Social Media
The society shares maintains a number of social media channels to interact with our members, share useful or interesting information. We do this to enhance and promote interest in military history and to share our passion with the world.
You can see each of our channels below, including our live social media feed which collates the activities on twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Aerial photo from August 1945 of Sydney Harbour at end of WW2. ... See MoreSee Less
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
South Vietnam. March 1971. Private Max Lincoln of Griffith, New South Wales, a member of 176 Air Despatch Company, communicates, by way of field radio, with a Chinook helicopter which is delivering bladders of diesel fuel to Night Defence Position Garth. ... See MoreSee Less
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Photos from Australian War Memorial's post ... See MoreSee Less
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.1 CommentsComment on Facebook
Australian Town and Country Journal. Saturday 16 February 1901.
VIEWS FROM PEKIN, CHINA. N.S.W. Marine Light Infantry in the Ching Wing Zu Palace in Pekin.Australian Town and Country Journal.
Saturday 16 February 1901.
VIEWS FROM PEKIN, CHINA.
N.S.W. Marine Light Infantry in the Ching Wing Zu Palace in Pekin. ... See MoreSee Less
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This powerful speech is attracting a lot of attention. Amongst other things, Deputy Chief of Army Major General Chris Smith argues that it is vital "to build more historical awareness by mandating the study of warfare and armies."
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Deputy chief of army warns ADF 'detached' from violent nature of war
www.abc.net.au
Major General Chris Smith delivered an excoriating address to a major conference last year, declaring "managerial and advertising logic and double speak" had "polluted" the military.31 CommentsComment on Facebook
This image captures the inaugural investiture of the Victoria Cross, the highest British military honor for bravery, in Hyde Park, London, on June 26, 1857. Read more:This image captures the inaugural investiture of the Victoria Cross, the highest British military honor for bravery, in Hyde Park, London, on June 26, 1857.
✠ Historic Ceremony: Queen Victoria is depicted on her horse, "Sunset," personally awarding the first 62 medals to veterans of the Crimean War.
✠ The Medal: The Victoria Cross was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856 to recognize conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy.
✠ Unique Composition: The medals are famously struck in bronze from guns captured during the Crimean War and bear a secret mark of authenticity.
✠ Significance: This ceremony was revolutionary at the time for making no distinction between officers and enlisted men in its award.
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded to service personnel in the broader British Empire (later Commonwealth of Nations), with most successor independent nations now having established their own honours systems and no longer recommending British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. No civilian has received the award since James Adams in 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. The investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace.
The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals, of which 11 to members of the British Army and 4 to members of the Australian Army, have been awarded since the Second World War. The traditional explanation of the source of the metal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from a Russian cannon captured at the siege of Sevastopol. However, research has indicated another origin for the material. The historian John Glanfield has established that the metal for most of the medals made since December 1914 came from two Chinese cannon and that there is no evidence of Russian origin.
The VC is highly prized and has been valued at over £400,000 at auctions. A number of public and private collections are devoted to the Victoria Cross. The private collection of Lord Ashcroft, which has been amassed since 1986, contains over one-tenth of all Victoria Crosses awarded.
Beginning with Canada on its centenary of confederation in 1967, followed in 1975 by Australia[9] and New Zealand, these countries developed their own national honours systems, separate from and independent of the British or Imperial honours system. As each country's system evolved, operational gallantry awards were developed with the premier award of each system, with the Victoria Cross for Australia, the Canadian Victoria Cross and the Victoria Cross for New Zealand being created and named in honour of the Victoria Cross. They are unique awards of each honours system recommended, assessed, gazetted and presented by each country. ... See MoreSee Less
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The Colenso Family had strong connections to Daceyville, New South Wales. Mr William (Bill) Colenso Senior, father of the Colenso Family served with distinction in World War I. It was no surprise that four of his sons, “the Colenso Boys”, enlisted to serve in World War II. William Junior, Frank, Edward and Raymond all signed up at the same time on the same day. The four brothers ended up in the doomed 8th Battalion, 2nd AIF that was deployed to Malaya and Singapore in early 1942. William Colenso Junior and Ray Colenso were killed during the fall of Singapore from 8 to 15 February 1942. Frank and Ted Colenso were captured and remained POWs until the end of the war in August 1945. ... See MoreSee Less
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Rosebery Racecourse (now Eastlakes), Sydney, New South Wales, was the staging ground for the 1st Light Horse Brigade during the early years of World War I. ... See MoreSee Less
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