Ben and His Mates | Media
Ben and His Mates
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23.01.2022 We’re not sure this is truly an accurate portrait of Ben, but nevertheless, we’re sure the boys in the trenches had a good laugh. Poor old Ben wrote to Franc, I didn’t know I was so ugly until I saw my own picture done!
21.01.2022 A beautiful read. What would Ben make of these times.
19.01.2022 Tonight, Ben will dream of glory and adventure. Tomorrow, he’ll board the H.M.A.T Orsovo with his best mate, Arthur Felton (left) and set sail for war. Those poor boys, who could have fathomed what lay ahead. #1stbattalion #anzac
18.01.2022 Ben had been at Gallipoli, Pozieres and was to go through other major battles but Gueudecourt was the one that haunted him the most when he returned home to Wahroonga, particularly when it rained a lot. Unlike the other battles he had been in which were intense and action packed, the men on Bayonet and Hilt Trench were not able to keep up with their own creeping barrage because of the sticky mud, so they were sitting targets, trapped in mud. Ben writes in his diaries the me...n were trying to fire rifles that were choked with mud. It is quite impossible to tell who was most heroic on that night but Hastie a’Beckett , Somerset, Edgley , Jacobs and last but not least, Howell- Price were the officers who carried most of the attack on their shoulders, Ben tells. These actions were made in some of the worst conditions the Australian were to experience on the Western Front. RIP. Photos: 28,2,17 1st Battalion moved to Eaucourt L’Abbeye in support. Cassidy sent to Flers, place of our 5th November debacle. Bodies of men shot down recovered, mostly well preserved by the snow and ice. All properly buried and crosses erected. Finlayson found practically in Fritz line. AWM Community group @awmemorial
17.01.2022 Today Ben and his mates began the slow march out of the Somme, relieved to be leaving the area, but with no word on where they’d be sent next nor what would await them. In Ben’s words, It was good to be leaving the Somme area but as General Walker Hookey inspected us as we marched into Beauval I don’t think he was too pleased with our appearance. The batallion was on its very last legs. Such is the brutality of war, if Ben could only see the future. The batallion would face many more battles and the men patched up as best they could and sent back to the frontline, over and over again. Ben still faced another 2 years in the trenches and his only ticket home - a blown off leg. At least it wasn’t his life.
16.01.2022 Today we remember all those that have and continue to serve, in particular Ben’s best friend, Art Felton. Ben and Art joined the seventh reinforcements of the 1st batallion together and fought side by side until 17.4.1918 when Ben, also wounded in battle records in his diary: Art killed at Strazeele. His body never recovered from the mud. Lest we forget. Australian War Memorial
13.01.2022 The battle of Pozieres, so bravely fought by the ANZACs. Here’s an account from the frontline, written by Ben on the 21st of July 1916 as the men prepare for the task ahead and then an account from the night of attack. The infantry were scheduled to attack at 12.30am and here’s Ben at 12.28am nervous, anxious, steadfast, solid. They had a job to do and they did it or went down trying. To read more of Ben's adventures contact Penny at [email protected] Australian War Memorial
13.01.2022 Don’t forget to record your ode ahead of this ANZAC Day. The day will never be cancelled, the format is just different this year #anzacSpirit #LightUpTheDawn
10.01.2022 At the heart of so many of Ben's letters and diary entries are the men he fights alongside. Private Jones, or Shiny Buttons, was one of Ben's mates and kept the 1st Battalion entertained with his witty poems. Here's one of Shiny's funny anecdotes. Shiny returned from the war, however sadly died of TB not long after arriving home. From all accounts, he sounds like a great guy - the type you'd want with you in the trenches.
07.01.2022 Let us never forget the power of looking after our mates, in war and in times of peace. Let’s always honour the spirit of the ANZACs
06.01.2022 The RSL is encouraging families to make a short video reciting the Ode to post online before Anzac Day #ANZACspirit #lightupthedawn
03.01.2022 On this day in 1916....hell on earth but the Aussie larrikan attitude prevailed no matter what. RIP to those that lost their lives. Today we remember Ben's mates that didn't make it home. AWM Community group Education at the Australian War Memorial Australian War Memorial
