I Was Only Doing My Job: Australia's Military History

1 April 1942 – While serving as a pilot with No. 405 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, Flight Sergeant Moheddeen Abdull Ghias Howsan and his crew took part in a daring night raid over Nazi-occupied France. A skilled and determined aviator, Howsan was a proud Australian descended from Afghan and Indian immigrants—one of many Muslim ANZACs who answered the call to serve.

During the mission, their Wellington bomber was struck by enem...

14-MAY-1943: While serving as a Nurse aboard the 2/3rd Australian Hospital Ship Centaur as part of the Australian Army Nursing Service, Sister Ellen Savage survived the sinking of the Hospital ship at the hands of the Japanese submarine I-177 and in doing so became a symbol of resilience and compassion as she was the sole nursing survivor.

In this episode, we explore the extraordinary life and service of Sister Ellen Savage, from ...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of war, suffering, and the experiences of prisoners of war, which may be distressing for some listeners.

20-MARCH-1945. While serving as a Gunner in the 2/15 Field Regiment, Gunner Albert Niel Cleary became a tragic symbol of the suffering endured by Australian prisoners of war during the Second World War. Captured and forced to march in the harrowing Sandakan Death March, Cleary'...

30-AUGUST-1942. While serving as a soldier in the 2/14th Australian Imperial Force as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, Private Claude Herbert Roberts served from the sands of Egypt and Palestine to the mountainous slopes of Kokoda.

This episode was requested by his great-niece Christine and was made possible thanks to recently discovered letters sent home during the war. If there is someone that you think needs to ...

7-SEPTEMBER-1901. While serving with the Bushveldt Carbineers, a British Irregular Mounted Unit, during the Second Anglo-Boer War, Lt Harry Harbord Morant, better known as "Breaker Morant" allegedly ordered the execution of eight Boer Prisoners of War, along with several Dutch civilians, and a German Missionary. For this act, Breaker Morant is one of the first British Subjects, charged, tried and convicted for War Crimes....

16-DECEMBER-1943. While serving as part of the 2nd Mountain Battery of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force, Lance Bombardier Leslie James Greenwood, a professional soldier within the Permanent Military Force, served from before the Second World War in Garrison Artillery postings before serving as part of Wren Force in Nauru. His first offensive deployment was part of a Specialised Mountainous Artillery Battery trained and equipped to...

6-JUNE-1944. While serving as part of the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve assigned to the Royal Navy, Sub Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Michael Pirrie, gave up a promising VFL career with the Hawthorn VFL Team. to serve in the Second World War attached to the Royal Navy. Initially serving on escort duty on Destroyers escorting convoys to Russia and Malta. Upon receiving his commission as a Sub-Lieutenant he transfer...

15-JUNE-1942. While serving as a Fighter Pilot in 126 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Pilot Officer Adrian Phillip Goldsmith received the Distinguished Flying Medal for shooting down six Axis planes over Malta, this was followed up with the Distinguished Flying Cross a month later and in doing so became the second highest fighter ace in the RAAF

This episode was made possible due to support from History Guil...

20-JUNE-1940. While serving as an Orderly in the 17th Australian Infantry Brigade during the Second World War. Sergeant Henry Armstrong Lacey Snr received the British Empire Medal for exemplary service and dedication to his duties, which is understandable, as he wasn't a 35-year-old fresh soldier, but a 53-year-old veteran of both the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First World War. in a military career that spanned three two con...

23-April-1941. While serving as Matron of the 2/5th Australian General Hospital during the Second World War. Matron Kathleen Annie Louise Best was the youngest Matron in the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War including the disastrous campaign in Greece and her decision to stay behind when the chance of capture was great.

In this episode, we focus on the nursing involvement of the Australian Imperial Force during ...

30-April-1941. While serving as a Company Commander within the 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion, Captain William Holmes Travers participated in the first major engagements of the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War including the capture of Bardia, Tobruk and the disastrous campaign in Greece before becoming a Prisoner of War following the failure at Crete. In this episode, we focus on the first involvement of t...

3-JANUARY-1941. While serving as a Platoon Lieutenant within the 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion, Captain William Holmes Travers participated in the first major engagements of the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War including the capture of Bardia, Tobruk and the disastrous campaign in Greece before becoming a Prisoner of War following the failure at Crete. In this episode, we focus on the first involvement of...

In this episode of "From Duty to Dishonour," we delve into the compelling story of Private Percy George Stafford, an Australian soldier who served in the First World War. As we explore Stafford's life, we confront the challenging question: what happens when someone falls short of society's expectations of a soldier? Join us as we look into the service of a man who allegedly spent no time in the front line, despite volunteering for ...

4-AUGUST-1914/4-SEPTEMBER-1939. While serving as a Naval Reservist, Midshipman Richard Stanley Veale ordered the first shot fired by British Forces in the First World War. Twenty years later while in command of the same shore battery that fired the first shot in the First World War, Commander Richard Stanley Veale would order the first Australian shot fired in anger during the Second World War.

Explore the remarkable life and serv...

19-MAY-1915. While serving as a soldier of the 2nd Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, Sergeant William Charles Bullock Beech, horrified by the tragic loss of life of his comrades on Gallipoli, took a biscuit box, signal wire and a broken mirror to invent one of the most iconic weapons of trench warfare on Gallipoli, the Periscope Rifle.

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27/28-JANUARY-1916, While serving as a soldier of the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, Private Edward Attfield did not let his diminutive stature prevent him from volunteering for overseas service. He landed at Gallipoli and despite wounds and illness served until the evacuation in December 1915. When he returned to Alexandria, he vanished, never to be seen again.
His story is a murder mystery that ...

11-NOVEMBER-1993. To mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the unidentified remains of an unknown Australian soldier, exhumed from the Adelaide Cemetery in Villers Bretonneux in France was interred within the Hall of Memory of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia.

Today marks the 30th Anniversary of that interment.

Lest We Forget.

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