"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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Thursday, 31 July 2008
Kadina Day, 24 July 1915 Topic: Gen - St - SA
On Saturday, 24 July 1915, the leading town of South Australia's "Copper Triangle", Kadina, celebrated its annual day. This day, however, was different in one major aspect. The crowd that turned up to demonstrate their patriotism was the largest gathered outside of Adelaide.
Miss L. Kempster singing "Only a scrap of paper"
Adelaide Observer, 31 July 1915, p. 29.
One of the hightlights was the performance of Miss L. Kempster as she sang "Only a scrap of paper" to the enthusiastic crowds. Even though she looks like a mere whisp of a young lady, she must have had a powerful voice for there were no microphones or amplifiers in view. The crowd were entertained by Miss Kempster leading them into singing various patriotic songs. Afterwards there was a motorcade called the "Bulldog and his allies." The cars may be seen lined up at the rear of the picture. Another item of entertainment was the Wallaroo Gymnastics club performing their various activities while the Kadina Rifle Club gave a shooting demonstration. It was a most enjoyable day.
As time went on, Kadina Day lost its lustre. New people came up with exciting ideas. Instead of Kadina Day, the Cornish heritage is now celebrated with the Kernewek Lowender, or Cornish Festival. One of the popular pieces of real estate are the quaint Cornish miner's houses which now sell for fabulous amounts of money. Kadina remains a beautiful town in South Australia.
The following weeks will see the various pages of the Hotchkiss Machine Gun Pack for Cavalry. 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.
Desert Mounted Corps Routine Orders - 3 October 1917 Topic: AIF - DMC
Apart from the War Diary which presents a reflected view of Regimental history, one of the best sources of understanding the immediate challenges facing a regiment is to be found in the Routine Orders. They are a wealth of detail.
Desert Mounted Corps Routine Orders - 3 October 1917
Desert Mounted Corps Routine Orders, 3 October 1917, p. 1.
Another entry from the book written by Lieutenant Colonel Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir, called Yildirim. Every day, one page of the book will be posted. This is Page 24.
Diaries of AIF Servicemen, Bert Schramm, 31 July 1918 Topic: Diary - Schramm
Diaries of AIF Servicemen
Bert Schramm
31 July 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:
Bert Schramm's Handwritten Diary, 26 July - 1 August 1918
[Click on page for a larger print version.]
Bert Schramm
Wednesday, July 31, 1918
Bert Schramm's Location - Madhbeh, Jordan Valley, Palestine.
Bert Schramm's Diary - Artillery very active tonight otherwise nothing worth recording.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Madhbeh, Jordan Valley, Palestine.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - 0430, C Squadron return to bivouacs and report all clear. Kildea, Lieutenant FJ; and, 30 Other Ranks marched in from Moascar.
2200, B Squadron moved out on G Section Patrol duty.
Nominal Roll, AWM133, Nominal Roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad, 1914-1918 War.
War Diaries and Letters
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