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Dear Gunners (Readers) -
Welcome to Airburst No 42
April
2020
Hopefully we will soon not have to mention COVID-19 and have a break from being bombarded with
news and advice about it.
The Board's May Meeting was conducted online and proved a success although discussion was sorely limited- a factor appreciated by most Board members!
No further news on the Australian Artillery 150th Anniversary - as soon as we know any additional details we will let you know. The RAAHC proposes to produce a photobook called The Book of Days tracing selected areas of the development of Australian Artillery fro colonial days to the present. As a photobook the contents will be driven by the availability
of good quality photos. Initial copies will be provided to the serving Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery and we will be looking at how we may make the Book available for general sale. Watch this space.
Below is an example from the draft showing the anti-tank action at Muar, Malaya in 1942:
The Master Gunner of St James's Park has sent a message on the occasion of the 304th Anniversary of the Royal regiment. CLICK HERE to view
Stay safe as we approach some sense of normality.
UBIQUE,
Ian Ahearn
Chair RAAHC
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Why are there Russian cannons in Sydney's Centennial Park?
In early 1855, after a protracted siege and series of battles, the British and French forces finally overcame the Russian defenders at Sevastopol. The outcome of this battle contributed substantially to the Russians ultimate defeat in the Crimean War.
Over 4,000 artillery pieces were captured in the fall of Sevastopol. In celebration of the victory it was decided to distribute a pair of cannons seized at Sevastopol to each of the most important cities in the British Empire.
In Australia, records show that such 'trophies of war' were sent to NSW, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania - each receiving two Russian guns in recognition of the funds donated to the Patriotic Fund designated to assist the war effort.
The two cannon that now feature in Centennial Park were originally positioned flanking Governor Bourke's statue in The Domain in Sydney (near the old Bent Street entrance). They were relocated in 1920 to Centennial Park and mounted on a rise, the trophies now flank the "We Won" statue.
The 'We Won" statue with a Russian Gun in the background
However, all was not perfect at the time. It appears, from the below
article from the Sydney Morning Herald of 21 June 1927, that the cannon were in disrepair and simply dumped in Centennial Park during a dispute between Government Departments about who would pay for the transport and restoration!
Eventually the cannon were pieced together on display where they sat until the 1990s
when further restoration work
was undertaken on the cannon as part of the Centennial Parklands Stonework Maintenance Program.
The second Russian gun in Centennial Park
Kevin Browning and the Webmaster Paul Camilleri have combined their talents to produce the detailed story of these guns in the RAAHC Artillery Register. CLICK HERE
to view.
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Gallipoli Letter
The letter below gives a glimpse of what one Gunner thought about the Gallipoli Campaign. No other details were given in the article so it has not been possible to trace Corporal Fraser's service. The letter as published on 10 March 1916 in the Brisbane Daily Standard under the headline:
STORY OF THE WAR. BRISBANEITES IN EGYPT.
Corporal Fraser, 7th Battery, 3rd Brigade, A.F.A., formerly a member of
the Brisbane Caledonian Pipe Band, in a letter from Alexandria, Egypt, to Mr.
Finlayson, M.P., remarks:
"Many, many thanks for your very kind letters. I heard about the poetry being in 'The Dally Standard,' although I did not see it myself. I am in Alexandria on a special duty at present, and I can tell you that I am enjoying a well-earned rest, as I have been on the Peninsula from the very start till the finish. We had only a three weeks' spell in Lemnos, and I am very lucky to be here now, I can assure you.
Give my very best respects to all who may be asking for me, and say that I am just as fit as ever, and intend to fight to a finish. It is pretty hard lines having to give up the Peninsula, but better heads than ours thought the thing out, and I don't think any one is sorry over it. I can say that the Turk was not sorry either."
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Did You Know?
Reveille and Rouse
Reveille is the bugle call played first in the morning, and the word is taken from the French 'reveillez', meaning 'wake-up', and it was the call that woke-up soldiers in the morning. Rouse was then called and it is a shorter call then Reveille; it was the call for soldiers, now awake, to get-up out of bed.
Buglers ANZAC Day 1938
Reveille is now played at memorial services conducted early in the morning (eg. ANZAC Day Dawn Services) and Rouse is played at later morning services, and at funerals.
Reveille and Rouse are two separate calls.
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| Gunners Around the Nation & The World
View the latest Newsletters from various Artillery associations around the nation:
RAA Association Victoria Newsletter -
Cascabel
Locating Surveillance and Target Acquisition Association -
Newsletter
Royal Australian Artillery Association (NSW)
-Website
Australian Artillery Association -
Website
Royal New Zealand Artillery Association -
Website
Royal Artillery Association -
Website
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