Anzac Day 2011
Section 5: Remembering and honouring: memorials and heritage
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day (11 November) is the anniversary of the armistice which ended World
War I (1914–18). It is set aside as a day to remember the sacrifice
of those who have died for
Australia
in all wars and conflicts. It was originally known as Armistice Day.
For a history of how Armistice Day became Remembrance Day see
Jennifer
Amess,
'A day of remembrance: 11 November ', Sabretache , vol. 24,
April–June 1983, pp. 25–26.
The Flanders poppy (a bright red poppy) has been part of Armistice or Remembrance Day
since the early 1920s. Wearing a red poppy is a sign of remembrance
for the servicemen and women who have died in war.
For further information see
the Background Note, 'Remembrance
Day 2008—the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I', published
by the Parliamentary Library in November 2008.
War memorials overseas
Kevin
Blackburn
discusses
the restored Changi Murals originally created in a chapel (St
Luke's)
within the huge prisoner of war camp established in the Changi area
by the Japanese after the fall of
Singapore
in February
1942. Between September 1942 and May 1943 five near life-size murals
of scenes from the New Testament were painted by a British prisoner,
Stanley Warren, on two of the chapel's walls.
The Hellfire
Pass Memorial in
Thailand
is dedicated to those Australian and other allied prisoners
of war (POWs) and Asian labourers who suffered and died at Hellfire
Pass (Burma-Thailand Railway) and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region
during World War II. It was officially opened on 24 April 1998 by the
Prime Minister,
John
Howard
and the Prime Minister of Thailand,
Chuan
Leekpai.
The Australian
War Memorial in London was dedicated on the morning of 11 November
2003 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister
John
Howard,
in the presence of HRH The Duke of Kent, UK Prime Minister
Tony
Blair,
and a party of 27 Australian World War II veterans. The
Memorial features a long, curving wall of West Australian green granite,
reflecting the sweep of the Australian landscape. Inscribed on the wall
are the names of many of the battle sites where Australian
and British military personnel fought, superimposed upon the names of
thousands of home towns of Australian men and women who served during
the two world wars. The periodic flow of water across the wall highlights
these names and is designed to evoke memories of the suffering and loss
felt by all.
The Australian
National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in northern
France
was unveiled on 22 July 1938 by King
George
VI.
It lies within the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery and was erected
to commemorate all Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium
during the First World War, and their dead, especially those with no
known grave. The servicemen named on the
memorial were Australians who died ‘in the battlefields of the Somme,
Arras, the German advance of 1918 and the Advance to Victory’.
In 2008, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the battle on Anzac Day 1918, an Australian-led Dawn Service was held on Anzac Day at the Australian National Memorial near Villers-Bretonneux. This was the first official
Australian Dawn Service to be held at the Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.
The Department of Veterans' Affairs has a website with information
and advice for those planning to attend Anzac Day commemorative
services on the Western Front.
The
Park of the Australian Soldier at Be’er Sheva in
Israel,
commemorating the charge of the Australian Mounted Division’s 4th Brigade against Turkish positions at Beersheba (now called Be’er Sheva)
on 31 October 1917, was dedicated in
Israel
in April 2008.
The website of the Office of Australian War Graves contains links to overseas memorials, with
information on current projects on overseas and Australian memorials.
War memorials in
Australia
In addition to the Australian
War Memorial (opened on 11 November 1941), there are a number of
other sources of information about war memorials in
Australia:
In 'War
Memorials in the Australian landscape', Ken Inglis describes the
importance of local memorials to Australian communities.
The Australian Ex-Prisoners
of War Memorial located in Ballarat, Victoria, honours more than
35 000 Australians who were held prisoner during the Boer War,
World War I, World War II and the Korean War.
The National Capital Authority's
website has information about the memorials
lining Anzac Parade in Canberra. New memorials planned for positions
on or near Anzac Parade are: the Australian
Peacekeeping Memorial, the site of which was dedicated on 29
November 2007, with the winning
design announced on 19 December 2008; the Boer
War Memorial the site of which was dedicated
on 31 May 2008; and twin
memorials to World Wars I and II on the Rond Terrace at the opposite
end of Anzac Parade to the Australian War Memorial.
The Queensland Anzac Day Commemoration Committee's website has the
history, descriptions and photographs of the State war memorials in each State capital. State and city websites include those of Western Australia, Queensland (and Brisbane City), New South Wales (including the Centotaph and Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park and Anzac Memorial history), along with national memorials in Canberra.
The Australian-American
Memorial was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 February 1954.
It stands 73 metres high in the forecourt of Field Marshal Sir Thomas
Blamey Square at the Department of Defence Offices, Russell, in Canberra.
It is one of the city’s most prominent and distinctive landmarks. The press release from Senator Robert Hill on the 50th anniversary
of its unveiling contains further details.
War
Memorials in Australia
is a private website which contains information on locations,
descriptions and images of war memorials in the states and territories
of
Australia,
while the Department of Veterans' Affairs also has information on memories and memorabilia.
