Anzac Day...Lest we forget

[Guest]

I have attended the dawn service at The Entrance for the last 4 years and am happy to say so has my son. He was never dragged along and is always keen to go. He is 12 and I do wonder what the effect is on him and what goes through his mind about the whole day. It make me very proud.

Me? I bloody tear up at the sound of the bugle. It is very humbling to stand in a crowd of people that is deadly silent. Each year the crowd gets a little bigger. I love it. I plan to go to Turkey for the 99th anniversary. Hopefully I will make it.

[Guest]

My father and I always went to the Anzac Day March in Sydney.
I love going to a game on this day, and find it very emotional. Many relatives and friends were lost.
My son in law served with the SAS in Borneo,Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor.
He has written 3 books about his experiences.
He always takes part in his local town march, but I'm not sure if he will go to Sydney this year.

[novice chook]

I receieved this poem via email this morning that I thought was worth sharing:

NC
------------------

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the RSL,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbours
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife..
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days..

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

[Guest]

I receieved this poem via email this morning that I thought was worth sharing:

NC
------------------

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the RSL,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbours
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife..
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days..

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

Good stuff. Pity whoever wrote it got carried away bagging the politicians, took the focus off the real part of the story, the soldiers, but it still remains very true.

[supermario]

An article on league players that served and died in The first world war

Footy stars taken on battlefield David Middleton From: The Daily Telegraph April 24, 2010 12:00AM


War torn ... Ferris Ashton playing for the Roosters during the 1950s. Source: The Daily Telegraph


AT one point in their lives there was no difference between the players whose stories are told on these pages and today's NRL stars. They were fit, young men in their prime and playing a game they loved.
They were first-graders or representative stars adored by the sporting public before they answered the call of their country.

They swapped football boots for army issues, balls for Lee-Enfield rifles and venues like the SCG and North Sydney Oval were replaced by grotesque theatres of war like Gallipoli and the Somme, the deserts of North Africa and the jungles of New Guinea.

These men, and men and women like them, are the reason we observe Anzac Day.

Lest We Forget.

Charlie Savory

One of four New Zealanders who toured with the 1911-12 Kangaroos, Savory died of wounds at Gallipoli on May 8, 1915, after landing at Ari Burnu with the Auckland Battalion.


James Williams

He played for Newtown against Easts on the opening day of club rugby league in Australia in 1908. A driver with the 8th Company Australian Army Service Corps, he died of accidental injuries at Gallipoli on May 9, 1915, aged 27.

George Duffin

Western Suburbs' first fullback in 1908, Duffin was a member of the 18th Battalion which arrived at Gallipoli on August 19, 1915, to reinforce the hard-pressed First Division. He died three days later when the 18th was thrown into a dawn attack on Hill 60.

Frank Cheadle

He was a league pioneer, playing in matches between NSW and Baskervilles All Golds in 1907 before appearing as a centre in Newtown's original team of 1908. He played five Tests for Australia. Cheadle saw action at Gallipoli and the Western Front. He died near Armentieres, on May 12, 1916.

Herbert Bolt

Another early Newtown player (42 games, 1912-15), "Nutsy" Bolt was just 22 when he was killed on July 20, 1916, in the battle of Fromelles, which claimed 5500 Australians.

George Hardy

He played on the wing in Newcastle's first team of 1908 before joining the AIF's 19th Infantry Battalion as a private. Hardy was killed in action in France on August 3, 1916.

Bob Tidyman

Easts three-quarter Bob Tidyman played two Tests for Australia, including the "Rorke's Drift" Test of 1914. He enlisted with the AIF in late 1915 and joined a weary 19th Battalion in France the following year. He was reported missing in action on November 14.

Charles Rothwell

He played on the wing for Western Suburbs between 1912-1914. He died of wounds at Dernancourt, France, on January 28, 1917.

Harold Corbett

A halfback with Easts and later Annandale (1912-14), Corbett died during the second Bullecourt offensive on May 3, 1917.

Johnno Stuntz

A fireman by profession, Stuntz played with Easts, Souths and Wests during the first decade of the game. He enlisted with the AIF in 1916 and died by machine-gun fire at Bullecourt on May 3, 1917.

Sydney Sparrow

Parkes-born Sparrow played two games on the wing for Newtown in the season of their first premiership win in 1910. A second lieutenant with the fifth Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery, he died of wounds in France on May 9, 1917.

Edward Buckley

Buckley arrived in Brisbane from New Zealand in 1909 and achieved national honours for Australia against the touring Englishmen of 1910. Enlisting in 1916, he was a Lance Corporal with the 56th Infantry Battalion when killed in action at Polygon Wood on September 28, 1917.

Alexander McDowell

He played two first-grade games for Newtown in 1915 before he linked with the 17th Infantry Battalion in France. He was killed in action near Ypres, Belgium, on October 9, 1917.

Tom Bruce

A winger or five-eighth, Tom Bruce played alongside Dally Messenger in Easts teams between 1909 and 1912. He enlisted in the AIF, where he rose from private to second lieutenant in the 36th Infantry Battalion. Bruce was killed on October 12, 1917, in Belgium.

Edward Baird

Baird was Australia's fullback in the first Test played in Brisbane in 1908. He enlisted with the AIF and on October 12, 1917, became one of 3199 Australian lives lost in the bloody battle of Passchendaele.

Ernest Gowenlock

Gowenlock played two games on the wing for Easts in 1913, the year the Tricolours won their third successive premiership. He joined the 57th Battalion in France and died of wounds inflicted at Gueudecourt on April 10, 1918.

