He was only nineteen: Private Will Manderson

Rod Martin tells the story of young Will Manderson, a 'Fair Dinkum', who enlisted at the age of 18, and who died at the age of 19.  His body was removed from its original burial site to the one above at Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy,  France.

Pte Frank Archer - Missing In Action, Bullecourt, 1917

Dora Archer's husband kept her well supplied with letters and postcards (such as the one above) while he was away on Active Service, but one day the letters stopped coming.  Rod Martin tells Dora's poignant story here.

St Paul's Church of England, Ascot Vale - Honour Roll

A page for the volunteers who were members of St Paul's Church of England in Roxburgh St, Ascot Vale, has been loaded onto the webpage and can be accessed here.

Did this man die at Bullecourt?

Why did George Abbott enlist in 1915, and then desert?  Why did he rejoin the army under another name, George T Connors, and desert again?

Rod Martin asks these questions and more in his new article "Private George Abbott - the man who wasn't there?"

When George Connors was released from a one month prison sentence in August 1916, the MPs picked him up as George Abbott and returned him to training. 

Who was he really?

The Charge of the Light Horse, Beersheba, 1917

Trooper Herbert James Teather, of Moonee Ponds, embarked with the Camel Corps in December 1916.  After a short period of training he was transferred to the 4th Light Horse Regiment, and took part in the legendery last charge of the light horse at Beersheba in October 1917.  Read Rod Martin's story of Trooper Teather's part in the battle for Beersheba, and learn his fate.

Melbourne Cricket Club Roll of Honour 1914-1918

 As usual, looking for something completely different, I came upon this Roll of Honour for the Melbourne Cricket Club.  I found a few locals on the list, including Captain Cedric Holroyd Permezel, who received fatal wounds at German Officers' Trench, and died at sea off Gaba Tepe on 14 July 1915.

14th Battalion Reinforcements in Egypt, 1916

No 2915 Private Ernest (Ern) Edward Warry is standing in the back row, fourth from the left.  Ern left Australia in September 1915 on the Hororata with the 9th Reinforcements of the 14th Infantry Battalion.   Working on the theory that recruits  tended to stay in the group with which they originally enlisted, I had a look at the Embarkation Nominal Roll (AWM) on which Ern appeared, to see if I could recognise any names, and in particular whether anyone in that group came from Kensington.  If you look carefully at the fellow on the far right of the middle row you will see that he inscribed "Kensington" on his hatband.  Sure enough, there was a young fellow from Kensington - a William Henry Webster, 19, a jeweller from Kensington.  This identification is not certain, but it is worth considering.  A name I actually did recognise was No 2911 Henry Leonard Wallis,  a young fellow from Moonee Ponds, photos of whom I have at my disposal.  I am confident that the young man seated in the middle row, second from the right, is Leonard Wallis.  If anyone has a relative in this Embarkation Nominal Roll, it is possible that they may be in this photo.  Please get in touch if you can identify anyone.  Needless to say, most of them are not local to Essendon and Flemington, but from right round Victoria.