Not forgotten at Christmas time, Egypt 1915

Christmas billies, provided by the Australian Comforts Fund, being distributed to 1st Light Horse Regiment at the Brigade camp at the aerodrome, Heliopolis, Egypt, Christmas 1915.  Australian War Memorial Collection, JO2506.

Three local volunteers embarked with the 1 LHR: 

• Sidney Firth Lumb of Lorne St, Moonee Ponds
• Robert Hill Robertson of Marshall St, Moonee Ponds
• Thomas Charles Wheatley of Ardmillan Rd, Moonee Ponds

 Neither Thomas Wheatley nor Robert Robertson ever had Christmas with their families again.
 

Heartiest of Christmas Greetings from France, 1918

Courtesy of Janine Beamish.

 

Gordon Anderson sent his heartiest greetings to friends and family at Christmas, 1918.  Gordon still had another eleven months in uniform before being discharged in Melbourne on 25 November 1919.

Have a safe and happy Christmas, everyone.

Christmas tins at Mena Camp, 1915

 

Unibic Anzac Biscuits

Driver Robert Allan Bunning (right) enjoys 7th Inf Bn Christmas Dinner

25 Dec 1914 at Mena Camp.  The photographer was Harry Barker.

Australian War Memorial collection. http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/J05573

Nearly 100 years ago, local digger, Robert Bunning of Moonee Ponds sat down to Christmas dinner with a tin of goodies to enjoy.  Now Driver Bunning is on the front of a tin of goodies himself.  Perhaps the biggest treat back then was a bath, a shave, and a clean set of clothes. It would have been a very mixed celebration in 1915.

Thank you Marilyn for the tip!

Christmas Greetings!

Christmas billies UPDATE

Alexandra Club Christmas billy, possibly at Gallipoli. The Alexandra Club had a program to provide  billies to interested citizens to fill with gifts for soldiers at Gallipoli. According to an article in The Argus newspaper on 22 September 1915, 20 000 billies had been distributed up to that date.  Australian War Memorial Collection

The Essendon Gazette published letters of thanks soldiers sent to local people:

"Mrs. Tankard, 44 The Parade, Ascot Vale, received the following:--   A note to thank you for the billy can and the many useful things which it contained. I am afraid your billy can should have gone to someone else, because on your postcard you, wrote   "Dear Hero." I don't think I am quite a hero yet. It is not three months since I left Australia, and I have never been to Gallipoli, or fought for my country elsewhere. I am simply a common private who is waiting his turn. However, I think there was no short age of billy cans. So as the real hero did not go without, perhaps I have not done much harm. I was surprised to find that so many useful things could be put into one small billy. I tried to put them all in again after I had emptied them out. I found I hadn't enough billy cans. One thing that I found in my can will be a source of pleasure to me these evenings. That is the insect powder. I did not forget to give my tame fleas a merry Xmas, I can assure you. PRIVATE H. O GREGORY."

CHRISTMAS BILLIES. (1916, March 16). The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 4

 A group of soldiers at Lemnos with their Christmas billies.  They are wearing the lids on their heads.
From the Australian War Memorial Collection.

UPDATE:   Pte Leslie Morgan of Essendon listed the items in his Christmas billy in a letter to his parents:

"There I got a billy, packed and sent by Mrs. Weir, of Deniliquin, N.S.W. It contained - Cake of nut milk chocolate, butter scotch, lead pencil, pad and envelopes, mouth organ, safety pins, pair socks, wash towel, bootlaces, tin sardines, cherrywood pipe, tin tobacco, handkerchief, tube of soup tablets. Not bad, was it?"

Christmas at Abbassiah, 1915

Pte Bert Manderson and his youngest brother, Bill, before embarkation.

Bert Manderson's older brother Ern arrived in Egypt in time for the brothers to celebrate Christmas 1915 together.  On Boxing Day they had a photo taken with friends during a camel ride near the Pyramids. A few months later they re-embarked for France.  Greg Manderson tells the story of his grandfather's war with the aid of  Bert's diary.  You can read the full story here.

Peace on Earth

 A page from the St Thomas' Church of England Parish Magazine, January 1916.

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.