Lest We Forget Archives - CONTACT magazine

Wing Commander Aarian Birch pilots his CAC Winjeel from 100 Squadron at Point Cook over the cliffs of Point Addis during the 80th commemoration of the ditched RAAF Mitchell Bomber in 1944. Story by Flying Officer Rose Gigliotti. Photo by Warrant Officer Don Kenny.

Sacrifices commemorated at 80 years on

20/12/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 121 Views 0 Comments RAAF Laverton, WWII

On December 11, 1944, a B-25D Mitchell bomber crashed off Point Addis, marking a tragic chapter in Australia’s wartime history.

Ambassador to the Republic of Palau Richelle Turner, left, with the Governor of Peleliu Emais Roberts and Republic of Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr, at an exhibition of the life of Damien Parer. Story by Lieutenant Geoff Long.

ADF People History Lest We Forget

Honouring the legacy of WW2 photographer

18/12/202418/12/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 397 Views 0 Comments Palau, US Marines, WWII

This year marks 80 years since legendary Australian war photographer Damien Parer was killed filming US Marines in action on

Nursing officers at the Bangka Island Massacre memorial service on board HMAS Adelaide hold photos of those who lost their lives in 1942. Story by Commander Steven Grosser. Photos by Leading Seaman David Cox.

Australian Army History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Navy

Memorial service to honour fallen nurses

13/12/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 970 Views 0 Comments Australian Amphibious Force (AAF), HMAS Adelaide, Indo-Pacific Endeavour, Maritime Operational Health Unit, Singapore, Vivian Bullwinkel, WWII

On its return home from Singapore after Indo-Pacific Endeavour, HMAS Adelaide sailed to Bangka Island where personnel commemorated sacrifices made

Attendees of a memorial service for the late Wing Commander Peter Krieg with a static display of E-7A Wedgetail aircraft at 2 Squadron, RAAF Base Williamtown. Story by Flight Lieutenant Grace Casey-Maughan. Photos by Aircraftwoman Laura Flower.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

Remembering the legacy of ‘Cowboy’ Kreig

06/12/202407/12/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1163 Views 0 Comments E-7A Wedgetail, No. 2 Squadron, RAAF Williamtown

On Friday November 8, about 300 family and friends travelled from around the globe to gather in the 2 Squadron

Royal Australian Artillery Head of Regiment Brigadier Damian Hill and Lieutenant Colonel Matt White, of the Defence Preparedness Branch, at the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery National Memorial on Mt Pleasant in Canberra. Story and photo by Corporal Michael Rogers.

Australian Army History Lest We Forget News

Plan to extend gunners’ memorial

05/12/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 541 Views 0 Comments Canberra, Royal Australian Artillery

Two 64-pounder cannons stand silently atop Mount Pleasant in Canberra, flanked by stone walls reminiscent of a fortress the cannons

HMAS Canberra personnel conduct a freedom-of-entry parade through Canberra. Story by Lieutenant Jonathan Wills. Photo by Leading Seaman Jarrod Mulvihill.

History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Canberra exercises Freedom of Entry in capital

04/12/202407/12/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1833 Views 1 Comment Freedom of Entry, HMAS Canberra, WWII

Steady rainfall and gloomy skies did not dampen spirits as Navy personnel paraded through Canberra on 30 November in a

Adam Bourke, left, and Major Dan Nailer fix their position during a reconnaissance of the Kapyong battlefield in the Republic of Korea. Story and photos by Lieutenant Commander Brendan Trembath.

ADF People Australian Army History Lest We Forget

Search continues for digger on Kapyong battlefield

27/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 939 Views 0 Comments 3rd Battalion RAR, Korean War, Unrecovered War Casualties – Army

An Australian Army soldier presumed to have been killed in the Korean War’s battle of Kapyong on April 24, 1951,

Private William Higgs’ newly installed headstone at Commonwealth War Graves Commission's (CWGC) Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux, France. Story. by Aaron Pegram. Photo courtesy of CWGC.

ADF People History Lest We Forget

Search goes on for the lost but not forgotten

12/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 713 Views 0 Comments Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Unrecovered War Casualties – Army (UWC-A), Villers-Bretonneux, WWI

On Remembrance Day, as Australians reflect on the sacrifice of those who have served, the Manager of Unrecovered War Casualties

Remembrance Day is a moment to honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Story by Admiral David Johnston.

ADF People History Lest We Forget

The true cost of war is human

12/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 550 Views 0 Comments Chief of Defence Force

A Remembrance Day message from the Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral David Johnston. CAPTION: Remembrance Day is a moment to

Members of Air Combat Electronic Attack Systems Program Office clean the memorial site for the lost aircrew of a downed F-111C during a team-building activity at Bundjalung National Park, Queensland. Story by Pilot Officer Timothy Sullivan. Photo by Leading Aircraftwoman Campbell Latch.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force Videos

A hike to F-111 crash site

08/11/202413/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1233 Views 0 Comments F-111, No. 6 Squadron

Members of the Air Combat Electronic Attack Systems Program Office (ACEASPO) have continued a longstanding tradition among the unit’s personnel,

Australian Army Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award recipient Lieutenant Lachlan Maill meets local villagers in Rabaul, PNG, during a historical battle tour. Story and photos by Corporal Melina Young.

