"At a mile distant their thousand hooves were stuttering thunder, coming at a rate that frightened a man - they were an awe inspiring sight, galloping through the red haze - knee to knee and horse to horse - the dying sun glinting on bayonet points..." Trooper Ion Idriess
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Monday, 8 September 2008
The Battle of Bitapaka, New Guinea, 11 September 1914, Burnell's Photographic Essay, 1914, Part 4 Topic: BatzNG - Bitapaka
The Battle of Bitapaka
New Guinea, 11 September 1914
Burnell's Photographic Essay, 1914, Part 4
A pictorial essay published shortly after the capture of German New Guinea put together by F.S. Burnell. While the book is unabashed propaganda, the photographs in it at times illustrate aspects of the expedition and Rabaul. The following are pictures from the book.
F.S. Burnell, How Australia took German New Guinea - An Illustrated Record of the Australian Naval & Military Expedition Force, Sydney, 1915.
Men disembarking from the Berrima to take part in the fighting at Bitapaka.
View of Rabaul Harbour
China Town, Rabaul
"H" Company parading on Rabaul wharf with their pet chow, "Lupus"
Diaries of AIF Servicemen, Bert Schramm, 8 September 1918 Topic: Diary - Schramm
Diaries of AIF Servicemen
Bert Schramm
8 September 1918
Bert Schramm
2823 Private Herbert Leslie SCHRAMM, a 22 year old Farmer from Whites River, South Australia. He enlisted on 17 February 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 10 July 1919.
During part of the course of his military service with the AIF, Bert Schramm kept a diary of his life. Bert was not a man of letters so this diary was produced with great effort on his behalf. Bert made a promise to his sweetheart, Lucy Solley, that he would do so after he received the blank pocket notebook wherein these entries are found. As a Brigade Scout since September 1918, he took a lead part in the September Offensive by the Allied forces in Palestine. Bert's diary entries are placed alongside those of the 9th Light Horse Regiment to which he belonged and to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade to which the 9th LHR was attached. On this basis we can follow Bert in the context of his formation.
The Diaries
The complete diary is now available on the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre Site at:
Nominal Roll, AWM133, Nominal Roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad, 1914-1918 War.
War Diaries and Letters
All War Diaries and letters cited on this site should be read in conjunction with the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, War Diaries and Letters, Site Transcription Policy which may be accessed at:
The following entries are extracted and transcribed from the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, the originals of which are held by the Australian War Memorial. There are 366 entries on this site. Each day has entries as they occurred from 1914 to 1919. In addition to the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, when appropriate, entries from the 3rd Light Horse Brigade War Diary and other regiments with the Brigade will also appear. Entries from the unit history, Darley, TH, With the Ninth Light Horse in the Great War, Adelaide, Hassell Press, 1924 will also appear from time to time. The aim is to give the broadest context to the story and allow the reader to follow the day to day activities of the regiment. If a relative happened to have served in the regiment during the Great War, then this provides a general framework in which the individual story may be told.
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Rhododendron Hill
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Second Lieutenant G MacDonald and 18 Other Ranks of the 9th Light Horse Regiment returned from Hill 60 and were placed in the trenches.
One of the Suffolks hit in the thigh while gathering firewood.
Major General Sir AJ Godley inspected the trenches.
9th Light Horse Regiment Routine Order No. 8
Para 180. It has been arranged with the GOC NZ 1st Brigade to install 3 machine guns and a piquet of 50 men in the trenches which face north east. All machine guns of the 3rd Light horse Brigade will be placed in the main fire trench.
25. March Out. OC Suffolks will arrange for all of his unit to march out on receipt of instructions except 2 Sergeants and 50 Other Ranks. Those left behind will include the 30 diggers, 10 men in No. 3 Post, 3 men in No. 4 Post and 7 men on Table Top. These will march out later in the day.
1916
Friday, September 8, 1916
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Hod Nabit
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Carrying out Routine Work.
On alternate days, one Squadron takes over line of Outposts running from Bayed to Bada and thus connecting with the Imperial Camel Corps on right and New Zealand Mounted Rifles on left.
1917
Saturday, September 8, 1917
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Abasan el Kebir
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Practice turnout.
Received order 0450 to turn out.
Left camp 0610 and marched to point of concentration one mile south of Desert Corps Headquarters. Returned to camp 0900.
General Officer in Command Division in appreciation stated that the 3rd Light Horse Brigade turnout very good.
Evening 3rd Light Horse Brigade Concert Party in YMCA.
1918
Sunday, September 8, 1918
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Ludd area
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - 1030 Voluntary church parade. Stephen, Lieutenant HH; and, two Other Ranks returned from School of Instruction, El Arish.
1919
Monday, September 8, 1919
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Adelaide
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Regiment disbanded.
The following weeks will see the various pages from the Hotchkiss Portable Machine Gun Handbook, the official manual issued by the company for the use of troops in the field. The Hotchkiss Gun was introduced in the Light Horse formations during the early months of 1917. The introduction of this robust and portable gun gave the Light Horse Regiments additional mobile fire power which considereably added to their ability to sustain light combat situations and defend against vastly numerically superior forces. Apart from being an excellent weapon, it was in much demand by the Turkish forces who considered the capture of a Hotchkiss Gun well worth any risks involved in the process. This is a manual produced in 1917 and illustrates the method by which the Hotchkiss Gun was packed and moved throughout the Palestine campaign.
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