Anzac Day 2009
Section 6: Anniversaries
World War I—1914
'The last man and the last
shilling'
On 31 July 1914, during a Federal
election campaign, both the the Liberal Prime Minister Joseph Cook and
Labor's leader Andrew Fisher who soon after became Prime Minister, pledged Australia's strong support
for the British Empire in the event of the war which seemed imminent.
Fisher's promise that Australia would help to defend Britain 'to our last
man and our last shilling' has since become symbolic of Australia's pre-war
imperial patriotism.
Britain declared war on Germany
on the night of 4 August 1914 (9am on 5 August, Sydney time). Australia's
patriotism was displayed in the initial alacrity with which Australian
men volunteered to enlist in the newly formed Australian Imperial Force.
Despite the stringency of the medical standards in the early stages of
the war, a force of 881 officers and 19 745 other ranks was raised
by the end of August 1914. The net enlistment for 1914 was 52 561.
(Jeffrey Grey, A military history of Australia, 3rd ed., Cambridge
University Press, Port Melbourne, 2008, pp. 88, 91)
According to 'Before
Gallipoli - Australian operations in 1914', in Semaphore: newsletter
of the Sea Power Centre Australia (no. 7, August 2003),
...late 1914 witnessed some
notable Australian firsts – the first land operation of the war,
the first amphibious landing, the first joint operation, the first coalition
operations, the first offshore military expedition planned and coordinated
by Australia, the first bravery decoration of the war, the first combat
casualties of the war, the first RAN warship lost, and the first enemy
warship sunk.
The first convoy and
the formation of the Anzac Corps
The first convoy carrying Australian
and New Zealand troops, horses and supplies to the First World War, left
the West Australian port of Albany on 1 November 1914.
The Australian and New Zealand
forces on the first convoy were formed into the Australian and New Zealand
Army Corps (Anzac) under the command of a British officer, Lieutenant
General W.R. Birdwood, when the convoy reached the Suez Canal at the end
of November 1914. Instead of proceeding to England and then to the Western
Front, the troops were ordered to disembark 'to assist in the defence
of the canal against the Turks, who had entered the war on Germany's side
on 29 October'. (Jeffrey Grey, A military history of Australia,
3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, 2008, p. 92)
The seizing of German
New Guinea
The action at Bitapaka, New
Britain, on 11 September 1914 is described by Chris Coulthard-Clark as
'the only significant action arising from the Australian seizure of German
New Guinea' which, 'although successful...could sacrely be rated as well
managed'. The Australians lost seven officers and men killed or wounded.
(Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians fought: the encyclopaedia
of Australia's battles, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards NSW, 1998, pp.
96 – 97)
In 'First
to fight: the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force and the
capture of German New Guinea 1914', Greg Swinden describes the Australian
capture of German territory in New Guinea as a 'classic example of the
flexibility of naval forces' where the RAN and the ANMEF 'quickly subdued
a determined enemy force by the effective use of overwhelming firepower
and a degree of courage, luck and bluff'. (Navy: the magazine of the
Navy League of Australia, vol. 71, no. 2, 2009, pp. 21 – 25)
HMAS AE1
During the Great War, the Royal Australian
Navy (RAN) operated two submarines, HMAS AE1 and AE2. Both participated in the expedition to
German New Guinea in September 1914. On 14 September, AE1 and HMAS Parramatta sailed from Blanche Bay, Rabaul, on patrol. AE1 and its crew of 35 men disappeared without trace. There have been many
theories surrounding its loss, with most believing it probably struck
a submerged reef, took in water and sank to the sea floor.
A possible
location was provided to the RAN by retitred naval commander John
Foster who has been researching the disappearance since 1976. The
RAN survey vessel HMAS Benalla assisted in sweeping the area, and
located what appeared to be a large metallic object off the Duke of York
Islands. However, further
investigations by the minehunter HMAS Yarra, in May 2007, proved
that the shape found by Benalla was a submarine-shaped rock formation.
