Episodes

Summary 24-MAY-1966. While serving with B Company 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, Australian Regular Army, National Serviceman Private Errol Wayne Noack served as a section machine gunner during the Vietnam War. He was killed during his first military operation two weeks after arriving in-country and would go into the history books as the first Australian … Read More “The First Conscript is Dead: Pte Errol Wayne “Flex” Noack” »

Summary 24-OCTOBER-1943 While Serving with M Special Unit, Special Operations Australia, 2 Australian Imperial Force, Sergeant Leonard George Siffleet was part of a multi-national team trekking through Japanese-occupied New Guinea to set up a Coastwatch position over the recently captured town of Hollandia when his team would be ambushed and captured by a party of … Read More “The Covert Life of Sgt Leonard George Siffleet” »

Summary 1-JANUARY 1916 While Serving with 3 Australian General Hospital Squadron Principal Matron Grace Margaret Wilson in Lemnos, Greece would coordinate the nursing care of wounded Australian Soldiers from the Gallipoli Campaign and in doing so would also fight for recognition and proper treatment of the nurses under her charge. a Professional Nurse before the … Read More “A Lifetime of Service: Principal Matron Grace Margaret Wilson CBE RRC” »

Summary During the First World War, 27 men of the Australian Customs Service answered the call of King and Country. Since the early 2000s, I Was Only Doing My Job background researcher Laurie Favelle has been obsessed with finding and preserving the life service and legacies of each of these 27 men. They were, or … Read More “My Silent Hero Trailer” »

Summary 16-OCTOBER-1942 While Serving with No. 452 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Squadron Leader Keith William “Bluey” Truscott in Europe would lead an attack on an evacuating Kreigsmarine Fleet and successfully damaged a German Destroyer. A famous athlete, before the war he played VFL for the Melbourne Demons, and deciding to forgo a successful sporting … Read More “The Flying Demon: SQNLDR Keith William “Bluey” Truscott DFC And Bar” »

Summary 23-OCTOBER-1915. While serving as a trooper in the 5th Australian Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force, Chinese-Australian Trooper William Edward “Billy” Sing DCM has been picked to take the solitary role as being a sniper on Gallipoli where he has a unique record of between 150 and 300 confirmed Ottoman kills during the eight-month … Read More “The Gallipoli Sniper: Pte William Edward “Billy” Sing DCM” »

Summary 17-AUGUST-1917. While serving as one of the Australian Official War Photographers, Honorary Captain James Francis “Frank” Hurley OBE was an Australian photographer and adventurer. He participated in a number of expeditions to Antarctica, under Sir Douglas Mawson and Sir Ernest Shackleton and served as an official photographer with Australian forces during both world wars. … Read More “The man worth a thousand words: Hon Capt James Francis “Frank” Hurley OBE” »

Summary I sat down with Preston Stewart and Seyer Payne of War Stories to talk about Australia’s involvement in the Pacific Campaign of the Second World War. This was recorded over Zoom, and the video version of this episode is available on the I Was Only Doing My Job Youtube Channel.  The conversation starts with … Read More “Forged in Combat: Australia in the Pacific Campaign: Second World War” »

Summary 7-MAY-1915. While serving as an engineer with the 3rd Field Company Engineers, Australian Imperial Force, Captain Edward Bage was instructed to map out new trench locations on Gallipoli, and as a result would be killed 14 days after landing on the Pennisula, but his legacy is not one of the battlefield, but of Antarctic … Read More “The Antarctic Gallipolian: Capt Edward Frederick Robert Bage” »

Summary CW: Sexual Assault- This episode contains a discussion of the murder of women and allegations of sexual assault in war. The sexual assault is isolated to the end of the episode, with a warning just prior. the discussion of the Bangka Island Massacre will begin at 5:16 to 8:06 This is a Special reupload … Read More “80th Anniversary Banjka Island Massacre: Lt Col Vivian Bullwinkel” »