Club Historical Item – Anzac Commemoration Dinner.

THE BATTLE OF OF FROMELLES – 19th JULY 1916.

On the 19th of July 2022, it was the 108th anniversary of this infamous battle, where nearly 2000 our our Australian soldiers were killed in 24 hours; the greatest loss of life by any single military division in WW1.

On the 20th April 2009 our club proudly commemorated and rememberd this battle at our largest ever Anzac Dinner held in the Lyceum Room at The Castle Hill RSL Club.

It was our Club’s most successful Anzac dinner where over 400 people attended from many walks of life.
Bruce O’Toole was our President & our incomparable Brian Daniels was our M/C and compere.

Our guest speakers were Lambis Engiezos, a Melbourne high school teacher, researcher and historian, and Tim Whitford, who’s Great Uncle, Private, Harry Willis, of D Coy, 31st Battalion AIF, fought and died in this tragic action.

Through the persistent work of these two men, who campaigned and pressured the government of the day, led by John Howard, they succeeded in getting action to recover the bodies of our heroic servicemen and archaeological investigations got underway. This resulted in the recovery of the remains of 200 Australian & 50 British Diggers in 2010, who were burried, by the Germans, in a mass, unmarked grave at Pheasent Wood , Fromelles. The Dig resulted in the recovery of over 90 Diggers who were identified by name and relatives were traced and informed. They were then reinterred with full military honours in the Fromelles Military Cemetery, newely constructed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Work is continuing to identify all bodies by DNA, a long process.

The British General who ordered this action was, Lieut. Gen. Richard Haking. Despite the overwhelming odds against his Australian/British forces, when attacking the entrenched and superior German lines, the carnage was horrendous and the most disasterous of WW1. The troops were ordered to attack the German line in open ground, only to be mowed down with over 5,500 casualties. Haking was known after the Battle as “the Butcher of Fromelles.”

I’ll never forget one slide in the 2009 presentation which depicted, that after 91 years since WW1, there were still 11,000 Aussie Diggers still listed as missing in France & Belgium.

Lambis Engiezos and Tim Whitford were well-known throughout the Australian media at the time and recognised for their outstanding work. The introduction to their addresses was a video from Channel 9’s 60 Minute Program, projected onto the Lyceum’s big screen.

Lest we Forget.