The destruction of the Emden
The Royal Australian Navy's
first engagement by a warship was on 9 November 1914 off the British-ruled
Cocos Islands, during which HMAS Sydney fought a battle with and destroyed the German
light cruiser, the Emden effectively neutralising the threat
from German naval forces in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. (Chris
Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians fought: the encyclopaedia of
Australia's battles, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards NSW, 1998,
pp. 97 – 100)
1919: after the Armistice—repatriation
I have returned to these:
The farm, and
the kindly bush, and the young calves lowing;
But all that my mind sees
Is a quaking bog in a mist—stark,
snapped trees,
And the dark
Somme flowing.
From 'The
Farmer Remembers the Somme' by Edward Vance Palmer (1885 – 1959)
The story of how the AIF kept
nearly 200 000 restless troops occupied while they waited to return
home was told by the official historian, C.E.W. Bean, in ‘The
war ends' — Chapter XXI of his official history volume, The Australian
Imperial Force in France during the allied offensive 1918 (Vol. VI
of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Angus
and Robertson, Sydney, 1942). Material in the following three
paragraphs is taken in part from this volume.
Planning for the repatriation
of the AIF had begun as early as December 1916, but was not far advanced
when the Armistice was declared, due in most part to the failure of the
Australian Government to provide details of its policy—particularly who
would be going home first and how the troops would be kept occupied for
the estimated year it would take to return all of them to Australia. There
were 95 000 troops in France and Belgium, 60 000 in Britain
(reinforcements, sick, wounded and convalescents) and 30 000 in Egypt
and Mesopotamia, so the task would take some organising. On 21 November
1918, Lieutenant General John Monash was appointed Director-General of
Repatriation and Demobilisation. Monash decided that the troops ‘must
now be instilled with a “reconstruction morale”'—a vision of themselves
as useful members of the nation. To this end, ‘Monash seized on the AIF
education scheme', just then coming into operation. Although the education
scheme did not achieve all that was hoped, several thousand Australian
troops did take advantage of its attempts to provide professional technical
and general courses to help the troops return to civilian life.
Some Australian troops were
already on their way home when the Armistice was signed. In September
1918, two months special leave in Australia had been granted to 6000 Australian
troops who had left Australia in 1914—the ‘originals'. The priority for
repatriation of the rest of the force from Europe was made on essentially
the same basis: ‘first to come, first to go'. In this Australia eventually
followed the preference of the troops themselves, rather than the plan
preferred by the British of repatriating according to the demands of industry,
or the Australian Government's initial preference for repatriation by
regiment.
Despite obstacles such as disputes
over the space allotted for hammocks by the Admiralty on board the ships
(deemed inadequate by Australian standards), ships were provided more
quickly than had been expected and by the end of September 1919 only 10 000
Australian troops remained in Britain. In 1919, Australian soldiers in
Britain were marrying at the rate of 150 per week and they and their families
(amounting to a total of 15 386 wives, children and fiancées)
were also brought to Australia. Sometimes there was one last obstacle.
When the troopships reached Australian waters, the ship was quarantined
if influenza had been detected on board, causing a great strain on discipline.
However this course of action possibly delayed the dreadful post-war epidemic
that was sweeping the world, and probably saved Australia from a heavier
civilian death toll.
Returning home on troopships,
Australian service personnel, scarred physically, emotionally or mentally,
reacted in a variety of ways—some laughed and cheered that they had survived,
some cried quietly at all that they had seen, but the majority were silent,
‘… deep within the turmoil of their thoughts, and it was only their eyes
that betrayed the truth of what they had had to do and endure'. Reputedly,
these Australian soldiers said they could smell the Australian bush even
before they could see land, or even ‘detect the subtle but unmistakeable
smell of a distant bushfire'. ( R. Black, ‘A
Home Never to be Revisited', Sydney Morning Herald , 10 November
2007, p.28 )
North Russian Relief Force—1919
In 'A
'Pathetic Sideshow': Australians and the Russian Intervention 1918-1919',
Jeffrey Grey tells the little-known story of the role of Australia soldiers
in the allied intervention in Russia after that country's revolution.
