Mick's Blog

May Catalogue #263

Posted On May 06, 2023 | Aviation,Naval,SIMMO,Special Forces and Airborne,The Great War 1914-1918,Vietnam,World War 2 1939 - 1945 | No Comments

Welcome to  Catalogue 263, May 2023. Autumn is now sprung on us here in Perth with cool days and cold nights. We have the first signs of rain whilst the main population areas of Australia, ie, the east coast, are again subjected to heavy down pours.

April was a month of remembrance—our 48th wedding anniversary and my birthday, and the big one, ANZAC DAY. Again I declined to march or meet up with my mates and, being a non-drinker, I supposed to myself, that this may have been difficult. So…once again, I armed myself with a large candle and stood on the footpath at first light till dawn. This is the time when I most remember the original ANZACS and the perils as they faced the black hills of Gallipoli. Then the Turks opened fire with everything they had catching many poor diggers in the boats and many more in the water and on the beach. But our boys struggled on and got a foothold on the slopes where they dug in. They were there for 8 odd months and in that time lost around 8,000 men. With my solemn vigil complete, I came in and turned on the TV and watched all the commemorations around Australia and Villers Bretonneux and later on the Dawn Service at Gallipoli.

It was a day of great reflection and remembrance as is this catalogue dedicated to the mates we’ve lost, current serving diggers and those who may struggling as a result of service.       VcD  M&J