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Researching WW1 diggers and nurses

from Sunshine Coast region of Queensland


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2014 was the centenary year of Australia's first deployment of soldiers to Europe to fight in the First World War.

The purpose of the Adopt a Digger Project is to commemorate the centenary by honouring the men and women from the (current) Sunshine Coast region of South-east Queensland who fought in World War One either with the Army, Navy or Airforce. Criteria for a soldier's inclusion is either that he was born in the district, or his next-of-kin was resident in the district, or he enlisted in the district or he is commemorated on a local honour board or memorial. This same criteria applies to our nurses. Since the inception of the project we have decided to include the settlers who took up land at Beerburrum Soldier Settlement from 1916 as the Settlement is such a significant piece of the region's WW1 history. Our criteria dates are 1914 to 1925.

The aim of this website is to create a database which records each soldier's WW1 military history and a brief personal history. This database will be a valuable source of reference for historians, researchers, descendants and school students, and will be a significant contribution to the social and historical military records of Australia, and particularly the  Sunshine Coast region.

We held an exhibition in April 2015 to commemorate the Anzac Centenary and to remember and honour "our boys".

omrah-9-btnFormed in Queensland just two weeks after war was declared, the 9th Infantry Battalion of the first AIF was the first Queensland Battalion to embark for overseas. After a few weeks' training at Ennogera, the men embarked on HMS Omrah on 24 September 1914 from Pinkenbah Wharf in Brisbane. Six of "our boys" were in the 9th Battalion:

193 Robert Aird of Nambour
552 William Allen of Cooran
686 Ferdinand Clifton of Eumundi
81 John Davey of Woombye
196 Joe Thompson of Kin Kin
676 Thomas Turnbull of Teutoberg, Landsborough

The 9th Battalion sailed to Egypt, arriving early December. As part of the 3rd Brigade, it was the covering force for the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915 and so it was first ashore around 4.30am. The battalion was heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line of the ANZAC beachhead. It served at ANZAC until the evacuation in December 1915 when it returned to Egypt.

Further reading: www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11196.asp