t until almost the end of the 19th century that a successful commercial Saw Mill was established, once a reliable transport route was available to the port at Bunbury. So was Wellington Mills established and it was from there that Adolf Thompson Knable travelled to Perth (Blackboy Hill) to enlist in August 1915. He was single, 21 yrs old - so didn’t need his parents’ permission to enlist - and gave his occupation as that of School Teacher living within Wellington Mills out of Dardanup. Interestingly, despite the germanic first name which he shared with his father - who was also his next of kin - Adolf wrote that he was ‘British Born’ and stated that he had previous military experience having served with the local Militia. In due course, allocated to 32nd (Infantry) Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, 1603 (Private) Adolf Thompson Knable left Australia for Egypt from where, by June 1916 the unit had been despatched to France. It spent a very short period in trenches around Armentieres before, as part of 8th Brigade / 5th Division, it was assigned to the assault at Fromelles.

Planned initially as a diversion from the main British attack over the River Somme to the south - the opening day of which (1st Jul 1916) had itself led to the British Army’s worst day (in the course of which just under x20,000 men were killed or wounded) - the assault was redundant already before it was promulgated. Nevertheless, the British Commander (Lt Gen Richard Haking) - undoubtedly under pressure from his superiors (Rawlinson and Haig) - insisted that it should proceed, aiming to reduce an enemy stronghold / salient known as ’Sugarloaf’ just outside the village of Fromelles. Whilst no pre-bombardment was planned - which had warned the Germans anyway in the run up to 1st July - artillery pieces had completed pre-registration, effectively warning the enemy of an attack. Consequently, when the attack was put in late in the afternoon of 19th July 1916, the Germans were prepared and the Australian units were met with murderous machine gun fire. Despite this, some troops did manage to pe*****te the German lines although, all too quickly - because of the impossibility of re-inforcements / re-supply getting through - those men were required to attempt to return to their original lines, back through the enemy’s continuing enfilading fire. As the operation was brought to an end after x24 hrs, the ’Sugarloaf’ salient remained.

The Battle at Fromelles resulted in the greatest loss of Australian lives in a single 24-hour period, equivalent to total losses suffered through the Boer, Korean and Vietnam wars. Australian casualties amounted to x5,533, amongst whom were also numbered about x400 prisoners of war. Indeed, whilst 32nd Bn lost x718 men, effectively 90% of its military capacity, initially it was believed that Adolf Knable was one of the prisoners : there were initial reports of him having been spotted, wounded but still alive, within the German lines. Eventually, however, Adolf’s identity disk was returned to AIF headquarters in London by the office of the German 6th Army’s intelligence unit and the Red Cross listed him as ‘dead’!

From what I can tell, Adolf was his parent’s only son of military age - certainly he is the only serviceman of that name recorded within Australian archives - and, not surprisingly, they were desperate to know what had happened to him. Officially the AIF did not record him as ‘Missing, believed Killed’ until 1922 and throughout the intervening x6 years his parents sought information desperately as to the location of his body ; hoping that it would have been buried within the Australian cemetery at Fleurbaix (Le Trou Aid Post)? Eventually, Adolf’s name was recorded in memory at VC Corner, just outside the village of Fromelles where, because there were so few bodies that could be identified, it was agreed that only rose bushes would be planted ie no grave markers. It wasn’t until the German burial pit within Pheasant Wood was re-discovered, in 2009 - after dogged research by Lambis Englezos employing space age technology - that as many as x250 of those missing casualties were found at last. Using modern DNA testing techniques, Adolf’s body was identified and he now rests within the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s newest cemetery at Pheasant which was dedicated x13 years ago today (19th July 2010).

In recent years, the War Memorial at Dardanup has been renovated and a granite statue of a ‘Digger’ has been added ; whilst a local historian has ensured that names left off previously have now been added. Which is why Adolf’s name is now inscribed in memory in his home town. Inspection of an earlier photograph shows that his name was as 'missing’ from the list as his body was in reality. Although the memorial was first unveiled as late as 1960, perhaps it was still too painful for any remaining family members to announce to the world, finally, that Adolf had never returned? And there. Must have been remaining family because, not only must their DNA have been used to help identify his body ; but an epitaph has been provided for his grave marker in Fromelles. It reads ‘He rests at peace ‘neath foreign skies. We are at peace where he lies’.

