ANZAC DAY 2017

[CALL ME SNAKE]

 

[CALL ME SNAKE]

Besides from the massive casualties of Australian men an women in the 1st and 2nd world wars. There was of course significant lives lost in the Korean & Vietnam wars.
And sadly recent conflicts are still taking lives of Australian service men and women.
The total of deaths of people serving/protecting our great country in confict is estimated at over 100,000.
Next time your at a packed MCG look around at all the people surrounding you .
Sadly thats roughly how many died.

 

[Barrels]

Nulli Secundus, Grandad.

 

[CALL ME SNAKE]

My Grandfather was a prisoner of War in the 2nd world war after being captured by the Japanese.
If anyone else has relatives who were also prisoners of war or if your just intetested in history i highly recommend the Ballarat P.O.W memorial .

 

[Joffaboy]

My father was a navigator in a Beaufort bomber attacking Japanese supply lines in New Guinea. Was badly wounded. Also fought against the Japanese hand to hand seeing his best mate bayoneted to death. A worse experience I couldnt imagine.
Was in the relief force that went to Singapore and Changi Prison. Had an undying hatred of the Japanese until his dying day for what they did to the PoW's.

 

[George]

Although I have no ANZAC relatives (European), my grandfather as an 18 year old enlisted in the Greek Army in July of 1944 and joined the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade as a combat engineer - his job was to clear minefields - and back in those days the Greek army had no special equipment to detect mines so he would've only found out if he had stepped on a mine by being blown to pieces.

He fought under well known Greek commander Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos in the Battle of Rimini in Italy, September 1944 - in which allied forces of New Zealand assisted in the battle. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Greek battalion flanked the Germans and Italians in the small village of Casalecchio, pushing the Germans back whilst the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade followed up the middle through minefields and into Rimini itself. It took 13 days and 128 Greek casualties but the Greeks reached the city centre and raised a Greek flag on the balcony of the municipal building. I have a picture of my grandfather standing at the same building after securing Rimini.

(Centre with the moustache!)

Thankfully his only injury was his thumb that was blown half off by a grenade and in 1963, 20 years after he served he moved to Australia and was here since. He always had great appreciation for what NZ did to help them at Rimini despite the obvious language barriers. He passed away peacefully in 2008 and was someone I really respected growing up.

Thoughts are with those who have fallen today.