This saw between 100 and 120 ex-AIF men enlist in British units sent to
Russia to cover the withdrawal of allied advisers previously sent to train
White Russian forces. (Journal of the Australian War Memorial,
no. 7, October 1985)
The fighting at Emptsa between Bolshevik and British forces and their White Russian allies occurred
on 29 August 1919 with Australians spearheading the assault to enable
the White Russian forces to consoldiate their positions before the British
force withdrew. It was during this battle that Private Samuel Pearse won
a posthumous Victoria Cross. (Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians
fought: the encyclopaedia of Australia's battles, Allen and Unwin,
St Leonards NSW, 1998, pp. 165–167)
Victoria Crosses
Two Australians won Victoria
Crosses in North Russia in 1919:
Corporal
Arthur Percival Sullivan VC was decorated for saving four comrades
from drowning in a swamp during a withdrawal under fire on 10 August 1919.
Private
Samuel George Pearse VC was decorated posthumously for his single-handed
attack under fire on a blockhouse held by Bolshevik forces on 29 August
1919. He was killed moments later by enemy fire.
In 'Aussie
VC winners in North Russia', Michael Challinger gives an account of
the heroic actions of both men and of his journey to northern Russia to
find the sites where they fought and Private Pearse's grave. (Wartime, no. 45, January 2009, pp. 62 – 65)
World War II—1939
Great Britain declared war on
Germany on 3 September 1939, as a consequence of which, Prime Minister
Menzies informed the Australian public, Australia was also at war. At
this time there were 2800 men in the regular army and80 000 in the
Citizen Military Force (Militia). There were 3104 men in the regular air
force, with another 552 in the Citizen Force and 5440 in the navy with
another 4819 in the Naval Reserve.
On 15 September 1939 the government
announced that it would create an infantry division, to be known as the
6th Division, comprising 20 000 men who would serve at home or abroad.
On 20 September, the government announced that it would offer Britain
an expeditionary force of six air squadrons (four of bombers, two of fighters,
and ancillary units) and on 5 October the newly formed War Cabinet approved
in principle Australia's involvement in the British Government's plan
for the Empire to provide aircrew. (B. T. Swain, A chronology of Australia's
armed forces at war 1939—1945, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest,
2001, pp. 1– 5)
World War II—1944
65th anniversary
of the battles and operations of 1944
In ‘The Naval campaigns
of New Guinea’ David Stevens ‘briefly examines some of
the major issues surrounding the operations of Allied and Japanese naval
forces during the war in New Guinea from 1942 to 1944’ (Journal
of the Australian War Memorial, no. 34, June 2001).
Shaggy Ridge
Between 19–31
January 1944 the 18th Brigade, 7th Division fought a battle against along Shaggy
Ridge to cut Japanese routes through the Finisterre Range north-west
of Lae in New Guinea. The brigade captured Kankiryo Saddle against a vigorous
Japanese defence, suffering 47 deaths and 147 other casualties. (Chris
Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians fought: the encyclopaedia of Australia's
battles, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards NSW, 1998, pp. 245– 246)
Biak Island
The last major air combat by the Royal
Australian Air Force in World War II occurred south of Biak Island, Dutch
East Indies on 3 June 1944 when 78
Squadron RAAF attacked fifteen Japanese aircraft, shooting down eight
enemy aircraft with the loss of one Kittyhawk and its pilot.
D-Day
In 'Australians
and D-Day', Dr Peter Stanley explains that up to 3000 Australians
were in the invasion force, with Australia's main contribution being the
2000 to 2500 Australian airmen serving' in dozens of RAF and RAAF squadrons
of all kinds...Fourteen Australians were killed on D-Day (two RAN and
12 RAAF)'.
Cowra Breakout
On 5 August 1944 Japanese prisoners
of war staged a mass
breakout from Camp B of the No. 12 Prisoner of War Compound near
Cowra in NSW which held 1104 Japanees non-commissioned officers and other
ranks. The Australian
War Memorial's Encyclopedia entry on the incident says that:
During the ensuing nine days
334 prisoners were retaken. In all, 234 Japanese POW's were killed and
108 wounded. One Australian Officer was killed along with three of other
ranks, while four others were wounded. Privates B.G. Hardy and R. Jones,
who were killed while attempting to thwart the escape, were awarded
the George Cross.
