Anzac Day

It pissed down. In fact, it pissed down for three days straight. Monday, Tuesday and ANZAC Day. It pissed down on dawn services all over New South Wales and it blew a cold wind at the dawn service at Anzac Cove.


(Embiggen)

It stopped raining for just long enough to take some photos. There was supposed to be a parade through Woy Woy at 9.30 but it was rained out. Bummer.

The sign says:
"Gosford City Council
WOY WOY MEMORIAL PARK
A place of remembrance"

The coffin-shaped object in the left foreground says:
"LEST WE FORGET"

That's Pelican Island in the background then Saratoga.



The wording for all faces of the memorial is here in last ANZAC Day's post.



From the north-east corner looking towards Parks Bay.


(Embiggen)

Jump to plaque wordings

Some of the abbreviations on the plaques I know, some I'm having trouble getting explanations for. We'll start with the ones I know.

Not in any sort of order:
1st AIF/ 1 AIF - Australian Imperial Forces in World War One.
2nd AIF/ 2 AIF - Australian Imperial Forces in World War Two.
RAN - Royal Australian Navy
RN - [British] Royal Navy
RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force
L/CPL - Lance Corporal
AB - Able Seaman
LAC - Leading Aircraftsman
LS - Leading Seaman. My great-uncle was a Leading Seaman in the RAN. LSM amy also be Leading Seaman.
SGT - Sergeant
STD - Steward
TPR - Trooper
PTE - Private
Para. Btn. - Parachute Battalion.
SPR - Sapper. Wiki says: A sapper is an individual usually in British or Commonwealth military service. Called a combat engineer by the Americans, a pionier by the Germans and a génie by the French, a sapper may perform any of a variety of tasks under combat conditions. Such tasks typically include bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions, field defences as well as building, road and airfield construction and repair. In other words, the sapper's tasks now involve facilitating movement of allied forces and impeding movement of the enemy's. Sapper (abbreviated Spr) is the Royal Engineers' equivalent of Private.

These two I think I've got right:
F/AMB - Field Ambulance?
GNR - Gunner?

If you know what they are, bung it in the comments so we all know. This here is an ed-you-mick-ay-shun webthingy.

There's hundreds more at the Australian War Memorial Glossary.

Top row, left to right:
"A.B
P.CATSACOS
MERCHANT NAVY
3.7.76"

"NX52151
SPR
C.F.BARROW
2.F/CO.
2. A.I.F.
7.8.76"

"10963
L/CPL
AE.WOOLF
12.A.E.M.3.DIV.
1 A.I.F.
27.8.76"

"NX155362
SPR
R.G.WINSOR
2/1.A.F.C
2.A.I.F.
27.976"

Middle row, left to right:
"NX 118238
TPR.
F.W.DUNN
2nd A.I.F.
18.12.00"

"132082
L.A.C.
A.WAUGH
R.A.A.F.
14.12.00"

"SSX26117 $ 34305
LSM
A.MUIR
R.N & R.A.N
14.4.00"

Bottom row, left to right:
"665
S/SGT
A.A.CUNYNGHAME
1. DIV. HO.
1. A.I.F.
9.7.76"

"15004
CPL
C.H.MITCHELL
R.A.A.F
12.8.76"

"109
PTE
L.W.ROBEY
44.BTN.
1 A.I.F
10.9.76"

"QX8188
PTE
E.W.McDERMOTT
2/15. BTN.
2. A.I.F
20.10.76"


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Top row, left to right:
"C823
PTE.
E.E. SMITH
14. BATN. 1.A.I.F
7.8.62"

"STD
E.W.HAWKINS
MERCHANT NAVY
10.8.66"

"NX29545
SGT
T.O'HANLON
4.ARM.BGDE.CO.
2. A.I.F
20.11.68"

"501
TPR
C.P.SWENY
7. L/HORSE
1. A.I.F
12.5.70"

"QX20972
SPR
R.T. AMOS
2/24. F/PARK CO
R.A. 2. A.I.F
17.7.70"

"4630
PTE
R.A.COL[D?]
3.BATN. 1 A.[I.F]
31.7.??"

Middle row, left to right:
"24344
P.O.
R.G.QUIN
R.A.N.
25.8.95"

"S 4420
AB.
C.W.N.DAVIS
R.A.N.R
25.5.96"

"SEAMAN
O.D.AYLING
MERCHANT NAVY
24.7.97"

"2-770370
L/CPL.
G.E.WRIGHT
A.M.F.
18.11.98"

"NX 96690
A.J.LEE
2nd A.I.F
17.8.97"

Bottom row, left to right:
"10090
PTE.
C.E.WOOLFORD
15. F/AMB.
1 A.I.F
13.11.29"

"3120
PTE
E.A.RICHARDSON
M.M
33.BATN. 1.A.I.F
25.9.68"

"NX23442
PTE
L.A.NEWMAN
2.5. A.G.H
21_11_69"

"7738
PTE
J.W.WILSON
15.BATN. 1. A.I.F
24.6.70"

"NX193827
PTE
F.S.BAILEY
6.R.STORES DPT
2. A.I.F
18.7.70"

"49901
DVR
G.W.ANGEL--
R.F.A.--
4_10_ --"



(Embiggen)

Top row, left to right:
"NX121060
S. GreenHalgh
2.A.I.F
15.6.63"

"NX90584
PTE
A. Lowe
PARA. BTN.
2.A.I.F.
13.11.73"

"20047
PTE
K.E.McELHINNEY
4. F/AMB.
22.3.75"

"23799
A.B
R.M.COLE
R.A.N
15.5.76"

"NX122263
MAJOR
G.F.FINL--
A.I.F. VET--
2. A.I.[F.]
3.4. []"

Middle row, left to right:
"[]
[?] M.TAYLOR
[R].A.N.
[]0.10.99"

"421538
F/O
T.N.JONES
R.A.A.F.
26.4.99"

"NX [1]7019[?]
2nd A.I.F.
2.11.99"

"NX 151862
PTE.
F.R.REEVES
2nd A.I.F.
21.1.99"

"NX 67219
SAPPER
F.K.RUSSELL
2nd A.I.F.
4.7.95"

Bottom row, left to right:
"NX55780
GNR
L.G.COOKE
2/6. F/REG.
2.A.I.F.
14.6.73"
3402
PTE
D.E.McCROW
2. BTN.
1.A.I.F.
12.11.75"

"NX53172
PTE
R.D.ROBERTS
273SUPPLY DEPOT
2. A.I.F.
11.5.76"

"558718
SPR
S.H.PATSTON
SPL.SIG. CO.
R.E
28.3.76"

6868
CPL
H.E.THOMAS
13.BTN.
1.A.I.F.
26.4.7[6?]"


"2.A.I.F." appears to mean 2nd AIF, and "1.A.I.F." to mean 1st AIF. AIF means Australian Imperial Force.
"The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was the name given to two all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.

* First Australian Imperial Force (1914-18)
* Second Australian Imperial Force (1939-45)

Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, Australia had a very small regular army and reservists in the Australian Citizens Military Forces which could not be deployed overseas. Therefore the AIFs were formed in 1914 and 1939 respectively." Wiki

And while we're here, let's not be forgetting the Turks lost more boys at Anzac Cove than us and the Kiwis put together and along with whitefellas there was Aboriginal ANZACs in the firing line as well.

Lest we forget