More Media Snippets From the Newcastle Herald (online) theherald.au/story/2399186/reserve-forces-day-march-pictures/?cs=305 Reserve Forces Day march: pictures By Peta Doherty July 6, 2014, 8:30 p.m. Several hundred Army Reserve soldiers led by the eighth Engineer Regiment from Adamstown marched down King Street on Saturday to celebrate Reserve Forces Day. Newcastle is one of around 20 towns that hold the annual event in recognition of the contributions of the Army Reservists, their families and their employers. This year the ceremony paid tribute to a special group of reservists who took part in the first Australian action of World War I. A former Commandant of the Newcastle Port, Colonel John Paton, led the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force as they captured German New Guinea shortly after war was declared. ___________________________________________ What Hunter Valley Military History has to say:- Colonel William Holmes DSO VD was in command of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force to capture German New Guinea; Lieut-Colonel W Russell Watson was selected to command the infantry battalion and Lieut-Colonel John Paton VD was appointed second in command of the infantry as may be verified and validated by the following extract from “Australia at War - Her First Great Achievement - The Capture of German New Guinea – Preface” Quote[……………. Immediately upon the declaration of War by Great Britain against Germany, the Commonwealth Government proffered their assistance to the Imperial Government. Recruiting was at once commenced for an Expeditionary Force to be sent to Europe, while on 9 August 1914, it was announced that a mixed Naval and Military Force was to be mobilised for operations in the Pacific. This latter force was to consist of six companies of the Royal Australian Naval Reserves, a complete battalion of infantry, two machine gun sections, signalling section, and of course, the necessary compliment of Army Medical Corps. The command of the force was accepted by Colonel William Holmes, DSO, VD, then commanding the Sixth Australian Infantry Brigade. Lieutenant-Colonel W. Russell Watson was selected to command the infantry battalion, while Lieutenant-Colonel John Paton, VD, was appointed second-in-command. The naval portion of the expeditionary force was raised from the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, and was commanded by Commander J A H Beresford, RAN. The object of the expedition was briefly, to seize all the German Wireless Stations in the Pacific, and to occupy and temporarily administer the Government in German Territory…………]Unquote. From my research:- Fifty one Newcastle and Hunter Valley men, including twenty members of the Newcastle Naval Reserve Brigade and three ex-Royal Australian Navy men, served in the expeditionary forces. The Newcastle Naval contingent left Newcastle by train at 8.20 am on Saturday 15 August, with Lieutenant Oscar William Gillam, who had previously served with the New South Wales Naval Contingent sent to the Boxer Rebellion in China from 1900-1901, in charge. Another ten Hunter Valley men went to New Guinea as members of the Tropical Force reinforcements from 1916 to 1919. Twelve of the fifty one Hunter Valley men of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force after discharge enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, with two of these men being killed at Gallipoli in August 1915 and one dying of wounds in France. Patons service record states the following:- 13.9.14 To be Temp. Lieut. Colonel. Place: Rabaul. 9.1.15 To command the troops of the Naval & Military Expedition to German New Guinea. Place: Rabaul. 17.1.15 During the absence of the Administrator, will act as Administrator. Place: Rabaul. All of the above information can easily be verified and validated by referring to the source references mentioned.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 03:06:33 +0000
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