Calendar 2016
Did you know?
We have collected 366 interesting facts from Victoria’s rich military history to
bring you the 2016 Victoria Remembers Calendar. We invite you to share
your own historical facts at the Victoria Remembers Facebook Page
(www.facebook.com/victoriaremembers).
January 2016
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New Years Day Battle of Uijongbu begins, Korea, 1951.
Buna, northern Papua, falls to 18 Australian Brigade, 7th Division and US forces, 1943.
6th Australian Division begins its attack on the Italian fortress of Bardia in Libya, 1941.
Japanese air raids begin on Rabaul, New Britain, which Lark Force, including Australian 2/22nd Battalion were preparing to defend, 1942.
Australian government approves conscription for military service, 1943.
First RAAF air combat in South West Pacific theatre, 1942.
Destroyer HMAS Tobruk bombards North Korean positions, 1952.
The last Australian servicemen leave Korea, 1958.
The Australian Light Horse captures Rafa, Palestine, 1917.
2nd AIF departs Australia bound for England and the Middle East, 1940.
Governor-General Paul Hasluck issues proclamation officially ending Australian involvement in the Vietnam War, 1973.
Australian Military Board and Council for Defence meet for the first time, 1905.
A-Squadron, NSW Mounted Rifles, in combat near Prieska, South Africa, 1900.
Battle of Gemas/Muar, Malaya, 1942.
The first contingent of 1RAR arrives in Somalia, 1993.
Buffalo fighter planes of No 21 and 453 RAAF Squadrons attack Japanese forces off Malayan Peninsula, 1942.
Gulf War 1 begins, 1991.
Paris Peace Conference begins at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, 1919.
LTCOL Charles Anderson, Commanding Officer of Australian 2/19th Battalion awarded the VC for bravery during the Battle of Bakri-Parit Sulong, Malaya, 1942.
HMAS corvettes Deloraine, Katoomba and Lithgow sink a Japanese submarine off Darwin, 1941.
6th Australian Division Cavalry Regiment begins its attack on Tobruk which falls the next day, 1941.
HMAS Patricia Cam sunk by Japanese aircraft near Elcho Island, Northern Territory, 1943.
Rabaul, New Britain, falls to a Japanese invasion force, despite being defended by Australian 2/21st Battalion and other units of Lark Force, 1942.
Operation Coburg, or the Battle of Bien Hoa begins, South Vietnam, 1968.
The aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney serves her last day in action during the Korean War, 1952.
Australia Day At the Shrine Commemorative service: Australia Day Salute
Paris Peace Accords formally end US military involvement in the Vietnam War, 1973.
Captain Sherlock's A Company, 2/6th Battalion, fights to hold the Japanese assault on Wau, New Guinea, 1943.
Australian 6 Division prepares to attack Italians at Derna, North Africa, but they secretly evacuate that night, 1941.
Gull Force defends Ambon, East Indies, from a Japanese invasion force, but are quickly overwhelmed by superior numbers, 1942.
The last British and Australian forces withdraw from the Malayan mainland onto Singapore Island, 1942.
February 2016
February 2016
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US carrier air group launches air raids on Japanese bases in the Marshall-Gilbert Islands, 1942.
3RAR recaptures the provincial capital of Baria, South Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive, 1968
The island of Ambon, Dutch East Indies, defended by the Australians of Lark Force, is captured by the Japanese, 1942.
Operation Pamphlet, the convoy carrying 9th Division home from the Middle East, departs the Red Sea, 1943.
Captain Harry Murray, who will eventually be the most decorated soldier in Australian military history, receives the VC for repeated acts of bravery at Stormy Trench, France, 1917.
6 Division enters Benghazi, 1941.
RAAF C-130 Hercules transport plane evacuates Australian and other foreign nationals from Tehran during the Iranian Revolution, 1979.
The RAAF Mesopotamia Half Flight is born to provide air support for operations in the Middle East, 1915.
