AWM takes donations from weapons companies

 I attended a Peace conference last night where I was pretty disturbed to learn that the AWM has been taking donations from weapons companies.  I am an appreciative user of AWM resources, but I would rather do with less than have the AWM take money from these blood-sucking leeches war profiteers.  I intend to sign the petition asking the AWM not to take these donations, which I found on the website of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (Australia).  I hope you will too.

Find the link to the petition here:     Medical Association for the Prevention of War (Australia)

Private Louis Salamito and the Last Post Ceremony

A bugler and piper in the commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial PAIU2013/044.04

The names listed in the Last Post Calendar  are those whose stories are told at the daily Last Post Ceremony at the Memorial. The names are listed in order of the day on which their story was or will be told.   Individuals are commemorated in a series of videos at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra every day.  The list stretches back to 2013.

At the end of each day, commencing at 4.55 pm AEDT, the Memorial farewells visitors with its moving Last Post Ceremony. The ceremony begins with the singing of the Australian National Anthem, followed by the poignant strains of a lament, played by a piper. Visitors are invited to lay wreaths and floral tributes beside the Pool of Reflection. The Roll of Honour in the Cloisters lists the names of more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations over more than a century. At each ceremony the story behind one of these names is told. The Ode is then recited, and the ceremony ends with the sounding of the Last Post.

 One of the soldiers commemorated in this ceremony was Louis Henry Salamito, who fell on 20 September 1917.  The video of the ceremony commemorating Louis can be found  on this link.

A family member must apply about 12 months in advance of a given date and submit materials which is then researched by an AWM historian and written up. Such ceremonies will only last for the centenary duration of the great war, i.e. so 2014-2018.

If there are any other videos commemorating local soldiers, please let me know so I can put a link on their webpage.



Thank you to Greg Salamito for alerting me to this feature of the AWM website.

Soldier's photo identified

This Darge photo was originally identified as S D C Simmon in the AWM collection, but they have lately agreed with my identification of that photo as D C Simmons, and have advised me that they will change the catalogue accordingly.

This photo of D C Simmons comes from a publication called  A Tribute to those employees of The Metropolitan Gas Company who served in The Great War.