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Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company
ENewsletter Edition No 13


December 2014
AIRBURST
In This Issue
Centenary News Website
Gunners Around the Nation
Did You Know?
Anti-Aircraft
Life Membership
Featured Article
Artillery Badge Rotating 

Life Membership
 
  
Major General Tim Ford, AO (Retd) presented a Life Membership at the recent Annual General Meeting.   Read more...
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Dear Gunners (Readers) -

WELCOME TO AIRBURST NO 13 - 2014,
 

The Annual General Meeting was held and I must say the attendance was disappointing however we managed a quorum and got on with the business . Thanks again to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust for making a meeting room available. 

 

The 18 Pounder Project continues to gather pace. In Sydney at North Fort Jim Frecklington and Keven Browning are hard at work completing the restoration/rebuild of the gun and limber. A photo of the gun is shown below:


 

18 Pounder August 2014


 

Meanwhile in Canberra, or more precisely Goulburn, horses and riders are being trained under the watchful eye of Max Pearce. Max is a harness trainer of renown and his expertise is most welcome. Four horses have now been trained an harness and they are shown in the photo below:


 


 

It is planned to have eight horses trained for harness by December.

 
Funding has been given a boost with DVA grants totaling $37,000 approved under the House of Representatives ANZAC Centenary Local Grants Programme. The Prime Minister has granted some $12,000, the Member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann has provided $23,000 for the horse training and the Member for Eden Monaro, Peter Hendy $1000. We still need your donations! Please spread the word!

The Board and volunteers have been busy. The discussion with Army about the Artillery Collection at Bandiana is nearing resolution and a Memorandum of Understanding for the future Army/RAAHC relationship has been negotiated. We have negotiated the release of a 25 Pounder to the Hall Community to enable them to place it at their Remembrance site.

The October 2014 Regimental Committee Meeting  was attended by Jason Cooke one of our directors. Jason provided a report on the RAAHC's activities to that meeting. He also attended the opening of the RAA Interim Museum, a small display within the Armour Museum at Puckapunyal.

Work continues on the digitisation of the Library now located in the new library building at North Fort. Australia's Memorial Walk is being improved and repaired with particular emphasis on the replacement of information tablets.

The RAAHC is embarking on a ANZAC Centenary History Seminar Series titled: FIREPOWER - LESSONS FROM THE GREAT WAR. The Company intends to arrange and coordinate series of presentations on the history of Australian artillery during the Great War, from the Anzac landings in April 1915 to the final Hindenburg Line breaches in September 1918. The output of the Seminar Series will be the comprehensive treatment of the role of Artillery in the "war to end all wars". Detailed information is available on the Website  

Finally a very Merry Christmas to you and your families and please have a very happy New Year.
 
  
Ubique,
  
Ian Ahearn
Deputy Chair
RAAHC

centenarynewswebsiteCentenary News Website
                                       

The Centenary News website is now featuring a number of articles on the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company's 18 Pounder Project.   To view the articles use the links below:

AroundTheNationGunners Around the Nation
                                       

View the latest Newsletters from various Artillery associations around the nation:

Locating Surveillance and Target Acquisition Association - Newsletter

12th Field Regiment (Vietnam) Association  - Bulletin No 29

A Field Battery Association - Newsletter

131 Locators Association - Newsletter

104 Field Battery - Germ Journal

DidYouKnowDid You Know?

 

Did You Know:   Captain General:   The rank of field marshal came into being in 1736 when it replaced that of captain general. The title of captain general was re-introduced in 1950 by His Majesty King George VI, when he expressed his desire to have his title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Artillery changed. Today Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the Captain General of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. In the Australian Army the title is unique to the Gunners.

AntiAircraftAnti-Aircraft

 

http://www.anti-aircraft.co.uk/index.html 

 

This website covers all aspects of British & Commonwealth Anti-Aircraft from World War 2 and the early Cold-War era.
 Guns, searchlights, radar, generators, predictors, buildings, equipment, organisations and personnel are all to be featured.

 

If you have any relevant information, especially photos, which you would like to be included on this website, please contact us.

 

If anyone knows of any surviving HAA sites and Radar stations, please email some photos with their co-ordinates to us.

"We are looking for new team members who can write articles for the website.
  

 

If you have an active interest in exploring WW2 HAA gun sites, radar stations and airfields, history and archaeology then we would like to hear from you."

Email: enquiries@anti-aircraft.co.uk 

 

An article on Radar Refurbishment has recently been published on the site and may be of interest to some members of the anti aircraft persuasion. The article can be found at http://www.anti-aircraft.co.uk/restoration_No3Mk2radar.html 

 

lifemembershipLife Membership
                                       
Mr Brian Armour received Life Membership of the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company at the Annual General Meeting held on the 18th October 2014.

Congratulations Brian!