Allies gain the upper hand after Japanese defeat on Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands Campaign, 1943.
The aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne, collides with and sinks her escorting destroyer, HMAS Voyager, 1964.
Corvettes HMAS Launceston, Ipswich and Indian sloop HMIS Jumna sink a Japanese submarine while escorting convoys in the Indian Ocean off the coast of India, 1944.
The first convoy of 2nd AIF troops arrives in North Africa, 1940.
Final operational sortie by RAAF aircraft during the Vietnam War undertaken by Number 35 Squadron Caribou transport aircraft, 1972.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: National Servicemen's Association
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Ex-Prisoners of War & Relatives Association
21 Australian nurses killed in the Banka Island Massacre, 1942.
6RAR and 3rd Cavalry Regiment are involved in Operation Bribie, Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam, 1967.
Australia's first overseas deployment, the 1st Australian Commonwealth Horse, begins to depart Australia for service in the Boer War, 1902.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Darwin Defenders
Eleven RAAF personnel killed by Japanese captors on island of Ambon, Dutch East Indies, 1942.
Jericho captured by the Egypt Expeditionary Force, including the Australian Light Horse, 1918.
No 5 Airfield Construction Squadron arrived in Japan, 1946.
Major Peter Badcoe, Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, performs the first of several deeds which sees him awarded a posthumous VC, Vietnam, 1967.
Operation Desert Storm begins after a month long aerial campaign to destroy the Iraqi military, 1991.
Formation of Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) announced by the Australian Government, 1941.
Battle for Wau, New Guinea, ends, 1943.
Battle of Java Sea, Dutch East Indies, 1942.
HMAS Perth and USS Houston lost in the Battle of Sunda Strait, Dutch East Indies, 1942.
HMAS Sydney begins the final withdrawal of Australian forces from Vung Tau, Vietnam, 1972.
March 2016
March 2016
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Naval forces of the Australian colonies are amalgamated in the Commonwealth Naval Forces, 1901.
Battle of the Bismarck Sea begins, New Guinea, 1943.
For the first time, an Australian force from a self-governing colony serves in an imperial war when the Australian contingent leaves Sydney Harbour for Sudan, 1885.
HMAS Yarra is sunk while attempting to escape from Singapore, 1942.
HMAS Sydney returns to Australia from Vietnam with 5RAR onboard, 1970.
NSW Mounted Rifles engage Boer guerillas on the approach to Blomfontein, 1900.
3RAR deploys to Borneo during Konfrontasi with Indonesia, 1965.
Australia's first flying school, the Central Flying School, is formed at Point Cook, Victoria, 1913.
First elements of 7 Division arrive in Adelaide after service in Middle East, 1942.
After landing at Lae and Salamaua on 8 March, Japanese forces land at Finschhafen, New Guinea, 1942.
The first Australian contingent arrives in Namibia as part of the United Nations Transition Assistance Group, Australia's largest deployment since the Vietnam War, 1989.
3RAR captures Hill 703 during the Korean War, 1951.
Australian troops enter Blomfontein, South Africa, during the Boer War 1900.
Labour Day Bert Hinkler is made an honorary Squadron Leader in the RAAF after the first successful solo flight from England to Australia, 1928.
Recruiting for the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) begins, 1941.
St Kilda's Lieutenant William Newton, 22 Squadron, leads an attack on the Japanese for which he will be awarded a VC, 1943.
Australian forces attack Italian outposts in the Battle of Giarabub, Libya, 1941.
The decision to undertake an amphibious landing at Gallipoli on 25 April is made after British and French vessels are sunk by Turkish sea mines in the Dardanelles, Turkey, 1915.
Australian commander General Blamey arrives in Athens, 1941.
Frank McNamara becomes the first Australian aviator to receive the VC during World War One, 1917.
The Australian Corps play a pivotal role in stopping the German advance during the Kaiseschlacht (Kaiser's Battle), 1918.
