Australian War Memorial Digitisation project – Seeking copyright holders
The Memorial’s Digitisation Project aims to digitise collection items at risk of deterioration, including paper records, film, audio, and images. This process will help to preserve the original items and enable the collection to be more accessible to researchers in future.
The Memorial is seeking copyright permission to publish the collections listed below. If are you are a copyright holder, a relation, or a descendant of persons or organisations named, please contact the Memorial via email on Digitised.Collections@awm.gov.au
Arthur John Moline, 30 November 1910–20 May 1995
Arthur Moline was born on 30 November 1910 in Emmerville, New South Wales, to Arthur and Marian “Molly” Moline.
Arthur enlisted in the Royal Australian Airforce in Melbourne on 1 March 1941 and served during the Second World War as 401475 Flight Lieutenant Arthur John Moline. Serving with No. 20 Squadron, he flew in Australia, New Guinea, the Netherlands East Indies, the United States, and the Pacific Islands before being discharged on 21 May 1946.
Arthur later worked as a fuel controller at Qantas and was the cofounder of the Australian Institute of Navigation, acting as president of the organisation in 1960.
Arthur married Elizabeth “Betty” Kingsley (née Conners) in 1941 and they had two children – Bill and Wendy – and two grandchildren – Michelle and David. Arthur’s other family members include:
- Geoffrey Moline (Arthur’s brother)
- Dorothy Moline (Arthur’s sister)
- Paul Moline (Arthur’s brother)
- Elizabeth Betty Moline (Arthur’s sister).
The Memorial holds a diary and written accounts relating to Arthur’s service during the Second World War.
If you are related to Arthur John Moline, are in contact with people named here or Mr Moline’s descendants, please contact the Memorial via email on Digitised.Collections@awm.gov.au
Collection number: PR85/385
Jack Stuart Riddell, 12 September 1918–20 August 1999
Jack Stuart Riddell was born in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville on 12 September 1918.
Jack enlisted on 6 May 1940 and served during the Second World War as 14966 Flying Officer Jack Stuart Riddell with the Royal Australian Air Force. Jack served with No. 6 Squadron and No. 20 Squadron in Rabaul, Port Moresby, and the Coral Sea. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in 1944 and was discharged on 20 June 1946.
In 1944, Jack married Jean Alma Anderson in Marrickville.
The Memorial holds a letter and a newspaper clipping with additional notes sent by Jack Riddell to Arthur John Moline.
If you are related to Jack Stuart Riddell, are in contact with people named here or Mr Riddell’s descendants, please contact the Memorial via email on Digitised.Collections@awm.gov.au
Collection number: PR85/385
Walter Morris Felix Gamble, 26 November 1896–27 December 1955
Walter Gamble was born on 26 November 1896 in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Morris Frederick Horsley Gamble and Ann Maude (née Maule).
During the First World War, Walter enlisted with the Australian Army on 28 May 1915, and was given the service number 2492. After training in Egypt he served on Gallipoli with the 7th Battalion from September to December 1915. Walter transferred to 59th Battalion on 24 February 1916 and served with the 15th Australian Light Mortar Battery in the rank of captain. He then served in France and Belgium and was awarded the Military Cross in 1917. On 12 February 1918, Walter was appointed a commission in the Indian army and served with the 1/91st Punjabis.
During the Second World War, Walter served in the 8th Punjab regiment in the Indian Army. He was awarded an OBE in 1949.
Walter married Bessie Fairbarn Mackay Walter in Melbourne in 1934 and they had a son, Robert Walter Morris Gamble (1935–2008). His other family members include:
- Mona Gamble (Walter’s sister)
- Frederick Barker Gamble (Walter’s brother)
- Herbert Spencer Gamble (Walter’s brother)
- John Gamble (Walter’s brother)
- Horace Thomas Gamble (Walter’s brother).
Walter passed away on 27 December 1955 in Sale, Victoria.
The Memorial holds a collection of letters relating to Walter Gamble’s service between July 1915 and November 1918. These letters were addressed to Walter’s mother, father, four younger brothers, and his sister.
If you are related to Walter Morris Felix Gamble, are in contact with people named here or Mr Gamble’s descendants, please contact the Memorial via email on Digitised.Collections@awm.gov.au
Collection number: 2DRL/0874
Harold Ernest Lofts, 23 August 1877-31 July 1956
Harold Lofts was born on 23 August 1956 in Cambridgeshire, England, to James Lofts and Martha Lofts (née Reeve).
The Lofts family emigrated to Australia in 1886 and resided in Sydney.
Harold Ernest Lofts married Christina Macdonald in 1905. The couple had five children:
- Grace Christina Lofts (b. 1906)
- Roderick Harold Lofts (1908-1986)
- Laura Eleanor Honor Lofts (b. 1910)
- Alexander Hector Lofts (b. 1918)
- Jessie Edith Catherine Lofts (b. 1920)
Harold served as an officer in the Colonial forces. He was a member of the New South Wales Naval Contingent to China, where he served as lieutenant. He then served in the Second Boer War, attached to the Dock Commander’s Office, and received the Queen’s Medal for South Africa.
Lieutenant Lofts went on to serve during the First World War in D Company of the Australian Naval & Military Expedition to New Guinea. He ended his military career in 1917 with the rank of honorary captain.
Harold Lofts died on 31 July 1956, survived by his wife and five children. Records indicate that his son, Roderick, donated his father’s account of the Boxer Uprising and Boer War to the Australian War Memorial. Roderick and Alexander served in the defence forces.
Roderick Harold Lofts was born on 9 October 1908. He served in the Second World War as NX28149 Sergeant Roderick Harold Lofts, 2/13th Battalion and Z Special Force. He lived in Shoal Bay and Lindfield, and married Dorothy Marion Dibbs; their known children are Pamela Lofts and Janice Lofts. Roderick Harold Lofts died 5 August 1986, aged 77.
Alexander Hector Lofts was born on 27 June 1918. He served in the Second World War as 237638 (NX13090) Lance Corporal Alexander Hector Lofts, and at the time of his discharge was attached to the 6th Division, Australian Army Service Corps. He served during the post-war period with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation, retiring in 1969 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Alexander Lofts married Pauline Holleman Headley. Their known children are Paul Everett Lofts and Sandra Christina Lofts.
If you are related to Harold Ernest Lofts or his descendants, please contact us via email on Digitised.Collections@awm.gov.au
Collection number: 3DRL/2180