The Military History Society of NSW

After our usual monthly lecture  at 10:30AM on Saturday, 6 September 2025 we will be offering a special supplementary presentation: The World War II German Enigma Cipher Machine - Live Demonstration and Explanation by Mike Pritchard of the Australian Spy Museum For The Military History Society of New South Wales, 11:30am, Saturday, 6 September 2025, The Auditorium, Anzac Memorial Hyde Park, Sydney CBD. The German Enigma machine is one of the most powerful and mysterious artefacts of WWII. Carrying the very plans the Germans executed in the field, the majority were destroyed by the Germans in retreat, then by their captors including Australia. This talk uniquely uses fully operational 1940's cipher machines to show how the machines work, and the process used to create encrypted messages. We also have a brief look at the influence of Enigma on the birth of computing, and successive cryptography equipment. Seeing working Enigma machines is a touchstone experience for anyo...

  “From the Editor” column of the Winter 2025 Issue of Reconnaissance , the quarterly magazine of The Military History Society of New South Wales. Welcome to the Winter 2025 Issue of Reconnaissance . This issue’s cover feature is a stark reminder of just how impressive were the men who volunteered to fight for Australia in World War I. Robert Thomas’ account of Lieutenant Reginald Black’s pursuit of duty to death on the field of battle is all the more powerful for his matter-of-fact telling of the story. A grazier from Boggabri NSW, Black had no military training when he enlisted in November 1914. Joining the 6th Light Horse Regiment, he was shipped to Egypt in February 1915, and would soon be embroiled in the war’s mythical upheavals. In May, the 6th Light Horse landed in Gallipoli. Black’s C Squadron was deployed in “demonstrations” against Turkish lines, resulting in such heavy casualties that he was prematurely promoted to corporal. September brought more demonstrations, th...

As part of our Society's program of group visits to sites of military historical interest, some members visited the Army Museum of New South Wales at Victoria Barracks, Paddington, Sydney on Sunday, 18 May 2025. Parties of members were led on a fascinating tour of the barracks grounds including major buildings like the Main Barrack Block completed in 1846 and the Officers' mess, followed by a tour of the museum itself, which displays many interesting exhibits relating to military aspects of New South Wales from earliest colonial days through to overseas commitments and more recent times. We thank Major Michael Kelly, the Museum Manager, for his time and informative guide work. Below is a selection of photographs of museum exhibits taken on the day (photographing of the grounds was restricted). Instructions on how to become a member of The Military History Society of NSW can be found on our website here .

Under The Same Moon is a distinctive narrative that weaves together the lives of a family, their sons, and the men of the battalion they join, all set against the backdrop of a now-vanished Australia of World War II. This compelling historical account breathes life into the people and places of the era, creating a sense of immediacy and intimacy that captivates you. Drawing extensively from unpublished and previously unseen written accounts, oral histories, letters, and archival materials, Under The Same Moon provides a deeply personal exploration of the lesser-known Australian campaign in the Middle East. It captures the dramatic separation of a group of men from their Australia-bound convoy and their arrival in Java, teetering on the brink of collapse, while illuminating the fears and anxieties of families left in the dark. An unforgettable story of love, comradeship, bravery and courage, laced with humour, suffering and beauty. Through its rich narrative, Under The Same Moon invi...

Drummoyne’s Great War by Brendan Bateman tells the stories of the 95 men listed on the Drummoyne War Memorial who served and died in the First World War. The stories of these soldiers, told in the order in which they died, follow the narrative arch of Australia's involvement in the Great War providing a unique contextual depth. Referencing personal correspondence, service records, unit war diaries, Red Cross reports, official histories and newspaper articles, and featuring over 350 archival images and 2,000 meticulously researched footnotes, Brendan brings the stories of these men to life with a deep respect. Their stories provide an insight into the broader experience of Australia in the war – the volunteers who came from all districts and backgrounds, sometimes with only a fleeting connection to Drummoyne, and who served in all theatres from 1914 to the end of the war. Drummoyne's Great War tells 95 stories missing from Drummoyne and Australia's history. Brendan commenc...

                                This is the "From the Editor" column from the Autumn 2025 Issue of Reconnaissance , the quarterly magazine of The Military History Society of New South Wales. Welcome to the Autumn 2025 Issue of Reconnaissance. When Pretoria, capital of the Boer Republic of Transvaal, surrendered to British supreme commander Field Marshal Lord Roberts in June 1900, a wave of relief rolled over the British Empire, along with a general expectation that the brutal and sometimes humiliating Anglo-Boer War was all but over. Few understood that the back of Boer resistance was far from broken, however, and that, deploying their cunning commando tactics, they would fight on for another two years, in some cases to the bitter end. But as Dr Barry Bridges points out in this issue’s cover feature, the task of managing the deep sense of disappointment and frustration flowing from the continuation of host...