Most of the Australian 16 Brigade, 6th Division, arrives in Greece, 1941.
Australian forces capture Waitavolo and Tol Plantations on New Britain, 1945.
The final Australian infantry battalion, 1RAR, leaves Korea, 1956.
Good Friday Lieutenant Albert Chowne, 2/2nd Battalion, receives posthumous VC during the Aitape-Wewak Campaign, New Guinea, 1945.
Captain Percy Cherry, originally from Drysdale, is awarded the VC for "bravery beyond description" during the battle of Lagnicourt, France, 1917.
C-47 Dakota crashes after take-off from Archerfield airbase, Brisbane, killing all onboard, the largest single loss of RAAF personnel,1943.
Easter Monday 7th Brigade involved in the Battle of Slater's Knoll, Bougainville, which would last a week, 1945.
Battle of Cape Matapan off the Greek coast ends, in which HMAS Perth and Stuart have participated, 1941.
As the South Vietnamese regime collapses in the face of the communist offensive, RAAF C-130 Hercules transports fly humanitarian relief missions, 1975.
After World War One, the squadrons of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) became the Australian Air Corps in 1920 and then the Royal Australian Air Force,1921.
April 2016
April 2016
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The Australian Imperial Force is formally disbanded, 1921.
Private Joergen Jensen of 50th Battalion is awarded the VC, Noreuil, France, 1917.
The first Australian Special Forces contingent is welcomed home from its six-month deployment to Afghanistan, 2002.
3rd and 4th Australian Divisions defends Villers-Bretonneux and Dernancourt, France, 1918.
Battle of Ancre, France, 1918.
1RAR takes up positions in Korea, taking over from the Royal Leicesters, 1952.
Geelong-born Captain James Newland performs the first of several extremely brave deeds which see him awarded the Victoria Cross, 1917.
General Erwin Rommel's lead forces arrive on the outskirts of Tobruk the 9th Division and one brigade of 7th Division will be the main defenders of the advance,1941.
Destroyer HMAS Vampire sunk by Japanese aircraft while escorting the British aircraft carrier Hermes off Ceylon, 1942.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Rats of Tobruk Association and 2/4th Australian General Hospital, Siege of Tobruk 75th Anniversary
4th Australian Division takes part in the attack on Bullecourt, 1917.
1st Australian Division involved in the Battle of Hazebrouck, France, 1918.
Australian infantry and tanks of the Royal Horse Artillery fight off Rommel's Afrika Korps at Tobruk,1941.
Corporal John Edmondson, 2/17th Battalion, awarded a posthumous VC during the defence of Tobruk, 1941.
Lieutenant Charles Pope is awarded a posthumous VC for his actions at Louverval, France, 1917.
2RAR arrives home in Brisbane from service in the Korean War, 1954.
Second Battle of Gaza, Palestine, 1917.
Battle of Tempe Gorge, Greece, 1941.
The "Morotai Mutiny" occurs when several RAAF officers submitted identical letters of resignation to the commander of 1st Tactical Air Force, Air Commodore Harry Cobby, 1945.
Riots in Honiara, Solomon Islands, see Australian peacekeeping forces deployed, 2006.
Baron Von Richthofen, the Red Baron, is shot down by Australian anti-aircraft machine-gunners of 5th Division while involved in low-level aerial combat with Royal Flying Corps aircraft, 1918.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Melbourne Legacy Student's Service
Battle of Kapyong begins, Korea 1951.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Friends on the 15th Brigade, Villiers Bretonneux Day
ANZAC Day At the Shrine Commemorative service: ANZAC Day
Australian 4th Infantry Brigade occupies Alexishafen, New Guinea, 1944.
RAAF 75 Squadron F/A18 Hornets fly their last combat missions in Iraq, 2003.
Australia ratifies the Treaty of San Francisco, otherwise known as the Peace Treaty, with Japan, 1952.
