TODAY - 95th Anniversary of Australia’s ‘baptism of fire’ on the Western Front

Today 19 July 2011 marks the 95th anniversary sinceAustralia’s introduction to the war on the Western Front. Fromelles (19-20 July 1916) marked the beginning of a seven week campaign on the Somme for the Australians, which included heavy fighting at Pozières and Mouquet Farm (23 July  – 3 September 1916) in the weeks that followed.

Fromelles was the first major battle fought by the Australian 5th Division and resulted in 5,533 casualties in less than 24 hours. Devised as a diversionary attack to divert German reserves from being sent to the Somme where the British were making their main offensive effort, the assault was a failure and had little impact on the progress on the Somme battle.

On 23 July 1916, the Australian 1st Division took over and captured the main German-occupied village of Pozières. In less than seven weeks, fighting in the Pozieres and Mouquet Farm area had cost three Australian divisions a shocking 23,000 casualties.

MEDIA ARE INVITED to contact the Memorial for an interview with a First World War historian on the significance of these campaigns and to see some of the associated items in our collection including a locket presented to a mother of Private Charles William Moyle Lukey, a jeweller from Brunswick, Victoria by his shop mates after he was killed at Fromelles on 19^th July 1916 /item/REL39974.  Imagery also available

Check out our newest exhibition Rats of Tobruk, 1941   /exhibitions/tobruk/