News and Announcements!

This website is constantly being updated with new pictures and information. Keep checking in for updates. If you have any photos that I could use for the site, please contact the webmaster.

WANTED - Overwatch Battle Group (West) Books

I'm chasing copies of the Overwatch Battle Group (OBG) 2, 3 and 4 Iraq tour books, AMTG1 book and books for RTF1 ad RTF2 (Afghanistan) - please drop me a line if you have any spare copies for sale or trade. I'm happy to offer a generous price for them.

WANTED - Light Horse 1st edition books!

The webmaster is chasing 1st edition copies of the following Light Horse books:

The Story of the 3^rd Australian Light Horse Regiment - Blackwell

3^rd Light Horse Regiment, A.I.F, 1914-1919 (Devonport, Tasmania: Advocate Newspaper Press, 1919) - Sir George Bell

History Of The Fifth Light Horse Regiment, 1914 - 1919. Motor Press, Sydney, 1926

The Seventh Light Horse Regiment 1914 - 1919 - J D Richardson

If you have any for trade or sale please let me know.

23/03/2009

Calling All 1st Australian Armoured Division Veterans

Cate Clark on behalf of the Gunnedah RSL Sub Branch is working to build a history of the 1st Armoured Division during WW2 in the Gunnedah area of NSW.

Cate explains:

The Australian Armoured Division came into being in July 1941 with the Headquarters being located at Puckapunyal Victoria. The units that comprised the Division were far flung from Headquarters and were only brought all together with the decision of their commander, Major General Robertson, in July 1942 to conduct exercises in the North West of New South Wales.

Whilst most of the tank activity was located around Edgeroi and Wee Waa there were also activities in the Gunnedah region and for a time Headquarters was located on Wandobah Road near the current town limits. The statistics involved in the locating of the 1st AAD are staggering.

There were:
• Twenty thousand men in the Division.
• Three trains emptied daily of 40 tons of food and 60 – 100 tons of ammunition and
• Petrol was taken forward at the rate of 450 tons for each 100 miles travelled by the Division.

Then, during December 1942 – February 1943 Gunnedah became the point of departure with over 20000 troops departing for Western Australia.

To date the Project has:

• Identified and mapped and photographed each of the sites where the Brigades/Divisions/Units were located. This has been collated into a map compiled by the GIS officer of Gunnedah Council. This is now on display in the Council Chambers.
• Ordered and examined original material including Original Intelligence Summaries, Original Military Issued War Diary of Daily Events, various articles of interest from the local paper of the time the Independent Advertiser, various original photos.
• Started collecting oral histories from veterans/residents etc

This is where you come in

I would love to hear from anyone with any connection to the 1st Armoured Division. I am hoping to locate more photos, stories, yarns, memories or any memorabilia.

I am also interested in trying to track down a Mr William Joseph Brewster (SX17721) or his family. Corporal Brewster drew a map which showed placement of the various units in and around Gunnedah on the 7th December 1942. As this is the basis of our OOB and GIS Map I would like to acknowledge Corporal Brewster with either a photo or a short story. He was with the 2/5th Armoured Regiment.

Cate's email: cgclark@nsw.chariot.net.au