Central Flying School (CFS) is reformed at Point Cook, 1940.
Australian submarine AE2 is sunk in the Sea of Marmora, 1915.
May 2016
May 2016
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Operation Oboe 1, the invasion of Tarakan Island, Borneo, begins, 1945.
Battle of Berlin ends as German defenders surrender to Russian forces, 1945.
Second Battle of Bullecourt begins, France, 1917.
The Battle of the Coral Sea begins and Australian cruisers Australia and Hobart are involved, 1942.
The 2nd Australian Infantry Brigade from Victoria and the New Zealand Brigade are redeployed from their positions at Anzac Cove to assist the British forces at Cape Helles, 1915.
Corporal George Howell, 1st Battalion, is awarded the VC during the Battle of Bullecourt, 1917.
Victory in Europe, 1945.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: 6th Battalion Association, Krithia Day
100,000 anti-war protestors demonstrate outside the White House, Washington DC, coinciding with other marches around the world including Australia, 1970.
Germany invades France, Belgium and the Netherlands, 1940.
19 Brigade, 6 Division, including the Victorian 2/8th Battalion, captures Wewak, New Guinea, 1945.
Lieutenant Rupert Moon of Bacchus Marsh, is awarded the VC for his actions during the Battle of Bullecourt, 1917.
9 Australians are killed in the Battle of Fire Support Base Coral, Vietnam War, 1968.
Australian hospital ship Centaur, en route from Sydney to Cairns, is sunk by a Japanese submarine, with the loss of nearly 300 lives, 1943.
Private Edward 'Ted' Kenna, 2/4th Battalion from Hamilton, is awarded the VC for knocking out a Japanese machine-gun position during the fighting for Wewak, New Guinea, 1945.
1RAR and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment repel attacks at Fire Support Base Coral, Vietnam War, 1968.
617 Squadron, later known as the Dambusters, launch their first and most famous air raid on Ruhr Valley dams, Germany, 1943.
Major-General William Throsby Bridges, commander of the Australian Imperial Force, dies of wounds, Anzac Cove, 1915.
John Simpson Kirkpatrick, "the man with the donkey" is killed in Monash Valley, Gallipoli, 1915.
German airborne forces begin the invasion of Crete, and Australian and New Zealand forces provide the bulk of the defenders, 1941.
HMAS Sydney leaves Brisbane bound for Vung Tau, South Vietnam, carrying 4RAR, 1968.
4RAR, the last battalion to serve in the Vietnam war, arrives in Vietnam, 1971.
2/5th Independent Company arrives at Wau to reinforce Kanga Force, New Guinea, 1942.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne, a member of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, awarded the VC for actions on this night,1969.
German submarine U-21 sinks the RN battleship HMS Triumph off Gallipoli, reducing the naval gunfire support, 1915.
2 Australians killed at the Battle of Fire Support Base, Balmoral, 1968.
The aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney begins her first of 25 'Vung Tau' supply and transport runs, in which she will carry thousands of Australian soldiers, to South Vietnam, 1965.
Victorian 2/7th and 2/8th Battalions cover the withdrawal of Commonwealth forces south to evacuation beaches at Sphakia, Crete, 1941.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Boer War
The first 'Thousand Bomber' raid on a German city occurs, when Cologne is hit by the RAF. Dozens of RAAF aircraft take part, 1942.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Indigenous Service Personnel
June 2016
June 2016
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The final Commonwealth troops are evacuated from Crete, 1941.
The Victorian 37th/52nd Australian Infantry Battalion lands on Karkar Island during the advance on Sio, New Guinea, 1944.
HMAS Melbourne and USN Frank E. Evans collide in the South China Sea with 74 lives lost, 1969.
Battle of Midway begins, 1942.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Bomber Command
Australian servicemen are involved on sea, air and land, most serving with British units, in what becomes known as D-Day, 1944.