12/07/2023

As a battlefield guide it is essential that, at least occasionally, I remind both myself and the world that far more soldiers survived the Great War than were either killed or wounded by it. So, after almost six months now of weekly his-stories about the military journeys of men whose names I have found on the War Memorials that I have been visiting around this continent, I think it is time I focused upon the lives of some ‘Diggers' who survived their service in the Australian Imperial Forces. And, in the process, remind us all that sometimes, just sometimes, something good can come out of the tragedy of war ; witness the amazing speed now with which amputees are fitted with their individually designed prosthetic limbs made from the most space-age of materials after those so wounded on the battlefield are given the sort of medical help those wounded on the Somme Battlefield x107 years ago could only dream about!

If you also read my weekly personal travelogue you will know that, just in the last month, I have experienced some problems with the rented cars (Trusty Steeds) that I have been driving : such that, as I tackle the last few memorials around the top of Western Australia and into the Northern Territories, I have decided against driving the entire distances between them. Rather I have taken to the skies and only rented cars to get me over the essential but shorter distances. And in taking to the skies, of course, I have been flying with Australia’s national airline, Qantas ; which had its origins in the Australian Flying Corps battling in the skies wherever Australian troops were fighting.

Hudson Fysh described himself as a ‘Wool-classer’ when he enlisted on 26th August 1914 in Launceston / Tasmania, at only just 19 yrs old. Of course he sought service with the Light Horse and by October that year had been allocated to 3rd Light Horse with whom he proceeded eventually to Egypt. Absolutely one of the units to leave their horses behind whilst they went off to fight at Gallipoli, it appears that Hudson was one of the lucky ones ; there is no record of him being wounded whilst he was on the peninsular although during his service he did spend time in hospital being treated for Sandfly Fever. He was evacuated back to Egypt in mid-December 1915 where he applied very quickly for transfer into the Australian Flying Corps. It would appear that he soon proved to be an excellent airman and he was commissioned in May 1917, attached to 67th Squadron. Eventually, having been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in ‘recognition of gallantry in flying operations against the enemy’, he returned to Australia in March 1919 on HMAT Port Sydney.

Co-incidentally, on board and also being returned to Australia was Paul McGinness who, having served initially with 8th Light Horse, reaching the rank of Sgt, had also been commissioned into the Australian Flying Corps, attached to 67th Squadron. Luckier even than Hudson Fysh, McGinness had fought on Gallipoli without physical harm, especially at the Battle of the Nek (7th Aug ’15) ; when his unit - dismounted - was sent as re-inforcements into that appalling assault after which it was discovered that the casualty rate had been more than 50%. By the time Paul was commissioned he had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (May ’16) and the citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross - which he was awarded in late 1918 - describes him as ‘A bold and gallant airman who has displayed marked initiative and skill in attacking and destroying enemy aircraft …….. inflicting heavy casualties and causing serious damage’.

With at least two other men, one of whom (Fergus McMaster) had also served within the AIF in France, upon their return Fysh and McGinness set about forming the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (Qantas) in fulfilment of their ideas for a flying mail service which would link the agricultural communities of the outback between Longreach (Queensland) and Darwin (Northern Territories). And whilst the first administrative meeting was held in nearby Winton - still the agricultural capital of the outback and where Banjo Patterson had first performed his now world famous ‘Waltzing Matilda’ - the first hangar was an old wool shed in Longreach provided by McMaster’s brother.