Damien Parer
On 7 September 1944, the Academy
award winning Australian cameraman, Damien Parer, was killed by the Japanese while filming American troops
on Peleliu in the Pacific. His documentary, Kokoda
Front Line!, had won an Oscar in 1943.
Battle for Leyte Gulf
On 21 October 1944, during the
Leyte Gulf invasion by the Allies to recaputure the Philippines from the
Japanese, a damaged Japanese 'Val' dive-bomber crashed into the foremast
of HMAS Australia. The resulting explosion and fire caused the
deaths of Captain Emile
Dechaineux and 21 others and injured 64 men, including Commodore Collins.
(Robert Nicholls, 'The
first kamikaze attack?', Wartime, no. 28)
The Australian heavy cruiser
HMAS Shropshire and the destroyer HMAS Arunta were both
involved in the clash between Japanese naval ships and United states and
allied naval forces on 25 October 1944 at Surigao
Strait, one of four actions collectively known as the Battle for Leyte
Gulf. (Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians fought: the encyclopaedia
of Australia's battles, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards NSW, 1998, p.
248)
In 'The
RAN in the biggest naval battle of all time' Geoff Pettit describes
the experiences of HMAS Shropshire during the Battle of Leyte
Gulf, and the lessons learned on defence against kamikaze attacks. (Naval
Historical Review, vol. 13, no. 3, September 1992, pp. 11+)
56th anniversary
of the Korean armistice
This year
marks the 56th anniversary of the 1953 Korean War armistice, which brought
an end to hostilities on the Korean peninsula. From
29 June 1950
to July 1953, some 17 000 Australian service personnel
served in the Korean War. Although the armistice negotiations began in
July 1951.Tthey were not completed until two years later. In all, 339
Australians lost their lives and 1216 were wounded in the Korean War.
Australians
fought in difficult conditions, as described by Lieutenant General Sir
Thomas Daly, the first Australian commander of the 28th Commonwealth
Infantry Brigade—‘the dust, the heat, the enervating humidity,
the bitter cold of winter when the men slept with their boots on and weapons
cradled lest they should be found frozen in an emergency…’
(
B. Evans,
Out in the Cold, Australian War Memorial and the Department
of Veterans' Affairs,
Canberra,
2000).
The Australian
Army distinguished itself in the 'stepping stone' phase of the war at
Sariwon, Yongu, Pakchon and Chonhju; in major battles, such as Kapyong
(April 1951) and Maryang San (October 1951); and in the 'static' phase
of the war at Hill 227 and the Hook. The RAN and RAAF played roles supporting
Australian and United Nations forces, with naval and air dominance a critical
factor in the outcome of the war.
Australian
service personnel did not return to the rapture that had welcomed Australians
after World War II. As in the
United States
, the Korean War in
Australia
became known as 'the forgotten war'. It was not until April
2000 that a
memorial to the Australians who served in the Korean War was unveiled
on ANZAC Parade in
Canberra.
However, the importance of that sacrifice is today evidenced
by a much more powerful dedication.
South Korea,
the country that young Australians went to defend, is today
a vibrant, free and prosperous state. It is
Australia
's third largest export partner and a beacon of democracy
in
Asia
. It is in the context of the poverty, hunger and oppression
that those in
North Korea
still live, that the Australian sacrifice to defend freedom
and liberty in
South Korea
should be remembered.
Malayan Emergency
There are several small wars
some veterans of which claim are ‘forgotten’. One is the Malayan
Emergency. This conflict started in June 1948 and officially ended in
July 1960. During this period, about 7000 Australians served alongside
British,
New Zealand
, Ghurka and Malayan forces against Communist insurgents.
