The Lost Grave of Robert Thomson Barbour

Thiepval Anglo-French Cemetery, Authuille.  Source:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

In view of the fact that 100 years after the Great War that bodies of soldiers are still being identified and buried with a stone bearing their names, it should not be surprising that it might take fifteen years for the body of Private Robert Thomson Barbour to be located on the battlefields of France.   And while in present times it is a relief to members of families  of lost soldiers to be located and reburied, for families at the time it was an agony not to know the last resting place of their husbands and sons, as evidenced by the persistent inquiries made by members of Robert Barbour's family during those fifteen years.

Rod Martin tells the story of Robert Barbour's short months on the battlefield, and how he was buried, lost, and found again.

WW1 Centenary Poppy Project

"Between 1914 and 1918 some 112,399 Victorians enlisted to fight in the First World War. Those who died from causes associated with battle are commemorated by the War Graves Commission.

Those who returned and then lived out their lives in the community, and are buried in our cemeteries, are not recognised unless their family has recorded this fact in their inscription.  Many graves have been forgotten by families over the years and have become neglected. Younger family members may be unaware that their ancestors served at all unless their family memories and history are strong.

The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT), in conjunction with the Returned Services League of Australia (RSL Victorian Branch), wants to encourage families to renew their links to their family members who enlisted in the Great War and to urge them to place a permanent record of their service on their gravesite.

From March 2014, the GMCT plans to make available a decorative packed kit which will include two small, highly glazed white porcelain tiles with a striking red Flanders Poppy printed onto the surface in a slightly raised finish.   The packaging will feature the original Flanders Poem plus the Ode of Remembrance and show images of the Flanders Fields. The package has been designed with the assistance and support of the RSL".

For further details see the The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust website

See also the Victorian Government Anzac Centenary webpage.

Courtney of Courtney's Post

Colonel Courtney on the right relaxing in a deck chair at Heliopolis during AIF training in Egypt, 1915.

Until now, Colonel Richard Courtney has mainly been remembered in the Gallipoli landmark Courtney's Post, but now the Office of Australian War Graves has recommended that Courtney's name be added to the Debt of Honour Register by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and that the OAWG be responsible for the maintenance of his grave, which is at Coburg Cemetery.

Courtney was CO of the 14th Bn from 26 April until 30th May when he was invalided off the Peninsula with heart strain.  He was 45 at this time, and died back in Melbourne in 1919 aged 49.  It has now been rcognised that his death was war-related, and thus he will take his place in the Debt of Honour Register.   Thanks is due to researcher Marilyn Kenny who identified this oversight.

Courtney's medal group has been acquired by the Maryborough Military Museum in Queensland, along with other papers relating to his long military career.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission - website revamped

The CWGC  website has undergone a major redesign aimed at improving  the user experience and the ease of finding information about the men and women we commemorate. It has been made more colourful, dynamic and easy to navigate with more features available in the search functions.    The URL has not changed.