Battle of Messines begins, costing ANZAC Corps 13,500 casualties, 1917.
Sydney and Newcastle are shelled by Japanese submarines, 1942.
Australian 7 Division crosses the Litani River, Syria, 1941.
Operation Oboe 6, an amphibious landing on Labuan Island in Brunei Bay on the island of Borneo begins, 1945.
Corporal Ben Roberts Smith, SAS, is awarded the VC for actions during a helicopter assault in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, 2010.
Two Army Blackhawk helicopters crash during a night time training mission, killing 15 members of the SAS and 3 aircrew, 1996.
Queen's Birthday At the Shrine Commemorative service: Queen's Birthday 21 Gun Salute
6RAR begins first operation in Vietnam, 1966.
Sergeant James Rogers, 1st Victorian Mounted Infantry Company, is awarded the VC for rescuing several men whose mounts had been shot from under them during the Boer War, 1901.
HMAS Nestor is sunk whilst escorting a convoy to Malta, 1942.
A pilot of 10 Squadron, RAAF, receives the first decoration for bravery after carrying out an attack on a German U-boat, 1940.
RAAF C-130 Hercules transport planes bring home the final members of the ADF Overwatch Battle Group from Iraq, 2008.
Lieutenant Roden Cutler, 2/5th Field Regiment is awarded the VC for repeated acts of bravery between 19 June and 6 July during the Syrian Campaign, 1941.
The supply ship HMAS Matafele disappears with all hands while en route from Townsville to Milne Bay, Papua, 1944.
Damascus, Syria, captured by British and Australian forces, 1941.
Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of Russia, 1941.
The Australian contingent to the Sudan War returns to Sydney Harbour, 1885.
German General Rommel advances into Egypt, 1942.
North Korea invades South Korea, sparking Australian preparations for deployment, 1950.
Private John Jackson, 17th Battalion becomes the first Australian to be awarded the VC on the Western Front, 1916.
Royal Military College, Duntroon, Canberra, is founded, 1911.
Treaty of Versailles signed, formally ending the Great War, 1919.
Australia's commitment to the United Nations intervention in the Korean War begins, 1950.
HMAS Waterhen sunk, the first Australian vessel lost during WWII, on the Tobruk Run, 1941.
July 2016
July 2016
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The unmarked Japanese freighter Montevideo Maru, with approximately 1,000 Australian POWs aboard, is sunk by the submarine USS Sturgeon off the Philippines,1942.
77 Squadron RAAF flies its first combat mission of the Korean War, 1950.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Reserve Forces Day
One of the most successfully executed battles of the Great War, and regarded as Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash's finest hour, the Battle of Hamel, 1918.
John Curtin, Australian Prime Minister for most of the Second World War, dies, 1945.
Corporal Walter Brown, 20th Battalion is awarded the VC during fighting for Villers-Bretonneux, 1918.
77 Squadron RAAF suffers its first casualty of the Korean War when its deputy commander Squadron Leader Graham Strout, was shot down during the Korean War, 1950.
The Battle of Damour, Syria reaches its climax, when Victorians of 2/5th and 2/14th Battalions participate in this battle which opens the road to Beirut and final victory only days later, 1941.
Battle of Calabria, 1940.
Battle of Britain begins, 1940.
Vichy French surrender in Syria, 1941.
Arguably the most well-known Australian POW of the Japanese during WWII, surgeon Edward "Weary" Dunlop, who will become a legend amongst his men for saving countless lives, is born at
Major's Plain, Victoria, 1907.
HMAS Tobruk begins her last combat patrol before the Korean War ends, 1953.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Bastille Day, Association Des Anciens Combattants Francais de Victoria
Second Battle of the Marne begins, 1918.
Australian forces, including the Victorian 2/5th Battalion, involved in Battle of Mt Tambu, New Guinea, 1943.
