carjackma (17-04-12),checkitout (22-04-12),Jims Brother (21-05-12),tagg (17-04-12)
Most people interested in WW1 would know the story of Fromelles. A poorely planned joint Australian/British attack, it resulted in literally a wholesale slaughter of AIF troops. On the 19th to 20th July 1916, the AIF suffered 5500 casulaties. To read the story of the battle, click on this link
The Germans buried the Australian and some British dead in huge open pits after transferring the corpses via light railway. After the war all these pits were supposedly accounted for by the War Graves Comission.
An Australian amateur historian, Lambis Engelos, in recent years alerted authorities to his theory of an undiscovered mass grave. His claims were initially ignored and it took him several years to be taken seriously. Eventually an archeological dig was made...and found the remains of the missing men.
An extremely rare photo album sold on ebay yesterday. It contained photos taken by a german soldier of the aftermath showing dead Australian and British bodies, and even the light railway train. I hope it went to a good home, it really should have been purchased by the Australian War Memorial.
carjackma (17-04-12),checkitout (22-04-12),Jims Brother (21-05-12),tagg (17-04-12)
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About 10 years ago on a pile of rubbish left for a kerbside clean up I found a photo album of some guys tour in Vietnam, with some quite amazing photos in it, inc dead VC, I gave it to a mate of mine who is a member of the Vietnam Veterans MC here in QLD to see if he could find the owner as there were also photos taken showed a sign 3 RAR (or it might be 2 RAR) that were taken in Townsville, My mate returned the album to me a few months later saying no one in the club recognized anyone. I then contacted the AWM to see if they wanted them, and they declined saying they already had more than enough photos from Vietnam, maybe I should put it on ebay too
I hope it went to a good home as well
Good thing you picked it up also. Like what you said the AWM should have bought this.
Hopefully the new owner will look after it and allow access to it's contents for historical research purposes
With rare exceptions nearly every campaign in WW1 was poorly planned as the Military thinking of the day was to just throw more and more troops into the Battle lines.
I find it disgusting and grossly disrectfull to those who served in those times that materail like this is turned away 'Because we already have too much'.
Might I suggest that the money being wasted on supporting and housing these unwanted queue jumping 'Boat People' be put to preserving for posterity the memories of those who really did make the ultimate sacrifice for Australia.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!
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