History Archives - Page 2 of 21

Flight Sergeant Barry Day from Heavy Air Lift Systems Program Office is presented his fifth clasp to his long service medal by Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Stephen Chappell. Story by Flight Lieutenant Nicole Thomson-Pride. Photo by Aircraftman Campbell Latch.

Maintaining aircraft for 40 years

27/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 568 Views 0 Comments Chief of Air Force, Federation Star

When Flight Sergeant Barry Day enlisted in the RAAF in June 1984, Air Force still operated basic piston engine aircraft

Colonel James Murray in East Timor in 1999. Story by Corporal Luke Bellman. Photo by Corporal Luke Bellman.

ADF People Australian Army History

Proud of East Timor connection

27/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 568 Views 0 Comments East Timor, INTERFET

Colonel James Murray was recalled to work on East Timor’s ‘D-Day’, September 20, 1999, when he learnt that Australia would

Then Flying Officer Harvey Reynolds, second from left, during his INTERFET deployment with 2 Airfield Defence Squadron on a routine patrol of Atauro Island, East Timor. Story by John Noble.

ADF People History Overseas

Aviators remember ‘significant moment’ in peacekeeping

20/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1064 Views 0 Comments Timor-Leste, UN Peacekeeping

In September of 1999, the world’s attention was firmly fixed on East Timor as it sought to restore its independence.

Admiral Victor Smith, seated, as air operations officer on board HMS Tracker operating in the Atlantic and Arctic in 1943. Story by Corporal Luke Bellman. Photos courtesy Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Navy

A legacy to remember

18/09/202418/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 756 Views 0 Comments Chief of Defence Force, Chief of Navy, Fleet Air Arm, HMAS Canberra (I), HMAS Melbourne II, HMAS Sydney III, WWII

Admiral Sir Victor Alfred Trumper ‘VAT’ Smith led the first mass torpedo strike against a major warship at sea, survived

Photos of Lieutenant McWilliam, foreground right, and Captain McWilliam, foreground left; his diary, back left, and his midshipman’s journal, back right. Story and photo by Lieutenant Commander John Thompson.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Navy

Extraordinary tale behind extraordinary documents

18/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 664 Views 0 Comments AWM, WWI

The story of coincidence, persistence and happenstance – a set of historic documents uncovered at the Australian High Commission in

Representing the Chief of Air Force, Air Commodore James Badgery lays a wreath at St David's Cathedral in Hobart during the Battle of Britain National Commemoration service. Story by Flying Officer Wendy Pyper. Photos by Leading Aircraftman Brett Sherriff.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

A determination to serve and defend

18/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 711 Views 0 Comments Battle of Britain, Chief of Air Force, WWII

In a speech to the House of Commons in August 1940, then Prime Minister Winston Churchill defined the fierce battle

(L-R) Lieutenant Colonol Justin Meyer, Master Sergeant Emily Luzum, Debbie Wadwell and Group Captain Paul Jarvis with a shadow box for the Russell family, at RAAF Base Amberley, Qld. Story by Flight Lieutenant Rob Hodgson. Photos by Corporal Brett Sherriff.

ADF People History

B-2 Spirit delivers important overseas mail

13/09/202415/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 668 Views 0 Comments No. 82 Wing, RAAF Amberley, RSL, US Air Force, Vietnam War, WWII

When sending important packages overseas, most people look for a fast and secure carrier – and no other provider can

Members of ship's company of HMAS Broome prepare to march past during the vessel's decommissioning ceremony at HMAS Coonawarra, Darwin. Story by Lieutenant Commander Jonathan White. Photos by Able Seaman Jackson Dowling.

History News Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Broome decommissioned

10/09/202419/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 808 Views 0 Comments decommissioning, HMAS Broome, HMAS Coonawarra

After 17 years of proud service, HMAS Broome has decommissioned in Darwin, in front of former commanding officers, crew, families

Air Force's C-130J Hercules aircraft number A97-464 flies over the Hawkesbury area in NSW. This was the first of 12 delivered to RAAF Base Richmond. Story by Tastri Murdoch.

History News Royal Australian Air Force

Hercs reach 25-year milestone

10/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 816 Views 0 Comments Air Mobility Group (AMG), C-130J, HADR, No. 36 Squadron, No. 37 Squadron, RAAF Richmond

Bigger, faster, stronger … that was the hope 25 years ago for Air Mobility Group’s addition of 12 C-130Js at

100 Squadron English Electric Canberra bomber TT heritage aircraft flies over the Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre in Queensland. Story by Flight Lieutenant Kristi Adam. Photo by Aaron Turvey.

History News Royal Australian Air Force

Canberra bomber soars in Queensland skies

03/09/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1408 Views 0 Comments No. 100 Squadron, RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre, Vietnam Veterans’ Day

Crew of the 100 Squadron Canberra bomber put on a display above the Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre on Vietnam Veterans’

Captain Brett Westcott and members of the catafalque party attend the anniversary memorial service for the sinking of HMAS Canberra 1. Story. by Lieutenant Angela Faulkner.