ADF People Australian Army Health and Wellbeing Lest We Forget

Aspiring to lead in the spirit of Kokoda’s heroes

08/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 976 Views 0 Comments Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award, Kokoda Track, PNG, WWII

When Lieutenant Lachlan Maill heard cries for help near a shopping centre escalator, he didn’t hesitate. CAPTION: Australian Army Jonathan

Australian Army Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award recipients follow Lark Force’s withdrawal route through the jungle between the villages of Dodul and Maranagi in East New Britain, PNG. Story and photos by Corporal Melina Young.

Australian Army History Lest We Forget News

Walking in the footsteps of their forefathers

06/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 827 Views 0 Comments Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award, PNG, WWII

When the order “every man for himself” was given, Australian soldiers of Lark Force faced a grim choice – stay

From left, Pilot Officer Justin Mulligan and Warrant Officer William Kinloch with a DeHavilland Mosquito fighter bomber in 1944. Story by Squadron Leader Eamon Hamilton.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

WWII pilots awarded after 80 years

01/11/202402/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 855 Views 0 Comments No. 464 Squadron, WWII

Eighty years after their service in the skies of occupied Europe, two Royal Australian Air Force aviators have been posthumously

Able Seaman Brenton Manuel, back right, meets his grandparents for the first time as HMAS Sydney is berthed alongside Busan, Republic of Korea, during a regional presence deployment. Story by Lieutenant Tahlia Merigan.

ADF People Lest We Forget Overseas Royal Australian Navy

Sydney a ship of firsts

01/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 440 Views 0 Comments HMAS Sydney, HMAS Sydney III, Korean War, Republic of Korea

HMAS Sydney had a lot of firsts during its recent regional presence deployment, and one of them was the ship’s

The memorial wall listing the crew of HMAS Sydney II at Mount Scott Geraldton. The interior concave side of the Wall of Remembrance, situated at the front of memorial, details the names of all 645 men who lost their lives. The centre piece is a dome mounted by seven pillars. Representing the seven states and territories of Australia. The dome is constructed by a canopy of silver gulls. A Stele is made of Stainless Stell and represents the bow of the HMAS Sydney II. A bronze sculpture of a a woman closest to the ocean. She wears an anchor necklace and holds hat against the breeze from the sea. Her anxious expression and her fixed gaze to the horizon. She represents a waiting woman grieven for her lost love one.

Lest We Forget Letters to the Editor

Is the HMAS Sydney II crew MIA or KIA?

31/10/202431/10/2024 Posted by Brian Hartigan 304 Views 0 Comments HMAS Sydney II

A recent Letter to the Editor here at CONTACT piqued my interest – are the members of the crew of

Director Veterans' South Australia, Bianca Wheeler, pays her respects after laying a wreath at the ‘Keeping Place’ at RAAF Base Edinburgh. Story by Group Captain Gregory Weller. Photo by Aircraftwoman Halley Van Essen.

Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Air Force Veterans

Veterans’ advisory visits RAAF Base

29/10/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1088 Views 0 Comments RAAF Edinburgh, South Australian Veterans Advisory Council (VAC)

The South Australian Veterans Advisory Council and members of Veterans South Australia visited RAAF Base Edinburgh on October 21 to

Lieutenant Colonel Ben Watson appreciates a painting of the 9th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, in Vietnam with Veteran Dan Penman, right, at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera. Photo by Private Andrew Shaw.

ADF People Australian Army History Lest We Forget

Important picture of courage and sacrifice

24/10/202426/10/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 785 Views 1 Comment 8th/9th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, Gallipoli Barracks, Vietnam War

Coinciding with its 50th anniversary, 8th/9th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (8/9RAR) has acquired the Bunker Assault painting, which marks

The family of the late Colin Dudley, a World War 2 Bomber Command veteran, receive the Henry Hering Art and Architecture Award on his behalf during a ceremony at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia. Story by Flying Officer Shanea Zeegers. Photos by Aircraftwoman Halley Van Essen.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

Aussie veteran’s family accept US architecture award

24/10/202430/10/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 700 Views 0 Comments Bomber Command, RAAF Edinburgh, WWII

The daughter of World War II Bomber Command veteran Colin Dudley has received the prestigious Henry Hering Art and Architecture

Members of HMAS Brisbane's ship's company visit the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Story by Lieutenant Marie Davies.

History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Navy USA

Aussie crew commemorate Pearl Harbor and 9/11

22/10/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 720 Views 0 Comments US Navy, WWII

During a port visit to Hawaii, crew from HMAS Brisbane paid their respects to the fallen at the USS Arizona

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Stephen Chappell and Warrant Officer – Air Force Ralph Clifton unveil the plaques commemorating the loss of 100 Squadron members who perished while serving on Beauforts A9-186 and A9-374 in 1943, at RAAF Base Point Cook. Story by Flight Lieutenant Karyn Markwell. Photo by Leading Aircraftman Ryan Howell..

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

Honouring devotion to duty

11/10/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1128 Views 0 Comments Chief of Air Force, No. 100 Squadron, RAAF Point Cook, WWII

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, along with dignitaries and family members, attended the memorial service and plaque

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