Now part of the Qantas Museum, it was there that I was able to view one of the national carrier’s old Boeing 747 fleet - the aeroplane upon which I enjoyed my very first flight on my way to Lae / Papua New Guinea in late 1969, barely fifty years after the airline’s foundation. And in the course of this last week I have been privileged to head inexorably closer to my final War Memorial destination (Darwin) as a passenger on two of the modern aircraft within the airline’s fleet ; an ERJ190 and an Airbus A330. As I observed at the start, far more men survived their military journeys than were killed by it and, if / when you next take a flight under that iconic Qantas emblem, the Kangaroo, you can celebrate the survival of an idea - like that of the Royal Flying Doctor Service - born out of the grim reality of the Great War.

03/07/2023

Over this last weekend commemorations have been held in both UK and on the Western Front in France in honour of Sat 1st Jul ’23 having been the 107th anniversary of the opening of the Battle of the Somme, still the darkest single day in British military history when almost 20,000 men were killed. As if that statistic weren’t bad enough, extra emotion is given to the whole because, most of these men formed part of what is now known as ‘Pal’s Battalions’ ; men from a huge number of workplaces across the land (mines, railways, factories, workshops, sports teams etc.,) who were persuaded (by that first recruiting poster featuring Lord Kitchener) to join up and go off to fight with their workmates, to transfer the leadership dynamics of their workplaces to those of their local military units. So there was formed the Accrington Pals, officially the 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington), East Lancashire Regiment raised from men living and working in and around Accrington and for whom there is a very special memorial on the Somme battlefield at their jumping off point on 1st July 1916. Or the 17th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment given the nickname ’The Football Battalion’ because many of the soldiers had been professional players before they enlisted. The 23rd (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment became known as the '2nd Football Battalion’ and it was from its ranks that the professional footballer Walter Tull would become the first black soldier to receive his commission in the British Army! But, as one survivor of that first day, 1st July 1916, would later observe, the most memorable thing about these units was that they had been almost two years in the making and then thirty minutes in the wiping out!

Because communities in Australia were organised differently, often drawn across vast tracts of apparently empty land which nevertheless encompassed farms and railway sidings with grain silos and sheep shearing sheds, the idea of ‘Pals’ Battalions didn't really take off ; although there are wonderful Honour Boards to be seen in Sydney’s Central Station, immortalising the 8,477 men of the New South Wales Railways and Tramways who enlisted and of whom 1,214 were killed. Rather, each state - which, even before Federation in 1901, had been responsible for providing its own Militia Units - drew up new units that became identified closely with each of the state capitals. So, in Perth - which has been the hub of my most recent travels around the goldfields / south-eastern part of Western Australia - there was the 10th Australian Light Horse Regiment. Formed officially on 10th October 1914, it would be the only Light Horse unit within the Australian Imperial Force to have been raised in Western Australia. And amongst its ranks were to be found two brothers, Frank Eric and Hugo Vivian Throssell, both of whom enlisted in Guildford - now a suburb of Perth - on 6th October 1914. They were 33 yrs and 32 yrs old respectively, both single and gave their occupations as that of ‘Farmer’. Frank was given the very earliest of military service numbers, 64, whilst his younger brother, Hugo - who had several years experience within the local Militia already - was granted his commission. And, of course, in due course they both sailed away to Egypt and thence to Gallipoli.

Given that both men were born in Northam, north of Perth on the main road out to the Goldfields of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie-Boulder and that both gave their occupations as that of ‘Farmer’, I cannot fathom why Hugo should have been identified in my book with the war memorial at Midland ; which was really the site of a considerable railway workshop and training school. But the fact is that, very shortly after his arrival on Gallipoli and because of extra-ordinary bravery during the Battle of Hill 60 between 29/30th August 1915 - during which time, despite being severely wounded himself, he refused to leave his post to seek medical attention until all the danger had passed - Hugo was awarded the Victoria Cross ; what was to be the only Victoria Cross awarded to a Light Horseman / Light Horse Regiment throughout the war! So, which town in Western Australia would not wish to claim him as a favoured son? Which doubtless explains why I found ’Throssell’ Streets in several of the communities through which I drove?