Remembrance Driveway, which
runs between Sydney and Canberra, was suggested by the Garden Club of
Australia. Over fifty groves have been planted alongside the Hume and
Federal Highways. The Driveway is a memorial to those who served in
World War II and subsequent wars. The first of its trees—at Macquarie
Place in Sydney (a plane tree), and the War Memorial in Canberra (a
snow gum)—were planted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. It was intended
to have a variety of trees, each selected for its suitability to local
soil and climatic conditions. Each of the trees honours a serviceman
or woman and some bear a plaque with his or her name. During the 1990s
the Remembrance Driveway Committee and the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority
worked together to develop 'Victoria Cross' rest areas along the highway—Gordon
VC, Mackay VC, Kingsbury VC, Chowne VC, Derrick VC, French VC, Kibby
VC, Edmondson VC, Wheatley VC and Gurney VC.
The Australian War Memorial maintains a program of travelling exhibitions, often visiting regional Australia.
Australia’s
military heritage
Post-1945 Conflicts Gallery at the Australian War Memorial
After a major redevelopment at the
Australian War Memorial in Canberra, the Australian War
Memorial’s Post-1945 Conflicts Gallery was opened by Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd on 26 February 2008. The new gallery expands the displays
of post-1945 conflicts, including the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency,
Indonesian Konfrontasi, the Vietnam War, peacekeeping, and more
recent conflicts, including the First Gulf War and the current
Afghanistan
and
Iraq
wars. There are many exhibits, artworks, relics, stories
and large-scale and small-scale multimedia presentations which depict Australians
in war and peacekeeping since 1945.
Major exhibits include an Iroquois helicopter,
using cutting-edge light and sound technology to show troops leaving
the helicopter for a jungle patrol. Businessman Mr Dick Smith provided
$1 million of sponsorship for this display. Visitors are also able
to enter the actual
bridge of HMAS Brisbane, which served in the
Vietnam
and Gulf Wars, and be part of an interactive experience.
Another new addition is the film in the Vietnam War gallery which was
commissioned by the War Memorial to re-enact the Battle of Long Tan.
In 'A
letter from Long Tan', Chris Roberts describes the story behind
the making of the film and the lengths to which the the Memorial went
to ensure that the film is as historically accurate as possible. (Wartime,
no. 46, 2009, pp. 52–55)
On 8 September 2010 the Governor-General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, officially unveiled the National Service Memorial at the Australian War Memorial, and returned on 21 February 2011 to officially open the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial.
The hall honours the Australians who have received the Victoria Cross for exceptional bravery.
Department
of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans
The Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans was
originally launched in August 2006. Approximately 60 000 individuals
served with Australia’s defence forces in Vietnam or in the waters adjacent
to Vietnam between 23 May 1962 and 29 April 1975. The newly enhanced
version of the online Nominal Roll was launched
on Vietnam Veterans’ Day 18 August 2007. This provides additional
details of each individual’s military service in Vietnam.
Gallipoli websites
The Visit Gallipoli website includes history and educational resources, and for those planning a visit there is also a guided walk that takes trekkers to 14 locations including North Beach, Anzac Cove, Shrapnel Gulley, Lone Pine, Quinn’s Post and The Nek.
Gallipoli and the Anzacs, a site hosted by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, contains a range of educational resources.
Western Front
The Office
of Australian War Graves (within the DVA) have stepped up activities
to enhance
commemoration of Australian service in
France
and
Belgium.
In response to an increasing number of visitors to the
battlefields and war cemeteries, eighteen interpretive panels have been
erected in France and two in Belgium to explain the significance of
each battle site. In 2009 the Australian Government announced plans for an Anzac Trail to commemorate the achievements of Australians on the Western Front, and a dedicated gallery on a website commemorating Australia's wartime heritage is now available.
The Australian
Corps Memorial Park at Le Hamel—one of several
memorials on the Western Front—was closed to visitors in February
2008 for rebuilding, after the original memorial deteriorated due to
environmental damage and vandalism. The work was completed by August 2008 and the memorial was re-dedicated by the Governor General on 8 November 2008.
Remains of war dead
Bodies of service personnel are often discovered on old battlefields
or in wrecked ships or aircraft. When such discoveries are made, the
standard practice is to inter bodies in a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.
HMAS Sydney
II
The wreck of HMAS Sydney II, which sank with all 645 crew after engaging the German raider
HSK Kormoran on 19 November 1941, was found on 16 March 2008, twelve nautical miles from the wreck of the Kormoran and eight nautical miles from the scene of the principal battle site,
at a depth of 2470 metres. The Kormoran lost over 80 sailors
in its attack on the
Sydney.
The Finding
Sydney Foundation website contains video footage of both wrecks,
background information on the ships and a roll of honour. ABC television
broadcast a documentary, The Hunt for HMAS Sydney,
which detailed the successful search for both the
Sydney
and the Kormoran.
Both
wrecks have been given legal
protection by the Australian Government under the Historic Shipwrecks
Act 1976. On 31 March 2008 the Australian Government announced the
establishment of a commission
of inquiry into the loss of HMAS Sydney, which was headed
by His Honour Mr Terence Cole. The final report of the Commission
of Inquiry was released by the Minister for Defence on 12 October 2009. The report found that the survivor reports from the crew of the Kormoran were substantially correct and that the Sydney had sunk as a result of the action between the two vessels.
