World War 1: A History in 100 Stories

Monash University is offering a free online course, commencing October 12 1015, which will take you on a virtual tour of the World War 1 battlefields, recover lost voices of the Anzac experience, and give you a better understanding of how the Great War changed the world.

A team of world renowned historians from Monash and around the globe have created a course that will help you learn to use new digital archives to discover your own Anzac story.  The course is for anyone with an interest in history and no prior knowledge beyond a general knowledge of the events of World War 1 is required or expected.

There is more information here.

Alfred George Rooney

We have previously posted about Alfred Rooney in this blog,  but among the names of the men wounded and killed from Ballarat and District in the Courier this week we came across an entry  under his name as being wounded on 2 September 1915.

Ballarat Courier 11 September1915

The 9th Light Horse were engaged in the bitter fighting around Hill 60, where they suffered 50 per cent casualties.  They remained at Gallipoli in defensive roles until the evacuation.  Trooper Rooney's service records show he received gunshot wounds to the neck and shoulder, and he was evacuated to Alexandria.

Gallipoli

Do you recall what you were doing on ANZAC day?  How long ago that was already?  But the 100 year old Courier this week has headlines that show the fighting in Gallipoli continues without abate:

All through this article about the latest battle, reference is made to Hill 70.  But I've checked resources and dates and I am sure that what is being referred to, are the terrible battles around Hill 60.  The headlines indicate that the war is still 'thrilling', despite the heavy losses that are occuring.

The 8th Battalion meanwhile, are about to be relieved from their positions at Steele's Post and Courtney's Post.  By the end of August only 307 officers and men of the original battalion of 1000 remained at Gallipoli.  In early September the Battalion were officially relieved by the 21st Battalion, but some of the 8th stayed in the trenches a few more days to allow the newcomers to adjust.

The relief at coming out of the trenches is expressed in Percy Lay's diary:

   It was about time.  Had the best sleep that night and it was the first time we slept with our
  boots off for the last five weeks.