Percy White

White was a prominent player for Easts in the game's first decade. The speedy White was an important contributor to Easts' premiership wins in 1911-12-13. A driver with the 29th Company Australian Army Service Corps, he died of wounds on April 24, 1918, at Villers-Bretonneux.

Peter Hickey

A second-rower who represented Queensland nine times in the mid-1930s and a Test reserve in 1936, Hickey enlisted in the RAAF in August 1940 where he trained as a pilot. On January 8, 1942, he was shot down and killed over France.

Syd Christensen

A centre or halfback with Balmain, Christensen scored more than 500 points in 71 top-grade games from 1928 to 1937 before he enlisted in the army in 1940. He was killed in action on February 9, 1942, as Japan invaded Singapore.

Vince Edwards

Edwards appeared for North Sydney in the year of the club's last premiership win in 1922 and three years later joined the Navy. He died at sea on March 1, 1942, when HMAS Perth was torpedoed by the Japanese off the coast of Java.

Maurice Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald's first-grade career lasted only three games as a lock forward for Balmain in 1936. Five years later he signed up with the RAAF and was a sergeant when he joined the crew of a Wellington bomber as part of 460 Squadron. His plane was shot down over Germany on June 1, 1942.

Artie Carnell

Carnell played fullback for North Sydney at age 21 in 1930. A decade later he was posted to 2/14 Infantry Battalion in New Guinea. He was killed in action at the Battle for Milne Bay on August 31, 1942.

Harry Allwork

An English-born forward, Allwork played 16 top-grade games for North Sydney in 1933-34 before enlisting in the army in 1940. He was killed in action at El Alamein, Egypt, on October 31, 1942.

Ken Wood

Wood was a centre for North Sydney between 1928-34. He enlisted in the Army in Brisbane in 1940 and was a sergeant with the 2/25 Australian Infantry Battalion when killed in heavy fighting at Gorari in New Guinea on November 11, 1942.

Keith Pettiford

Wollongong-born Pettiford played on the wing for University in 1937 before joining the RAAF in 1941. He was an observer on a Wellington bomber and was killed when the plane crashed in the English Midlands on November 20, 1942.

William Ryan

Ryan scored 11 tries in 12 games in his first season with Newtown as a 21-year-old centre in 1941. He enlisted in the Army soon after and died in heavy fighting with the Japanese near Sanananda on December 7, 1942.

Charles McKay

A prop or hooker, McKay played 18 first-grade games with University and Balmain (1935-38) before joining the army at age 30 in 1940. He was a member of the 2/12 Field Ambulance and was aboard the RHS Centaur when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off Moreton Island on May 14, 1943.

Isidor Sender

The son of Russian Jews, "Dick" Sender played hooker for the University club between 1923-27. He graduated as a bachelor of medicine and a bachelor of surgery before setting up a private practice at Kirribilli. He enlisted in 1940 and, like McKay, was with the 2/12 Field Ambulance aboard the Centaur when it sank in 1943.

Len Brennan

Brennan played for Saints in 1932 and scored 20 tries in 40 appearances as a centre until 1934. He joined the RAAF and was a Flight Sergeant when his aircraft disappeared on a raid to Pantellaria, Italy, on June 8, 1943.

Alf Birtles

BIRTLES had played 50 first-grade games as a winger for North Sydney between 1933-37 before he enlisted with the RAAF in 1941. A Flying Officer aboard a Halifax bomber, he was killed in a battle over Germany on August 28, 1943.

Harold Dalton

Nick Dalton made fleeting top-grade appearances for Eastern Suburbs in 1939-41 before he enlisted in the army. He died of wounds on September 25, 1943.

Jack Lennox

Lennox played in the centres for St George in their 1930 grand final loss to Western Suburbs. He played more than 50 first-grade games for Saints and Souths until 1934. Taken prisoner by the Japanese, he died on December 7, 1943, aged 36.

Alan Keato

The younger brother of prominent Western Suburbs fullback Bill Keato, Alan played for the Magpies in 1943 as a second-rower. Lance Bombadier Keato died in Lae, New Guinea on December 16, 1943.

Jack Simpson

Brisbane-born halfback Jack Simpson played for St George in 1936. He was a flight sergeant with the 460 Squadron when his Lancaster bomber crashed at Binbrook, Lincolnshire on April 9, 1944.

Gerry Atwell

Atwell played for Norths in 1940, a year before he joined the RAAF. By 1944 he was a pilot officer with the 614 Squadron RAF and was killed in an air battle near Italy on April 20, 1944.

Neville Butler

A NSW fullback in 1938, Tenterfield-born Butler played for Norths between 1940-43 while he was training with the RAAF in Sydney. He was flying officer with the 460 Squadron and was killed on November 29, 1944, when his plane was shot down over Germany.

Spencer Walklate

Walklate came from the North Coast to join St George in 1943. A Lance Corporal with a special commando unit, he and three others went missing on an ocean raft off Japanese-controlled Muschu Island on April 13, 1945.

Jack Redman

Redman was the Balmain lock and a tryscorer in the Tigers' 1939 grand final victory over Souths. He joined the RAAF in 1940 but was killed over Balakpapan, Borneo in 1945.

Hylton Davies

"Heck" Davies was a fullback or winger who played 22 games for Newtown between 1936-39. A captain in the infantry, he was killed at Balakpapan, Borneo, on July 16, 1945.

[Vasco]

Went to the dawn service this morning.

Would love to storm out of the tunnel today!

[Guest]

An article on league players that served and died in The first world war

Wow.

Lest We Forget.

[Walshie's 9th Love Child]

Cant make it this year for some important personal reasons but my heart will be there .

LEST WE FORGET

Never .......