In due course Frank would receive his commission too but not before he had also been wounded quite severely on Gallipoli and evacuated back to London (3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth). Both returned to the battlefield where Hugo - who by this stage had also been Mentioned in Despatches - received further serious wounds which led to his being medically discharged and returned to Australia in early 1916. And it would be good to end the brothers’ story there, would it not? But ….. By February 1917, Hugo had re-enlisted, received his promotion to Captain and, by March 1917, had re-joined his brother Frank back within the ranks of the 10th Light Horse Regiment now serving in Palestine / Gaza. Where, on 19th April 1917, both took part in an engagement at Aseiferlyeh (part of the Second Battle of Gaza) as a result of which Frank was killed in action and Hugo was once more wounded in action. By this point, Hugo had received wounds in each of his shoulders and thighs as well as having received a wound to his head! It was this last which would plague him to the end of his life.

Although Hugo appears to have made a sufficiently good recovery to be able to search for his brother’s body, in due course, and not least because he continued to suffer ill health (including the effects of tapeworm - Taenia Solium), he was returned to Australia ; at least initially, as a VC winner, to take part in recruiting activities around the continent. But eventually, the end of the war having overtaken his period of furlough, he was discharged on 13th February 1919 and returned to Perth. Where in due course he was married and named his only son after his older brother, ‘Ric’! As I observed, his head wound appears to have caused him both continuing physical discomfort as well as mental trauma ; as a result of which, on 19th November 1933, he shot himself in the head!

Of course, Hugo’s name is not listed on the War Memorial in Northam - although there is a statue of him on the Main Street. Nor is his name commemorated on the memorial in King’s Park, Perth ; those honours fell only to his brother, Frank although there is a tree dedicated to Hugo along one of the Avenues of Honour within King’s Park, Perth. But, not unlike my favourite Australian General, ‘Pompey’ Elliott - who had also taken his own life earlier in March 1931 - Hugo was afforded a full military funeral as he was laid to rest within Perth’s metropolitan cemetery at Karrakatta. And it was there that I went to pay my respects to just one of Western Australia’s heroes.

28/06/2023

Whether ‘English’ is your mother-tongue or just one of many languages in which you are proficient behind your own first language, one thing that we have all been taught about the English language is that there are always exceptions to every grammatical rule. So ‘I’ after ‘E’ except after ‘C’ leading to ‘receive’ instead of ‘recieve’. And the plural of ‘Mouse’ is ‘Mice’ instead of ‘Mouses’ when the rural of ‘House’ is ‘Houses'! Consequently, as I suspect that you are expecting already, I had no sooner posted the article last week - about there not being a ‘sole survivor’ policy during the Great War which might have ‘saved’ one of the Young brothers - than I was faced with the exception to the rule.

If you remember Francis and his elder brother Frederick, although serving in different units, were killed within x6 weeks of each other in the summer of 1916 whilst fighting on the Somme. And, very sadly, neither of their bodies have been found so that their names are now inscribed in memory upon the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. As I observed at the end of last week’s article, what would have been the use of a sole-survivor policy - which would have required all family members to serve in different units - if even serving in different units still couldn’t prevent them all from being killed? So imagine my surprise when, on wandering through the Goldfields War Museum housed in the Boulder Town Hall (about which I have also just written this week in my personal travel post), I read a script which advised the reader that, after three of her four sons in uniform were killed in France, one Boulder mother pleaded with the authorities to spare her further grief? And that, in due course, her fourth son was indeed returned to Australia! My researcher's nose was set a-twitching and I couldn’t wait to get to grips with the National Australian Archives.

James Joseph Moore enlisted in March 1915 when he was 22 yrs old and, as (357) Private Moore, he was allocated to 28th Battalion. In due course he found himself fighting at Gallipoli although it would appear from the record that he also fought ill health as much as the enemy. He spent time in hospital in Malta with Tonsilitis and once he had arrived in France, he spent time in hospital in St Omer with Mumps. Whilst on the Somme in the summer of 1916 however, he did receive a severe wound to his left thigh which saw him evacuated to England for further treatment.