The Malayan Emergency started
after the murder, on
16 June 1948
, of three European plantation managers by guerrillas of the
Malayan Communist Party. This followed a period of increasing unrest.
A State of
Emergency
was declared in several districts, and then on 18 June it
was extended to the whole of
Malaya
. British, Ghurka and Malayan military personnel and police
then began operations against Communist insurgents.
The first direct approach for
Australian assistance in the Malayan Emergency was made in April 1950,
when the British Government asked for reinforcements for Royal Air Force
squadrons operating in
Malaya
. It was politically expedient for
Australia
to demonstrate commitment to the defence of
Malaya
, which was ‘an active front in the “cold war”
of Communism’. The British asked for a squadron of Dakota transport
aircraft to drop supplies to troops operating in the Malayan jungles and
for general transport duties; a squadron or flight of
Lincoln
bombers to assist the RAF Lincolns bombing insurgent camps
and supply lines; and additional ground staff to assist in maintaining
RAF aircraft.
Australia
agreed to send the
Dakotas
and
Lincolns
, with air and ground staff, but instead of sending additional
ground staff, the government instead authorised RAF Lincoln bombers to
undergo maintenance in
Australia
.
Dakotas
from No. 38 Squadron RAAF and
Lincolns
from No. 1 Squadron RAAF were deployed during 1950, and proved
effective in their respective roles.
Australia
’s commitment was increased in 1955 with the deployment
of ground forces. By then, the Communist insurgency had largely been checked
with military, political and ‘hearts and minds’ actions. The
challenge was to track down and combat the increasingly small groups of
insurgents operating in jungle areas.
Vietnam War
Forty years since the Vietnam
War actions of 1969
Binh
Ba, a village five kilometers from the 1st Australian Task Force at
Nui Dat, was the site of a 'fierce action' fought on 6–7
June 1969 by Australian and North Vietnamese forces, during which one
Australian was killed and eleven wounded. (Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where
Australians fought: the encyclopaedia of Australia's battles, Allen
and Unwin, St Leonards NSW, 1998, pp. 288–290)
The role of the infantry at
Binh Ba is described by A. Perriman in 'The
battle of Binh Ba, June 1969'. (Australian Infantry, vol.
15, no. 3, September 1969, pp. 5-7)
Armoured aspects of the battle of
Binh Ba are examined in 'Heritage:
the battle of Binh Ba. Operation Hammer, South Vietnam 6-8 June 1969'.
(Combat Arms, vol. 2, 1983, p. 3+)
Victoria Crosses
Two Australians won Victoria
Crosses in Vietnam in 1969:
Warrant
Officer Class II Rayene Stewart Simpson for actions in Kontum province,
South Vietnam on 6 and 11 May 1969.
Warrant
Officer Class II Keith Payne for actions in Kontum province, South
Vietnam on 24 May 1969.
East
Timor (Timor Leste)
INTERFET — Ten years since Australia's
intervention in East Timor in 1999
This
year marks the tenth anniversary of Australia's intervention in the then
Indonesian province of East Timor. On September 1999 Australia led a multinational
force (INTERFET) into East Timor to restore peace and security after widespread
violence broke out when East Timor voted for self-determination in a referendum.
The Australian Defence Force had initially provided assistance to the
UN Assistance Mission to East Timor (UNAMET) during the referendum period
from June 1999. After the INTERFET mission finished on 23 February 2000,
the ADF continued to play a part in the UN Transitional Administration
in East Timor (UNTAET) which took over from INTERFET.
This
was not the first time that Australian soldiers had seen action in East
Timor. Australian troops had been deployed to Timor in December 1941 as
part of the multi-national Australian-led Sparrow Force to resist an expected
Japanese invasion. However, with a contribution of over 5500 ADF personnel,
Australia's assistance to the East Timorese in 1999 was the ADF's most
significant and largest military deployment since the Vietnam War.