Lieutenant Albert Borella, originally from Borung, Victoria, awarded the VC for destroying several enemy gun positions during the fighting near Villers-Bretonneux, 1918.
2/28th Battalion attacks Makh Khad Ridge during the First Battle of El Alamein, 1942.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Centenary of the Battle of Fromelles
The final air battle over the Australian mainland occurs when RAAF Spitfires intercept and shoot down a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft, 1944.
Japanese forces begin landing at Buna and Gona on the north coast of Papua, and will begin advancing over the Kokoda Track,1942.
Sisters Clare Deacon, Dorothy Cawood, Alice Ross-King and Staff Nurse Mary Derrer of the Australian Army Nursing Service receive Military Medals for rescuing patients from a burning Casualty
Clearing Station in France, 1917.
Battle of Pozieres begins, 1916. Over a six-week period the Australian 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions saw fierce combat suffering massive casualties in first seizing and then holding the small French
village of Pozieres in the Somme Valley.
Battle of the Hook, Korea, 1953.
New Zealand born Thomas Cooke of the Victorian 8th Battalion is awarded a posthumous VC for his actions in command of a Lewis Gun team during the Battle of Pozieres, 1916.
The Victorian 39th Battalion tries to hold back the Japanese forces advancing towards Kokoda, losing Captain Sam Tepleton,1942.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Korean Veterans Association
During a night attack in the Battle of Pozieres, Sergeant Claud Castleton is awarded the VC for rescuing wounded comrades whilst under heavy fire, 1916.
No 77 Squadron flies the first ever RAAF jet aircraft mission during the Korean War, 1951.
Darwin, Broome and Port Hedland hit by Japanese air raids, 1942.
Third Battle of Ypres, soon known as Passchendaele, begins, 1917.
August 2016
August 2016
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RAAF C-130 Hercules of 36 Squadron aids a Japanese ship run aground, dropping Air Sea Rescue kits, Indian Ocean, 1995.
Iraq invades Kuwait, which will see Australia provide sea, air and land forces to assist the later US-led Operation Desert Storm, 1990.
The Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) arrives in Saigon, Vietnam, 1962.
Great Britain declares war on Germany and as a consequence Australia is also at war, 1914.
The Cowra Breakout, 1944.
Battle of Lone Pine begins, 1915.
The first Australian contingent to be sent to China during the Boxer Rebellion boards their troopships, 1900.
Battle of Savo Island, Guadalcanal occurs overnight on 8/9 August, 1942.
Corporal Alexander Burton, Corporal William Dunstan and Lieutenant Frederick Harold Tubb of Longwood of the Victorian 7th Battalion are awarded the VC for their part in the battle of Lone Pine,
1915.
Acting Corporal Arthur Sullivan serving with the Russian Relief Force is awarded the VC for rescuing several comrades from drowning while under enemy fire, 1919.
Captain Alfred Shout, performs the deeds which see him awarded the VC, and sadly dies of wounds, Lone Pine, Gallipoli, 1915.
Sergeant Percy Statton, 40th Battalion, is awarded the VC for his role in destroying several German machine-gun positions which were holding up the advance of his unit, Proyart, France, 1918.
Australian Women's Army Service is established, 1941.
RAAF F-86 Sabre fighter becomes the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in Australia in a flight over Port Phillip Bay, 1953.
VP Day. Japan unconditionally surrenders, 1945.
Imperial Bushmen from all six Australian colonies are in action at Buffel's Hoek, South Africa, 1900.
No. 2 Squadron Canberra bombers fly the final RAAF bombing missions of the Malayan Emergency, 1959.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Vietnam Veterans Day, 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan
The Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force departs from Sydney Harbour, and will be the first Australian unit to see action in World War One, 1914.
18 Brigade, 7th Division relieved by 1st (Polish) Carpathian Brigade during siege of Tobruk, 1941.
18 Brigade, 7th Division completes landing at Milne Bay, Papua, 1942.
ADF medical personnel are sent to Rwanda as part of the UN Assistance Mission, 1994.