Meantime, his older brother Henry - who, at 28 yrs old was, in fact, the eldest of the brothers to serve - enlisted in June 1915. A baker by profession and despite already living away from home, as (1974) Private Moore, he too was allocated to serve in the same battalion as James ie 28th Bn. And like his younger brother saw some service on Gallipoli - although before the evacuation was begun in December 1915, he was in hospital in Egypt suffering from a fever of unknown origin (Febricula). Private (1974) Henry Moore was killed in action at Pozieres on the Somme between 3rd / 6th August 1916 and is buried within the Warlencourt-British Cemetery : he was 30 yrs old.

George Septimus Moore was the next brother to enlist in July 1915 when he was just 18 years old and, as (2184) Private Moore, he too was allocated to 28th Bn ; the usual written permission from his parents to enlist is in his service file. His enlistment now makes x3 Moore brothers serving within the same battalion’s ranks by early 1916 and each somewhere in Egypt. Not unlike his older brothers, George didn’t enjoy the best of health and his record shows that he too spent time in and out of Hospital both in France (Wimereux) and England (Woolwich) once he had left the Middle East - with a variety of ailments including Diphtheria and Tonsillitis. Unlike his other brothers however, he also appears to have had some disciplinary issues (drunkenness and absence without leave) for which he lost several days pay and restrictions of privileges ; an award of Field Punishment No. 1 appears to have been overruled by Gen Sir John Monash! Between his indiscipline and periods of sickness however, George clearly spent time with his unit which fought on the Somme in 1916, at Passchendaele in 1917 and back on the Somme in 1918. And it was here in early September 1918 that he was at first posted as Missing in Action before a Court of Enquiry confirmed that he had been Killed in Action. Unfortunately his body has never been identified so that his name is inscribed in memory on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.

At not quite 21 yrs old, Thomas Vincent Moore was the fourth and last brother to enlist, in September 1915 and, as (3147) Private Moore, he was not allocated to 28th Battalion - but rather to 16th Battalion. Like his brothers before him, he spent a few months in Egypt - where he also endured ill-health - before he arrived in France in June 1916. In early September he was wounded by shrapnel in his left leg and arm and evacuated to hospital in Wimereux for treatment. His recovery was exacerbated by Pleurisy and he died of his wounds on 16th September 1916. He was buried in the Wimereux Communal Cemetery.

So, of the four brothers, two had been killed within a couple of months of each other in 1916 despite the fact that they had been serving with different units - Thomas / 16th Bn and Henry / 28th Bn - and the remaining two were still serving on the Western Front with the same battalion! In July 1917, (357) Private James Joseph Moore of 28th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force was returned to Australia having been discharged.

Amazingly, the letter his mother - Catherine - wrote to the Australian military authorities is included in his military service file. Dated 23rd February 1917, it was accompanied in support by a letter from a priest, Rev’d McGrath from the Redemptorist Monastery in Perth where a fifth Moore brother appears to have been a Lay Brother! One cannot imagine the decision Catherine had to make in asking for one of her sons to be returned to her - and it might have made sense had she asked for the release of her youngest son, George? And now, seeing both his health & disciplinary record, it would be easy to imagine that the AIF might have been happier to let him go rather than his older brother, James? But, very specifically, Catherine asked that her son (357) Pte James Joseph Moore be released ; because, by February 1917 he had been serving the longest, had fought on both Gallipoli and the Western Front and had - up to that point - survived both wounding and difficult illnesses. Not surprisingly there is no paper trail revealing the decision making process that must have been gone through - perhaps in order to keep said decision as much under wraps as possible? After all, no Officer no matter how senior, would want it known that he had acquiesced too readily to such an appeal. Nevertheless, it is clear that the decision was made at the highest echelon ; on 25th May 1917, GOC AIF (none other than General Birdwood) issued instructions that Moore should be withdrawn back to UK and thence returned to Australia.

Part of the Goldfields War Museum’s display includes photographs of those men from Boulder who were killed on active service, including the three brothers Moore, Henry, Thomas and George. Because of course, once James was returned to Boulder, he and his mother, Catherine, had yet to endure the loss of the youngest son / fourth brother!

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05/08/2023

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