DVA 106 Monday 16 July 2001

This Week in History - Our Wartime Heritage

Issued by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Bruce Scott, to foster awareness of Australia’s wartime history and heritage during the Centenary of Federation.

20-26 July

20 July 1943: HMAS Hobart was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine while at sea off the Solomon Islands with the Allied Task Force 74. The ship suffered serious structural damage and seven officers and six ratings were killed in the attack. Though badly damaged, Hobart managed to reach Espiritu Santo the next day. She returned in August to Sydney, where repairs kept her out of the war until 1945.

21 July 1942: The campaign along the Kokoda Track began. The battle for New Guinea began with Japanese landings near Gona on the north coast. The Japanese forces clashed with the Australian 39th Battalion and the Papuan Infantry Battalion on 23 July near Awala and a few days later the Allied troops were forced out of Kokoda itself. During coming months the Australians staged a fighting withdrawal along the Kokoda Track to Ioribaiwa. The withdrawal ended on 17 September at Imita Ridge, north-east of Port Moresby, with the Australians benefiting from reinforcements and the Japanese forces at the end of a long supply line. Following reverses at Guadalcanal, the Japanese commander was ordered to withdraw and the Australians followed up the Track, retaking Kokoda on 2 November. The fighting from July to November cost 607 Australian lives, with more than 1000 wounded.

22 July 1917: Four members of the Australian Army Nursing Service, Sisters Dorothy Cawood, Clare Deacon and Alice Ross-King and Staff Nurse Mary Derrer, won the Military Medal for rescuing patients trapped in a burning Casualty Clearing Station at Trois Arbes, France. These were the first bravery awards won by Australian nurses in action.

22 July 1938: The Australian National War Memorial was opened at Villers-Bretonneux, France. The memorial lists the names of 11 000 Australians missing in action from fighting during World War I around Villers-Bretonneux.

22 July 1942: Private Albert Gurney, 2/48th Battalion, originally from Day Dawn, Western Australia, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Tel el Eisa, Egypt. During an attack on a strong German position, Private Gurney’s company, came under heavy machine-gun fire, with all of the Australian officers killed or wounded. Private Gurney charged the nearest post, bayoneting three Germans. He then charged a second post, bayoneted two men and sent out a third as a prisoner. Private Gurney was caught by a hand grenade blast, but rose again and charged the third post. He disappeared from view and his body was later found in an enemy post.

23 July 1916: The Battle of Pozieres began. Pozieres, on the Somme, was the first protracted battle for the Australians on the Western Front, with several major attacks between 23 July and 5 August 1916. More than 12,000 Australians became casualties. Private John Leak, 9th Battalion, originally from Portsmouth, United Kingdom, and Lieutenant Albert Blackburn, 10th Battalion, originally from Woodville, South Australia, were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions at Pozieres on 23 July 1916. With his company facing heavy bombing from an enemy post, Private Leak ran forward under heavy machine-gun fire and threw three bombs into the enemy's bombing post. Although his company was forced back, Private Leak was the last to withdraw and continued throwing bombs. A few hours later Lieutenant Blackburn and a company of 15 men were ordered forward to drive the enemy out of the trench. A veteran of the original Gallipoli landings, Lieutenant Blackburn personally led four bombing missions to capture his objective, despite losing a number of men in his company.

24 July 1900: Captain Neville Howse, New South Wales Medical Corps, originally from Somerset, United Kingdom and later from Orange, NSW, became the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Captain Howse was decorated for going to the aid of a wounded soldier under fire at Vredefort, Orange Free State. Despite his horse being killed, Captain Howse continued on foot, treated the soldier’s wounds and carried him to safety. Neville Howse went on to serve at Gallipoli and eventually received the rank of Surgeon General. He was knighted in 1917 and entered politics after the war, holding several ministerial posts. Sir Neville Howse remains the only Australian medical officer to receive the VC.

24-25 July 1916: Private Thomas Cooke, 8th Battalion, originally from Kaikora, New Zealand, was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for his actions at Pozieres, France. When a Lewis Gun was disabled, Private Cooke was ordered to take his gun and gun-team to a dangerous part of the line. While defending the position his team came under very heavy fire, killing the other Australians. Private Cooke still stuck to his post and continued to fire his gun. When assistance was sent he was found dead beside his gun.

24 July 1945: Private Frank Partridge, 8th Battalion, originally from Grafton, NSW, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in Bougainville. Two patrols given the task of eliminating an enemy outpost came under fierce machine-gun, grenade and rifle fire, killing one of the Australian Bren gunners. Despite being wounded himself, Private Partridge rushed forward under heavy fire and retrieved the Bren gun, handed it to another soldier and charged the bunker, throwing a grenade then killing the only surviving occupant in a hand-to-hand fight. He attempted to attack another bunker but had to stop because of weakness from loss of blood. The rest of his platoon established a defensive perimeter but ultimately were forced to withdraw. Despite his wounds, Private Partridge joined in the fight and remained in action until his platoon had withdrawn.

26 July 1940: The Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service was established in response to the need for a greater number of nursing personnel as the RAAF underwent a rapid expansion early in World War II. Membership of the RAAFNS expanded from 45 in December 1940 to 616 in December 1945. The service was disbanded at the end of the war, but in 1948 a peace-time service was formed.

Media Contact: Mark Croxford (02) 6277 7820 or 0408 645 787



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