Elsternwick born William Joynt of 8th Battalion is awarded the VC, 1918.
Special Forces Task Group is deployed to Afghanistan for the first time since 2002, 2005.
The Battle of Milne Bay, Papua 1942.
The Victorian 6th Brigade is heavily involved in the Battle of Mouquet Farm, 1916.
Lance-Corporal Bernard Gordon, 41st Battalion is awarded the VC near Bray, France, 1918.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Legacy Sunday
Private Bruce Steel Kingsbury is awarded the first VC on Australian territory at the Battle of Isurava on the Kokoda Track as the Victorian 2/14th Infantry Battalion fights desperately to hold back the
advancing Japanese forces, 1942.
Battle of Alam el Halfa, Egypt, 1942.
The Australian 2nd Division crosses the Somme River late on the night of 31 August in order to begin the assault on Mont St Quentin early the next morning, 1918.
September 2016
September 2016
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Battle of Mont St Quentin begins at 5am, 1918.
The Australian commander of the 2nd AIF, General Thomas Blamey, signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri, Tokyo Bay, 1945.
The Second World War begins after Germany ignores an ultimatum to stop its invasion of Poland,1939.
20th Brigade, 9 Division, makes an amphibious landing near Lae, New Guinea, 1943.
Russo-Japanese War ends, 1905.
Destroyer HMAS Anzac sees action for the first time when she is ordered to shell enemy positions during the Korea War, 1951.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Battle for Australia
Australia is one of the signatories of the South East Asia Collective Defense Treaty is signed in Manila, 1954.
The Commanding Officer of 77 Squadron, Wing Commander Lou Spence, is killed when his P-51 Mustang fighter crashes during a ground attack, South Korea, 1950.
Battle of Madagascar, 1942. The capture of the island secures transport routes across the Indian Ocean as it prevents the Axis forces from using it to launch naval attacks on Allied convoys.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Rabaul Remembers
The Japanese transport ships Rakyuo Maru and Kachidoki Maru are sunk by American submarines, with more than 1,500 Australian and British POWs killed, 1944.
Minesweeper HMAS Warnambool is sunk by a mine whilst engaged in post-war mine clearance operations in the Great Barrier Reef area, 1947.
Australian submarine AE1 disappears near New Britain and is presumed lost at sea, 1914.
Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the formation of the 2nd AIF, 1939.
Troops of 7th and 9th Division enter Lae from different directions, 1942.
Melbourne born combat photographer Damien Parer, famous for his Kokoda Frontline documentary, is killed in action while with the US Marine Corps on the island of Peleliu, 1944.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Veterans' Association; The Royal Air Forces Association (Battle of Britain)
2/6th Independent Company captures the Japanese held town of Kaiapit, New Guinea, 1943.
2nd Lieutenant Frederick Birks, 6th Battalion awarded the VC for his exceptional bravery during the advance on Glencourse Wood, Belgium, 1917.
Private Reg Inwood, 10th Battalion, awarded the VC during the Battle of Polygon Wood, 1917.
9 Division lands at Scarlet Beach, New Guinea, 1943.
General Thomas Blamey appointed Commander in Chief of Australian Military Forces, 1942.
While delivering 2/4th Independent Company to reinforce the Australian guerilla forces on Timor, the destroyer HMAS Voyager runs aground and is later destroyed by demolition,1942.
Anzac Mounted Division captures Amman, Jordan, 1918.
5,800 Australian casualties in the Battle of Polygon Wood, 1917.
Z Special Unit paddles into Singapore Harbour and plants mines to sink Japanese ships in Operation Jaywick, 1943.
3RAR arrives in Korea, 1950.
Battle of St Quentin Canal, planned by Australian General John Monash and which broke through the Hindenburg Line and hastened the end of the war, 1918.
