Australia

AUSTRALIA

SEPTIMUS

For HM The Queen's first visit in 1954 the battalion provided the Royal Guard outside Parliament House in Brisbane. The day before, Septimus and his handler in the Regimental Stable had a convivial day on the beer. When Septimus fronted up the next day he had a monumental hangover and when HM went to say hello he nearly bit her hand off!

In late 1962 I became the Custodian of Septimus' file - a thick one including the pedigree from Gatton Agriculture College. There was one redress of wrong from Septimus " Signed by my own hoof " as a result of a company commander making disparaging remarks about him.

In December 1963 a kind member of the battalion arranged for Septimus to have a bride for Christmas - perhaps to improve his temper. At "first encounter" the Shetland mare was too tall for him much to his frustration and temper. The Assault Pioneer Platoon made him a mounting block and the deed was done!

312001 Don Ramsay

I was living out of camp (Enoggera) in 1956 and shared a room with Septimus handler. It was a Monday morning when returning to camp I found the handler passed out on his bed with Septimus horizontal on the floor with his head on my mattress and his mouth wide open. There was no doubt that Septimus was a real alcoholic suffering from bouts of depression and probably not of his own fault!!

Des Miscamble.*********

Corporal Peacock & Septimus

Holsworthy 1963. On the left is Terry Loftus who served with the battalion on both tours in SVN and then Malaya. Terry was WIA and mentioned in despatches. On the right is Kevin "Dasher" Wheatley who was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. Of this photo, Dasher used to say " I told Loftus to smile". But Loftus said " You smile, I've got the head end."

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ATOM BOMB TESTS

In August 1956, about 6 of us were posted from the First Battalion then stationed at Enoggera to Central Command, South Australia. When we arrived we were subjected to extensive medical tests. The group of us, then about 40 boarded a freight train loaded with tanks, trucks, artillery and so on and headed for somewhere in the desert.

We arrived at a place called 11 mile camp where we erected a tent city, but until a few days before the tests began we had no idea why we were there or what was going on. A few days after the detonation of the first Atomic Bomb at One Tree Hill a routine order was posted with a list of Officers and Support Staff who were to attend the Marcoo experiment.

I was sent with 2 British officers out to a bunker with head cover about 1200 yards from Ground Zero. I noticed that there was hardly any equipment or stores placed around Ground Zero compared with the One Tree Hill test, and asked one of the Officers what kind of a detonation would take place. He informed me it would be a surface burst, which I took to mean a below ground detonation, We sat around waiting for the count down for about an hour. We had a field telephone in the bunker connected to the control centre over which one of the Officers was receiving orders.

On the count of zero, there was a vivid flash, with the same effects as at One Tree, seconds later the noise and blast hit the bunker covering us in dust and debris and shaking the bunker, like somebody shaking a blanket. About 20-30 seconds later all the dust and debris was sucked back covering us again, as the Atomic cloud started to form.

When the word came, I stood up and looked at the Atomic cloud and saw boulders and debris strewn around the Ground Zero area. At this test, as at One Tree Hill, we were never examined by anybody after the test, and I wasn't wearing a radiation badge. My dress was, shorts, short sleeved shirt, leather jerkin, boots and socks.


                      5 Recruit Trg Coy Enoggera 1952.
Rear:   D Vanitallie, Jock McLennon, Clyde Cunningham, Les Powell, Allan Smith, Brian Bennet (Kiwi), Jack Butterworth (Kia), F Goddard, Curly Parker.
Front:   Ralph Kelly, Kevin Dutton, Harry Pooley, Bat Sinclair, Blue Donnelly (POW).
Jack and Blue served with Third Battalion; the remainder with First Battalion.

History: Brown Boots, KDS, Blanco and Smle.303!

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Peter Webb pictured here in Korea

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Dad Kelly at the Reunion

A COY REUNION 1999

Curly Duncan, Les Higgins, Blue Dalton, Ray Baldock.
Rick Jeffries, Bruno Flematti, Shorty Thirkel, George Constable.
Harry Mimi, John Vincent, Bill Collins.

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RAR National Memorial Walk Enoggera

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Bruno Flematti on Parade with Ben and Melissa

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In 1949 The Government lent a large number of soldiers to Ealing Studio's to assist in the making of "EUREKA STOCKADE". Chips Rafferty (Peter Lalor) is cheered on by miners from A Coy First Battalion.

The copyright to this Photo is held by CANEL+ IMAGE UK and is reproduced with gratitude. Thanks also to Screensound Australia

With the return of the battalion from East Timor in early May 2001,140 members of the 1st Battalion Association moved into the barracks to assist the troops with their Welcome Home celebrations. In a surprise move, the CO Lieutenant Colonel John Caligari gave up his right to confer the AASM upon his soldiers and instead passed it to battalion veterans.

They were Adamson, Arnold, Alcorn, Adams, Arnott, Barr, Boye, Brown, Burt, Blade, Breduhuer, Collison, Craydon, Cockrill, Collins, Crick, Cheers, Culpitt, Cochrane, Dickson, Duncan, Dean, Edwards, Edgeley, Flematti, Foxwell, Green, Goddard, Goulden, Griffiths, Hodges, Hammell, Hawkins, Hutton, Johns, Joyce, Jeffries, Juas, Keuzynski, Marinda, McLeod, Melbourne, Mann, Minehan, McNamara, McGarry, McQuillan,Nielson, Neville, O''Brien, Pooley, Pannossian, Power, Phelps, Piper, Pinkerton, Raggatt, Salter, Smith A, Smith T, Smith R, Le Seur, Simons, Secrett, Vogel, Wrobel, Winkley, Weekes.

At the conclusion of the parade all of the veterans lined the exit and clapped the troops off.

The following day the vets were noisy spectators at the welcome home parade through Townsville and the next day were present at the Battalion Coral Memorial Service.

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1 Platoon A Company Parading The Army Banner. 10 May 2001

This was the first time that the Banner had been paraded since it was presented to the Army by the Governor General on 10 March 2001

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Battalion Memorial Lavarack Barracks.

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Association Veterans lining exit on conclusion of the Medal Parade.
10 May 2001.

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It was at a Dining In Night at the Sergeants Mess and Jack Cramp was seated beside Alec Preece who was then CO.

Alec raised his glass and toasted Jacks health.........."Hunter Valley Jack"...."No Sir" said Jack......"Still living at Chester Hill"

As narrated by Frank Dean

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Dan Donohue and Col Adamson at Hahndorf Memorial

Hahndorf Reunion

Memorial Plaque at Hahndorf Reunion

First Battalion Colours
Centenary Parade - 10 March 2001

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Transport Platoon Reunion 2001
Lou Brumfield, Tom Buckley, Bill Giles, Phil Dixon, Peter Sharp.

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Regimental Memorial
Adelaide SA.

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