Category: Transcripts

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 … Read More ““Lost in Time: The Rediscovery of Private Edward Attfield”” »

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. … Read More “The Unknown Australian Soldier 30th Anniversary” »

In this episode, I sat down over two separate sessions with Melissa Ratliff of God’s Favorites: A History Podcast and Ryan Day of the History Daddy YouTube channel I talk about the service and fate of Australia’s first (and only) Battlecruiser HMAS Australia, Ryan talks about the feared German Battlecruiser Bismarck, and Melissa surprised everyone … Read More “#Shipwreck Summer Roundtable Discussion with Melissa Ratliff and Ryan Day” »

25-APRIL-1915, While serving as Commanding Officer of the Royal Australian Navy's second Submarine HMAS AE2, Royal Navy Officer Lieutenant Commander Henry Hugh Gordon Dacre Stoker was faced with the challenge, to traverse the Dardanelles when the last two submarines to do so were sunk. The Stage is set, the curtain is drawn, allow I Was … Read More ““The Silent ANZAC” Lieutenant Commander Henry Hugh Gordon Dacre Stoker DSO MID and the Sinking of HMAS AE2″ »

14-SEPTEMBER-1914, While serving as Commanding Officer of the Royal Australian Navy’s first Submarine HMAS AE1, Royal Navy officer Lieutenant Commander Thomas Fleming Besant was killed in action when AE1 disappeared during a patrol following the Australian Capture of German New Guinea. The mysterious disappearance of AE1 became a haunting chapter in naval history, that was … Read More “Honouring the Silent Service: Lieutenant Commander Thomas Fleming Besant and the sinking of HMAS AE1” »

9-AUGUST-1942. While serving as a Surgical Officer aboard the Royal Australian Navy Heavy Cruiser HMAS Canberra, Surgeon Lieutenant Kenneth Newman Morris MID participated in the first American counter-attack during the Pacific Campaign, the Battle of Guadalcanal and the disastrous Battle of Savo Island. In the Second World War chaos, one man apart out for his … Read More “From the Frontlines to the Operating Room: Surgeon Lieutenant Dr Kenneth Morris MID and the sinking of HMAS Canberra” »

This Episode marks Two years since the launch of the podcast. 1-JULY-1942. While serving as Chief Yeoman of Signals as part of the Royal Australian Navy, Chief Yeoman of Signals Stephen Lamont was selected as part of the network of observers stationed across strategic locations in Northern Australia and neighbouring territories known as the Coastwatchers. … Read More “Coastwatchers: Chief Yeoman of Signals Stephen Lamont and the sinking of the MV Montevideo Maru” »

10-December-1941. While serving as a midshipman aboard the Royal Navy Battlecruiser HMS Repulse, Midshipman Robert Ian Davies MID participated in the first major naval engagement of the Pacific Campaign. We delve into the remarkable story of Midshipman Robert Ian Davies and his role in the sinking of the British battleships HMS Prince of Wales and … Read More “Unresolved Valor: Midshipman Robert Ian Davies and the Sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse” »

20-MAY-1941. While serving as a Company Commander within the 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner, 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 making a name of himself during the Kokoda Campaign. … Read More “The Hero of Kokoda: Part Five: Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner DSO, MC: Buna, Gona and Sanananda Campaigns” »

16-FEBRUARY-1942. Serving as a Staff Nurse in the 2/13th Australian General Hospital, Second Australian Imperial Force, Sister Florence Casson was one of the 21 nurses executed as part of the Bangka Island Massacre at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army. This Episode coincides with International Nurses Day 2023. To Donate to the Vivian Bullwinkel … Read More “The Bangka Island Massacare: Sister Florence Rebecca Casson” »