Moonee Ponds Methodist Football Club, 1914

Recruiting agents typically aimed at young sportsmen to fill their quota, and at least two of these young footballers joined up, and probably others.  If you can identify any of the faces in this photo, please get in touch.  You can see the present identifications here

Australian Red Cross Centenary, 2014

Four lady Red Cross officials at No 5 Australian General Hospital at St Kilda. Australian War Memorial Collection H18704.

The Australian Branch of the British Red Cross formed in Melbourne within days of the declaration of war in August 1914.  Now the Australian Red Cross is commemorating the centenary of that beginning.  Keep an eye on the Red Cross centenary website for information on commemorative events and stories.

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!