Lessons
learned from Australia's successful deployment to East Timor in 1999 assisted
in the ADF's subsequent deployments to East Timor in 2006 and 2008. East
Timor's internal security was undermined by civil unrest in May
2006 , which internally displaced tens of thousands of people. Following
a request from the East Timorese Government, Australia sent troops to
that country under Operation Astute, which in September 2006 included
some 3000
ADF personnel . In February 2008, after an assassination attempt on
the East Timorese President, Jose Ramos-Horta, and the Prime Minister,
Xanana Gusmão, Australia provided both operational (military) and
financial support to the East Timorese Government.
Australia
presently maintains two operations in East Timor—Operation
Astute comprising approximately 650 Australian personnel and Operation
Tower comprising approximately 25 personnel—and is likely to continue
its engagement with East Timor in an advisory, development and training capacity for the foreseeable future.
The
Australian War Memorial's Roll
of Honour lists the names of two Australian soldiers who died during
the period of hostilities in East Timor (16 October 1999 to 18 August
2003), and one name in the Remembrance
Book for operations in 2006.
Australian peacekeeping
More than 10 000 Australians
have served as peacekeepers, and 12 have died while on peacekeeping operations.
Australia
’s first operation was in 1947, when military observers
were sent to
Indonesia
under the banner of the United Nations (UN) to monitor the
ceasefire between Dutch colonial and Indonesian independence forces. Since
then, Australian military, police and some civilians have served on more
than 50 peacekeeping missions.
Australian activities have included:
- observing truces (and fighting) in locations such as
Korea
, the Sinai,
Lebanon
, the Balkans,
Kashmir
and
Bougainville
;
- providing humanitarian aid in remote areas such as the
Congo
and in
West New Guinea
;
- establishing law and order in trouble-spots such as
Cyprus
and the Thai-Cambodian border;
- observing elections and referendums in places such as
West Sahara
and
East Timor
; and
- de-mining in countries like
Afghanistan
and
Cambodia
.
The first multinational peacekeeping
mission commanded by an Australian was the UN Military Observer Group
in
India
and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
Robert Nimmo,
a former army officer who was appointed as an Honorary Lieutenant-General
in 1954 who led UNMOGIP from 1950 until his death in 1966. His is the
longest ever command of a UN operation. Australians have since commanded
several other peacekeeping missions in the
Middle East
,
Asia
and Pacific regions.
The first operation with more
than 500 Australians was the Australian-commanded UN Transitional Authority
in
Cambodia
during 1992–93. The first with more than 1000 Australians
was the Unified Task Force in
Somalia
during 1993. By far the largest commitment for
Australia
to date was the Australian-commanded International Force
East Timor in 1999–2000, with more than 5000 personnel deployed.
‘Peacekeeping’ can
be a misnomer, as operations may be in war zones or areas of recent violence.
There may be cultural difficulties to deal with between peacekeepers and
locals, and between different nationalities of peacekeepers. There has
been frustration, even within the ranks of peacekeepers, at the perceived
impotence of some operations. The failure or inability to protect civilians
in a number of locations, such as
Rwanda,
has been condemned. On the other hand, there have been some very
successful peace operations as well.
Cases of post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) have been reported among former peacekeepers. Even some
‘non-warlike’ operations have imposed uncommon strains on
personnel. Indeed, two of the deployments to the UN Assistance Mission
in Rwanda (UNAMIR), including the period spanning the Kibeho massacre
on
22 April 1995
, have since been reclassified ‘warlike’. Members
of these deployments have been issued with the Australian Active Service
Medal, and are eligible for veterans’ entitlements.
In 1993 the Australian Defence
Force Peacekeeping Centre was opened at Williamtown, NSW in recognition
of the importance and increasing complexity of peacekeeping and to guide
doctrine and training. In 2002, the Australian Federal Police (
AFP
) opened the Wanggirrali Ngurrumbai Centre at Majura, ACT
for police peacekeeping training.