History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Navy

Battle of Savo Island service honours courage and sacrifice

30/08/202431/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1231 Views 0 Comments HMAS Canberra (I), Royal Navy, US Navy, WWII

On August 9, 1942, HMAS Canberra I was hit 24 times in less than two minutes, resulting in the loss

Governor of South Australia Frances Adamson, right, presents Elizabeth Buchanan with a Medal for Gallantry, which was posthumously awarded to her father, the late Pilot Officer Warren Frank Cowan, for his actions on July 22, 1942. Story by Flight Lieutenant Robert Cochran. Photos by Sergeant David Cotton.

ADF People History Lest We Forget

Heroic WW2 acts awarded 82 years on

30/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 648 Views 0 Comments Medal for Gallantry, WWII

Medals of Gallantry have been awarded to members of 32 Squadron who were killed in action during World War 2.

Army Captain Blake Parbery holds his grandfather Gordon Wells' service medals, outside Headquarters 1st (Australian) Division, Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, Queensland. Story and photo by Captain Peter Nugent.

Australian Army History News Overseas

Exercise continues support of South Korea

28/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1398 Views 0 Comments 3rd Battalion RAR, Exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield, Gallipoli Barracks, Headquarters 1st (Australian) Division, Kapyong, Korean War

Members of Headquarters 1st (Australian) Division travelled to South Korea in August for Exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield for the next

Lieutenant Jonathan Wills visits Henricus Avenue, Colombo, once home to his mother's family and which now bears the family name. Story by Lieutenant Commander Emma Anderson. Photos by Petty Officer Bradley Darvill.

ADF People History Overseas Royal Australian Navy

A golden opportunity in Sri Lanka

28/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 910 Views 0 Comments Indo-Pacific Endeavour, Navy Reserve

A deployment to Sri Lanka was like an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? for public affairs officer

Australian military personnel gather for a dawn service at the Trincomalee Commonwealth War Cemetery in Sri Lanka. Story by Lieutenant Jonathan Wills. Photos by Leading Seaman David Cox.

History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Navy Videos

Indo-Pacific partners share history of sacrifice

23/08/202423/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1420 Views 0 Comments Indo-Pacific Endeavour, Sri Lankan Defence Force, WWII

In the dim first light of day, a contingent of ADF personnel gathered for a dawn service on August 17

Retired Caribou aviators and 35 Squadron Association members with a restored de Havilland DHC-4 Caribou at the RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre. Story by Flight Lieutenant Rob Hodgson. Photos by Sergeant Peter Borys.

History News Royal Australian Air Force Veterans

Wallaby Airlines remembered

21/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1705 Views 2 Comments C-27J Spartan, No. 35 Squadron, RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre, Wallaby Airlines

On a cold, wet morning at RAAF Base Amberley, 35 Squadron Association members gathered to commemorate a significant event for

Madeleine King MP hands over Sergeant John Brislin’s WW2 medals to his son, Bruce Brislin, outside her office in Rockingham, WA. Story by Lieutenant Commander John . Photos Supplied.

ADF People History Lest We Forget

WW2 medals lost but not forgotten

21/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 741 Views 0 Comments WWII

“We will remember them” is more than a phrase. CAPTION: Madeleine King MP hands over Sergeant John Brislin’s WW2 medals to

The Australian War Memorial's V2 rocket on a Meillerwagen launching trailer inside the memorial's storage hub in Mitchell, ACT. Story and photo by Corporal Jacob Joseph.

History News Royal Australian Air Force

Exciting piece of history on display

16/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1430 Views 0 Comments AWM, WWII

For the first time, the Australian War Memorial (AWM) will display a Nazi missile alongside a Lancaster bomber sent to

Army soldiers from Rifle Company Butterworth rotation 144 receive an historical briefing prior to conducting the Sandakan Death March in Sandakan, Malaysia. Story by Lieutenant Chloe Reay. Photos by Corporal Nakia Chapman.

Australian Army History Lest We Forget News

Diggers retrace Sandakan Death March to pay tribute

16/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1153 Views 0 Comments Malaya and Borneo, Rifle Company Butterworth, WWII

In 1942, under Japanese occupation, Australian prisoners of war were sent to Sandakan in Borneo, Malaysia, to build an airstrip.

Privates Bianca Nankervis and Nelson Fox from Rifle Company Butterworth rotation 144 visit the Kundasang War Memorial in Ranau, Malaysia. Story and photos by Lieutenant Chloe Reay.

Australian Army History Lest We Forget News

Paying tribute to fallen family members

16/08/202424/08/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 1101 Views 0 Comments 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, Malaya and Borneo, Rifle Company Butterworth, WWII

As part of their three-month deployment to Malaysia, soldiers from Rifle Company Butterworth (RCB) rotation 144 were given the opportunity