Anzac Remembrance at Flemington Primary School, 2015

The poppy wreath created by the children of Flemington Primary School as the names from the School Roll of Honour were read out.

The school Roll of Honour.

A Gallipoli Oak tree was planted by The Hon Adam Bandt, MHR, The Hon Danny Pearson, MLA, and Dr Charlotte Smith, Director, National Trust.

The children at Flemington Primary School today participated in a solemn but heart-warming ceremony to remember past pupils of the school who had served in the Great War.  The children had researched names from the board or from their family, and also Attaturk Kemal. The research was displayed on posters in the school hall, or as a slide show during the ceremony in the hall.   The school choir, orchestra and string ensemble performed for the pupils and guests. 

Moonee Valley Mayor gave the Welcome to Country.  Captain Keith Wolahan  (retired) of the Australian Army Special Services, gave a simple but moving address about what Anzac Day meant to him.  Danny Pearson, MLA, made a presentation to the school which acknowledged the special relationship which now exists between Australia and Turkey.  A student leader read the poem In Flanders Fields.

Adam Bandt laid a wreath by the Roll of Honour, then as the school Principal, Mrs Leslie McCarthy, read each name from the roll, together with their occupations and the street in which they had lived, the childen and a handful of relatives of some of the servicemen, placed a poppy in the wreath.

Andrew Seymon of the Flemington-Kensington RSL read the Ode, followed by a minute's silence.  Two students played the Last Post.

After the school orchestra played the National Anthem, guests and students filed outside to see the planting of a commemorative Gallipoli Oak Tree.  

You can locate a record of each of the names on the Roll of Honour on the Empire Called and I Answered website.

Heritage Walk in Flemington and Kensington, Sunday 3 May 2015

If the demand is sufficient, another walk may be held on a later date so make sure you register your interest.

The Spirits of Gallipoli: a Centenary of Anzacs, by Kim Phillips

Anyone who has had a good browse through The Empire Called and I Answered website will know that Kim Phillips has been very generous in sharing her research into the young men who died at Gallipoli.  Kim has lately launched a book and CD: The Spirits of Gallipoli: a centenary of Anzacs, the details of which you can see at her website.

Kim has also arranged for Ancestry to make her research and images available as a collection.  There is a 14 day free trial (scroll to the bottom of the page).  I was pleased to see the first memorial stone image on the Ancestry blog was for J K Adams, an Essendon lad.

I commend both to your attention.

Battle to Farm: WW1 Soldier Settlement Records in Victoria

Public Records Office Victoria has released a new series of document online from the post-war Soldier Settlement Scheme.


On this site you can access the individual records of thousands of  World War One returned soldiers who leased farming land across Victoria between 1919 and 1935. Enter a settler’s name in the search box or search by geographic location through the digital map.

You may need to be patient in the initial phases while the site is swamped by searchers.  Good luck!

UPDATE:  Found one!  The answer seems to be to search by surname only.  Searches with a first name or initials seemed got no result.

Hunters in the field

Captured German 77 cm. field gun (Dunedin District, New Zealand)  (Rod Martin)

Having recently told the story of Sergeant David Hunter who died at Bullecourt in 1917, Rod Martin now looks at his brother, 2nd Lieutenant Robert Hunter of the 37th Infantry Battalion. Having both enlisted in 1915, the Army recognised both as having leadership skills, and promoted them accordingly.