Anzac Day 2014

[tor lives]

At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them

Lest we forget

Good on ya diggers!!!

Ray

[Cap'n Wannabe]

Lest we forget.

[Adam the Akrodude]

My ANZAC Day 2014 story

My eldest daughter is recently returned from a school trip to Canberra and still brimming with some good ol' national pride. She visited the AWM as part of this trip and I tasked her with placing a poppy on the wall for her 3rd cousin, Flt Sgt Beresford Milton Troy Davis, KIA over Holland whilst in command of a 460 Sqn RAAF Lancaster AR-J on the night of 23/24th May, 1943. I'm proud to say she successfully completed this task . I visited Beresford's grave in Holland three years ago.

http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1702347/





So, last night my eldest daughter badgered me about going to the Dawn service at the Shrine. I said if she gets up in time, we'll go. Credit to her, she set her alarm and got me up "0 dark hundred hours" and off we went with my middle girl also in tow. Walking to the Shrine this morning (pretty chilly), we came across another father taking his two little kids as well. Introductions made, he asked me whether I had any family who served. Yes I said, one grandfather in the army (driving trucks across Australia during the war - died shortly after from bowel cancer), great uncle in the army, 2nd cousin in the RAAF - crew chief on Hueys in Vietnam, step cousin in the army (SAS), one great uncle in the RAAF in Bomber Command, senior navigator/master bomber in the Pathfinders (Lancasters) and the above mentioned 2nd cousin also in Bomber Command and I tell him Beresford's story. Beresford's Lancaster was shot down by Hpt. August Geiger of NJG 1 flying a Bf-110G4. August a night figher "Experten", was shot down a few months later and drowned in his parachute in the Zuider Zee. On my trip to Holland to visit Beresford's grave, I visited a local museum which had some parts of August's Bf-110 which had been recovered from the Zuider Zee.
Franz then tells me his family story. His father served in the German Army and he was captured by the Russians soon after the invasion of USSR. His father amazingly survived captivity (most didn't as we know) and in the late 60's emigrated to Australia. My father was a 10 Pound Pom who emigrated here in the early 50's. My father was too young to serve during WW2 and did his national service in the RAF as a Inst fitter on Avro Yorks just after the war - was involved during the Berlin Airlift.

It was quite surreal to have this conversation before 0600 this morning with a man I met in the street, whose father had come from "the other side" and here we both were at the Dawn service with our kids to honour the service to our nation of those in the armed forces and the sacrifice of those fallen in war and just doing our thing to pass on this message to our kids. After the service, 6 hot air balloons launched nearby and flew over the Shrine - spectacular to see.

Lest we forget. RIP all who have fallen in war.

Adam

[tor lives]

My ANZAC Day 2014 story
So, last night my eldest daughter badgered me about going to the Dawn service at the Shrine. I said if she gets up in time, we'll go. Credit to her, she set her alarm and got me up "0 dark hundred hours" and off we went with my middle girl also in tow.

Very nice story Adam.....you are a pretty cool Dad!!!
I wish me and my dad had shared moments like this when I was growing up.
Your girls will remember these things for the rest of their lives.
Thanks for sharing this uplifting Anzac Day story with us.
Ray

[oz rb fan]

Adam that is stunning
we can see so much these days that couldn't be seen in the past....as much as they fought for different side they basically fought for the same reasons....leader and country.

[angrynine]

I did setup an exhebition this year May in Schoonebeek, about World War 2 air war, the 24 wargraves in Schoonbeek and about the 5 aircraft crashes close to Schoonebeek.
The Lancaster W-4984 with pilot Sgt. Beresford Milton Troy-Davis and it's crew was part of this exhibition.

Crew:
RAAF 405966 Flt Sgt Beresford Milton Troy Davis Captain (Pilot) +
RAAF 412411 Flt Sgt Kenneth Douglas Dyce (Navigator) +
RAAF 405849 Flt Sgt /Clarence Goldthorpe, (Bomb Aimer) POW
RAAF 411839 Flt Sgt Jack Stanley Biffen (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) +
RAF 1040539 Sgt Eric Rowlands (Flt Engineer) +
RAAF 421066 Flt Sgt Charles Sinclair Wright (Air Gunner) +
RCAF R/152317 Sgt Frederick Wilson Ralph (Air Gunner) +

With kind regards,

Rob

[Adam the Akrodude]

Hi Rob

PM sent. Do you have any photos of your exhibition? I'd love to see them!

All the best

Adam