stevebecker
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Aboriginal Soldiers
While going through the service record of Horace McMurray on the weekend.
Now this is on the Archives site and in the back of the file is a two page document from the Reveille magazine dated 30th November 1922 or 32?
It gives a long list of Native soldiers who served in the AIF from NSW and Qld.
These list were supplied to the magazine by the Dept of Aborigines of those states.
Now I have seen a smaller list in the Qld Libary but not like this one. I wonder if such were done for Victoria, SA and WA?
These soldies are on the whole not full blood but of what is called half caste.
Does anyone have this Magazine so I can get a clearer copy of it (and the names) as my print didn't work well.
S.B
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10/27/2003, 11:03 am
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Andrew P
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
Hi Steve
There's a bloke who works at the AWM who might be able to help. Garth O'Connell did quite a bit of research on Aboriginal members of the Army in both WW1 & WW2 and I think he still works in the education section of the AWM.
If you want his e-mail address let me know and I'll e-mail it through to you.
He also had a website on this topic, but unfortunately I've lost the link to it.
Cheers
Andrew
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10/27/2003, 3:14 pm
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ghosken
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
I too have a contact in Canberra who has spent a long time looking at Aboriginal enlistments - Dave Huggonson. A lot of the knowledge of this topic comes from Dave, often without ackowledgment to him. Let me know if you would like to make contact with him.
Graeme
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10/27/2003, 3:57 pm
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stevebecker
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
Thanks mates that would be good.
Reason for asking was that I would like to place them on my data base of all LH and LH suport units.
I now have about 50 ID'ed so far.
I think I have seen the site on Aboriginal soldiers but couldn't get a look at his list as yet.
Do any of you blokes have old copies of Reville from that date?
S.B
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10/27/2003, 5:06 pm
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Kate Blake
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
Steve,
Sorry can't help you with Reville. I have Garth's link listed as
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/statuepark/620/
One thing I read on his site which may be of interest was
quote: My brother's girlfriend asked me to research a few names from her (Koori) family who have served in the Australian Army, well. . . one of the names (and his hometown) matched up with something I TOTALLY did not expect. . . . a CAPTAIN in the 6th Light Horse Regiment in World War One! That would make this fella the first Aboriginal Commissioned Officer in the Australian Army (Reg Saunders got his pips in 1944)!!! I will be asking her family to confirm the details (next of kin, date of death - 1931 etc) with the family. If he proves to be this bloke then its history re-written!!!
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10/27/2003, 9:30 pm
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Bryn
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
Steve,
Also see if you can get hold of these:
Grant, Douglas. Papers. Mitchell Library, Sydney.
Ref: ML MSS 2766
(Full Blood aborigine of Atherton Qld, enl 6 Jan 1916, 13 Bn. POW in Germany).
Huggonson, D. 'Aboriginal Diggers of the 9th Brigade, 1st AIF' in Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society. RAHS, Sydney. 1993, pp214 - 225.
Clarke, C. D. 'Aborigines in the 1st A.I.F.' in Army Journal. March 1973.
The only article that I have handy is:
'Aborigine Diggers: List Grows' in Reveille. 31 Oct 1931, p 15.
The article, which is very short, names two Aboriginal ex-soldiers resident in Mannum, South Australia; George Carpenter and Don Campbell. Campbell was a member of 'a Victorian unit.' Carpenter served in the 10th Battalion.
It also names No. 6522 Pte Thomas Bowen, 18th Battalion; a 'full blooded aborigine.' He was killed in action 20 Sep 1917. He was from Cunamulla (Q), but enlisted from the 'aboriginal station at Angledool (NSW).'
From my research into the 5th Light Horse Regiment:
No. 1204 (8th Reinforcements) Trooper Harry DOYLE. He transferred to the Imperial Camel Corps: 12 Coy 4 Bn.(He's listed as an Aboriginal in 'Reveille', Nov 30 1931).
Trooper Harry ROBERTS, GS Rfts. ('Reveille', Nov 30 1931).
No.3496 Trooper Frederick TEARE, 30th Rfts. Next of Kin listed as: Brother; J. Teare, of Clermont, Queensland. Discharged 28 Aug 1919. ('Reveille', Nov 30 1931).
I looked, but don't seem to have the original 'Reveille' article from 30 Nov 1931 any more. I did have it, as well as the original 'Too Dark For the Light Horse' article, but that was many years ago. If I come across any of them I'll let you know.
Bryn
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10/27/2003, 9:59 pm
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Kate Blake
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
Here is a photo I was given awhile ago, have no idea who the men are but man in front row looks to be aboriginal?
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10/27/2003, 11:06 pm
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Madras19
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
Steve- I do not have any Reveille magazines for the period you have listed.
FYI- I do not think Reveille magazines were published at all in the 1920's. I was pretty sure it began in the early 1930's.
Bryn- I have never heard of an Aboriginal of any description being an officer in the L.H.? But it would not surprise me if that were not some percentage of native in more than a few men in the A.I.F.
I have an article written during that period that refer to native Australians in very derogatory terms.They are more akin to desciptions that might be associated with livestock rather than humans.
Geoff S
I will see what I have.
Last edited by Madras19, 10/27/2003, 11:19 pm
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10/27/2003, 11:17 pm
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stevebecker
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
You may be right.
It appears its is not a two page artical but two pages from different issues.
Reville Page 22 of 30th November 1931 "Many Served AIF Aborigines" Has a good list of Qld and Northern NSW soldiers
And Reveille Page 20 of 31st January 1932 "AIF Aborigines NSW" Has list of many NSW soldiers including many Regt numbers. Included is a photo of Alexander Grant 13Bn.
I am still to confirm many of the names mentioned in these lists but makes intertesting work.
Thanks for the detail Bryn I notice many of these names are in the Qld Libary and I believed it to be the only one but I am glad to see others took some interest in their native soldiers.
That this artical was printed at that time shows that not all Australians were anti Aboriginal as we are led to beleive.
S.B
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10/28/2003, 7:52 am
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Andrew Smith
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Re: Aboriginal Soldiers
G'day Steve,
I am not sure of where you are living, but the State Library of NSW holds the entire collection of Reveille in its Mitchell Library annex.
They make for great reading and have helped me in the past with research.
If you are not in Sydney try emailing the NSW state branch of the RSL on;
[email protected]
Regards,
Andrew.
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10/28/2003, 9:31 am
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