The Military History Society of NSW

Telephone: 0419 698 783 Email: president@militaryhistorynsw.com.au Statement dated 16 December 2019 by the Council of the Military History Society of New South Wales on the appointment of Mr Matthew Anderson as Director of the Australian War Memorial In April this year, the Council of the Military History Society of New South Wales issued a statement supporting the proposed re-development and expansion of the Australian War Memorial in opposition to an open letter signed by 83 familiar critics. The Council welcomed the joint announcement on 18 November 2019 by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel of the Commonwealth Government’s official adoption of the nine-year development project. The Council now welcomes the announcement on 12 December 2019 that Mr Matthew Anderson PSM has been appointed to replace Dr Brendan Nelson AO as Director of the Memorial. The announcement notes that Mr Anderson is a veteran himself and “Graduate...

Visit to Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Aviation Museum The latest event on the Military History Society of NSW excursion program was a group visit on Sunday 17 November 2019 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Aviation Museum at Shellharbour Airport in Albion Park south of Sydney. Most of the group made the trip by private bus driven by our President while others drove down. On arrival we were fortunate to be taken on a tour of the Museum by HARS member and guide Dennis Weatherall, who also happens to be our Society's Secretary/Treasurer. Dennis's encyclopedic knowledge of each aircraft and its history made the visit a very rewarding experience. The Museum displays a fascinating range of both civil and military aircraft stretching back to the earliest days of aviation with a replica of Charles Kingsford-Smith's 'Southern Cross' to a series of propeller and jet passenger airliners including a Super Constellation and the recentl...

Between 1962 and 1966, Indonesia under the aggressive leadership of Sukarno ‘confronted’ the new state of Malaysia, labelling it a cloak for British imperial interests in south-east Asia. The two nations fought a small, undeclared war, drawing troops from Australia, New Zealand and Britain to the Malaysian cause. Dennis Healey, UK Secretary of State for Defence, called this “one of the most efficient uses of military forces in the history of the world”. During its deployment to Malaya, 3 rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) was engaged in a number of different operational situations. Colonel Bob Guest Rtd (pictured) will present an overview of ‘Konfrontasi’, highlighting significant events and actions based on personal experience as a digger and subsequent research. During its 5 months tour of Borneo, 3 RAR conducted 30 secret ‘Claret’ operations across the border into Indonesia. Eighteen of these were fighting patrols and there were four significant con...

This is the "From the Editor" column of the Spring 2019 issue of the Society's quarterly magazine, RECONNAISSANCE. The full magazine is available to Society members. Welcome to the Spring 2019 issue of Reconnaissance. We have seen many wartime centenaries and anniversaries over recent times and this year is no exception. 2019 marks the 75 th  anniversary of events during that pivotal Second World War year of 1944. For the English speaking world at least, no event of that period was bigger than D-Day. Operation Overlord may not have been as devastating for the Third Reich as the unstoppable Soviet juggernaut. But that success on the Normandy beaches was more than an indispensable condition for Nazi defeat, it was a crucial determinant of post-war history in Europe and across the world. So it is worth commemorating, even here in Australia. In that vein the Society dedicated its July lecture to a D-Day related subject. Our President stepped forward with a capt...

The world’s first military railway  was built in 1855 during the invasion of Crimea by Great Britain  and France, known subsequently as ‘Grand Central Crimean Railway’. Growing to 17 miles of track, its purpose was to supply ammunition and provisions to Allied soldiers engaged in the highly engineered siege of Sevastopol . While the invasion of Crimea is widely regarded as a disaster, this was a case of logistics undertaken by experts who knew exactly what they were doing and how to do it. Colin Kay DCM is a member of our Society and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in modern history. He served as a warrant officer class 2 in the Royal Australian Engineers of the Australian Army, during which time he was awarded the DCM. Time & Venue: Saturday, 2 November 2019, 2:00pm – 3:00pm, Goulburn Room, Level 4, City of Sydney RSL, 561-567 George Street, Sydney CBD. Admission is free of charge but a gold coin donation would be appreciated. For further information call...

Military History Society of NSW group visit to the Australian Army Infantry Museum, Singleton, 29 September 2019 The latest event in the Society’s excursion program was a group visit on Sunday, 29 September 2019 to the Australian Army Infantry Museum at Singleton, 200 kilometres north-west of Sydney. A sizeable party of Society members climbed aboard the private bus driven by our President in York Street, Sydney CBD at 8:00 am. The chilly morning turned into a beautiful spring day as we proceeded up the Pacific Highway and other routes to arrive at Singleton just before 11:00 am. The museum is located alongside Lone Pine Barracks, an Australian Army base hosting the Australian Army School of Infantry and other army support services. On arrival we were treated to a warm reception from the AAIM’s assistant manager Warrant Officer Warren Barnes, who led us on an informative and entertaining tour of the facility.  The museum has a long history. Starting ...