A memorial
ceremony attended by some relatives of the crew of HMAS Sydney was held over the site of the wreck of the Sydney and then over
the site of the wreck of the Kormoran on 16 April 2008. The Australian
Government also held a national memorial service on 24 April 2008 in
Sydney.
On 19
November 2008, the 67th anniversary of the sinking, a
memorial service took place on board the current HMAS Sydney above the wreck site, in conjunction with a national memorial service
at the Australian War Memorial. At the same time the remains of the 'unknown
sailor', believed to be the only crew member to be found
after the sinking of the Sydney, were interred at Geraldton.
On 21 May 2009 the government recognised the memorial to the loss of HMAS Sydney at Geraldton in Western Australia as a national memorial.
World War II aircraft wrecks
An ABC Radio National Background Briefing program, ‘Lost
planes, lost men’, examined the situation of the many Australian
war planes which crashed in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific
during World War II, and the trade in war souvenirs.
Confrontation
On 16 March 2010 the Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science announced that the remains of two Australian soldiers missing since 1966 had been located in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Special Air Service (SAS) Lieutenant Kenneth Hudson and Private Robert Moncrieff were separated from the rest of their SAS patrol during a river crossing on 21 March 1966. The two men were swept away during the crossing and their bodies were buried by local Dayak people. The remains of Lieutenant Hudson and Private Moncrieff were repatriated to Australia in April 2010 for burial. The Department of Defence website has further information and some photographs.
Vietnam
The Army
History Unit has supported searches for the remains of missing personnel
in Vietnam. In 2007 the remains of three Australian servicemen, Lance
Corporal Richard Parker, Private Peter Gillson and Lance
Corporal John Gillespie were found in
Vietnam
with the help of Operation Aussies Home, and repatriated to
Australia.
The remains of the last missing Australian
soldier, Private
David Fisher,
who fell while suspended below a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
helicopter during a ‘hot extraction’ of his SASR patrol in 1969, were
found in August 2008. Private Fisher's remains were returned
to Australia in October 2008.
Two RAAF airmen from 2 Squadron
remained missing in action in
Vietnam until 2009.
Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert
Carver were believed to have been killed when their Canberra bomber
disappeared on 3 November 1970 during a night bombing mission in South Vietnam. On 13 November
2008 the government announced that it had begun a comprehensive investigation into
the missing airmen.
On 21 April 2009, the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon, announced that an Australian Defence Investigation Team had found the wreckage of the Canberra bomber flown by the two missing airmen. Following an archaeological dig at the crash site the remains of both airmen were returned to Australia and buried in separate services during September 2009. In a speech made at the arrival of the remains of the two men at RAAF Base Richmond on 31 August 2009 the Minister for Defence Personnel, Science and Materiel Greg Combet stated that the return of Flight Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver marked 'the end of an era'.
Veterans
Australia's
last surviving World War I veteran died in 2009
John (Jack)
Campbell Ross— born 1899, died 2009
Jack Ross enlisted in the Australian
Imperial Force in February 1918 as a wireless operator, but the war
ended before he saw active service. On 11 March 2009 he celebrated
his 110th birthday in Bendigo, Victoria, making him Australia's
last remaining World War I serviceman and Australia's oldest man.
The Australian
Government paid tribute to Mr Ross on the occasion of his 110th birthday. Mr Ross died on 3 June 2009. The passing of Mr Ross was noted in the Parliament by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
Other veterans farewelled in recent years
World War I
William Evan Crawford Allan—1899 to 2005
'Last
of our Great War fighters fades away' by
Stuart
Rintoul
(Australian, 19 October 2005).
Peter Casserly—1898 to 2005
'Last
survivor of western front carnage dies at 107'—obituary for Peter
Casserly (Sunday Canberra Times, 26 June 2005).
Gilbert Edward Bennion—1898 to 2005
'Veteran
of two wars did not fire a shot in anger' by Greg Stolz (Courier
Mail, 1 February 2005).
Marcel Caux—1899 to 2004
'Au
revoir, Marcel, we hardly knew you' by Tony Stephens (Sydney
Morning Herald, 28 August 2004).
Edward (Ted) David Smout—1898 to 2004
'Last
hurrah for people's hero'—obituary for
Edward
(Ted)
David
Smout
by
Emma
Chalmers
and
Brian
Williams
(Courier Mail, 1 July 2004).
Looking to the future
In anticipation of the upcoming centenary of Anzac Day the Australian Government announced on 3 March 2011 the appointment of Warren Snowden as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of Anzac.
On 28 March 2011 Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Mr Snowdon received a report on ways to pay tribute to the Anzac Centenary and a hundred years of Australian military service since the First World War.
Developed by the National Commission on the Commemoration of the ANZAC Centenary, the report considered options to mark the Centenary of the First World War 2014 - 2018, with Anzac Day 2015 a particular focus.
In a preliminary response the Prime Minister announced the formation of a new ANZAC Centenary Advisory Board to continue the work of the Commission and advise on the planning and implementation of events associated with the Anzac Centenary.
End of Section 5
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