The Official History
of Australian Peacekeeping and Post-Cold War Operations is currently
being written, jointly supported by the Australian War Memorial, the
Australian
National
University
and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial
Project aims to build a memorial on Anzac Parade in
Canberra.
It has received backing from the ADF,
AFP,
RSL, and the Australian Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Veterans’
Association. The winning
design was announced on 19 December 2008.
ADF and
AFP
peacekeepers are currently serving in
Timor-Leste (East Timor),
Cyprus,
Sudan,
Solomon Islands,
Sinai, and the
Middle East.
Australian peacekeeping honour
roll
According to the Australian
War Memorial’s peacekeeping
operations website, twelve Australians have died in peacekeeping operations.*
Honorary Lieutenant-General
Robert Nimmo, civilian–UN Military Observer Group in
India
and
Pakistan,
natural causes,
Kashmir,
4 January 1966
;
Sergeant Llewellyn
(Lew) Thomas, SA Police,
seconded to Commonwealth Police (CP)–UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
(UNFICYP), vehicle accident,
26 July 1969;
Inspector Patrick Hackett,
NSW Police, seconded to CP–UNFICYP, vehicle accident,
29 August 1971;
Sergeant Ian Ward
, NSW Police, seconded to CP-UNFICYP, landmine explosion,
12 November 1974;
Captain Peter McCarthy,
Australian Army–UN Truce Supervision Organisation,
Lebanon,
landmine explosion,
14 January 1988;
Lance Corporal Shannon
McAliney, Australian Army–Unified Task Force,
Somalia,
accidentally shot,
2 April 1993;
Major Susan Felsche,
Australian Army–UN Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara,
plane crash,
21 June 1993,
Lance Corporal Russell
Eisenhuth, Australian Army–International Force East Timor,
illness,
17 January 2000
;
Lance Corporal Shawn
Lewis, Australian Army–Peace Monitoring Group,
Bougainville
, drowned,
20 May 2000;
Corporal Stuart Jones,
Australian Army–UN Transitional Administration in
East Timor
, accidentally shot,
9 August 2000;
AFP
Protective Service Officer Adam Dunning,
AFP
Protective Service–Regional Assistance Mission to the
Solomon Islands (RAMSI), Honiara, ambushed and shot, 22 December 2004;
Private Jamie Clark,
Australian Army–RAMSI,
Guadalcanal
Island,
fell down a mineshaft while on patrol,
10 March 2005.
*The Australian
War Memorial site on peacekeeping fatalities also lists the death
of Private Ashley Baker in Timor-Leste in November 2007 as being 'yet
to be confirmed' as a death on a peacekeeping operation.
Australian peacekeeping operations —other resources
The Department of Defence's Global Operations
site lists current ADF operations. The Australian Federal Police's
website on the International
Deployment Group has links to current overseas deployments.
In August 2008 the Senate Standing
Committee on Foreign Affaris, Defence and Trade released a report, Australia's
involvement in peacekeeping operations.
Keeping the Peace: stories of Australian
peacekeepers—this link from the Australian War Memorial contains
historical background, a timeline, and other information on observers
and enforcers as well as operations in which
Australia
has been involved.
The Australian War Memorial
also has links to articles about various
peacekeeping operations and a reading
list.
The Australian Defence Force
Peacekeeping Centre contains information on Australian Peacekeeping
Operations around the world.
Australian Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Veterans'
Association website.
'Faces of Australian Peacekeeping' by
Peter Londey,
and the book Other people's wars: a history of Australian peacekeeping, Allen & Unwin, 2003.
Peter Londey's entry on Australia
and peacekeeping in the Oxford companion to Australian military
history, 2nd ed., OUP, Sth Melb., 2008, pp. 412– 417) has a table of past and current missions with dates, approximate
contingent size, and the role of Australians in the mission.
In 'Sixty
years of Australian peacekeeping and peace operations today', Tim
Ford outlines Australia's contributions to peacekeeping and the complexity
of integrated missions. (United Service, vol. 59, no. 1, March
2008, pp. 13– 16)
End of section 6
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