Private Edward Ryan, 55th Battalion is awarded the VC during the assault on the Hindenburg Line, 1918.
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Australian Light Horsemen capture Damascus, Syria, 1918.
20 Brigade, 9th Division, captures Finschhafen, New Guinea, 1943.
Battle of Maryang San begins, Korea, 1951.
The Battle of Broodseinde Ridge begins, 1917.
2nd Lieutenant George Ingram of Sandhurst is awarded the VC for his extraordinary heroism at Montbrehain, 1918.
The crest of Hill 317 is captured by 3RAR during the Battle of Maryang San, Korea, 1953.
John Curtin becomes Prime Minister of Australia, 1941. Within weeks the Japanese will launch their attacks and Australia will go through its darkest hours.
Australian-led peacekeeping "Operation Lagoon" in Bougainville, begins, 1994.
Battle of Poelcappelle, 1917.
82 men killed when Aircraft Carrier HMAS Melbourne and her escorting destroyer HMAS Voyager collide, 1964.
Boer War begins, 1899.
2/25th Battalion contact Japanese defenders at Templeton's Crossing on the Kokoda Track, 1942.
RAAF C-130 Hercules transport planes begin the evacuation of those injured in the Bali Bombings, 2002.
Battle of Eora Creek/Templeton's Crossing, Kokoda Track, Papua, 1942.
25 Brigade drives the Japanese back from Templeton's Crossing on the Kokoda Track, 1942.
Japanese forces launch concerted attacks on Scarlet Beach with 2/17th Battalion bearing most of the brunt, 1943.
3RAR involved in capture of Sariwon, North Korea, 1950.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Navy Commemorative Service
2RAR arrives in Malaya for its first tour of operations, 1955.
First Australian troops arrive in Somalia, 1992.
HMAS Australia is hit by a Japanese Kamikaze aircraft during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Philippines, killing 30 crew members, including her Commanding Officer, Captain Emile Dechaineux, 1944.
Australian Flying Corps formed, 1912.
Battle of El Alamein, 1942.
16 Brigade, 6th Division, attempts to outflank Japanese defences, Eora Creek, 1942.
The Australian Government announces the deployment of Army, Navy and Air Force assets to support the US led Coalition operations in Afghanistan, 2001.
Private Percy Gratwick, 2/48th Battalion, is awarded a posthumous VC, El Alamein, 1942.
Rommel attempts counterattack at El Alamein, but 9 Division holds firm, 1942.
Conscription referenda, 1916.
Battle of Chongju, North Korea, 1950.
The Armistice of Mudros ended the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Allied powers, 1918.
The 4th Light Horse Brigade launches its most famous assault of the war, the Battle of Beersheba, 1917.
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Melbourne Cup Chinese forces enter the Korean War, 1950.
Kokoda airstrip captured by Australian forces, 1942.
A Canberra bomber of 2 Squadron, RAAF is reported missing in action, 1970.
6 Brigade lands at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain, 1944.
Battle of Pakchon, Korea, 1950.
RAAF component of British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan substantially downgraded, 1948.
Gaza falls to British forces, including the Australian Light Horse, 1917.
460 Squadron RAAF Lancaster bomber G-George arrives at Amberley airfield, Brisbane, 1944.
HMAS Sydney sinks the German cruiser Emden off the Cocos Islands, while escorting the 1st AIF convoy to the Middle East, 1914.
Australian Government introduces conscription for 20 years via ballot, 1964.
At the Shrine Commemorative service: Remembrance Day
Battle of Strait of Otranto, 1940.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Kevin Wheatley, AATTV, is awarded a posthumous VC after refusing to leave a wounded team member and both are killed, Tra Bong Valley, Vietnam, 1965.
Sergeant Len Waters becomes the first Indigenous Australian fighter pilot, 1944.
460 Squadron, RAAF formed, 1941.
Battle of Buna-Gona begins following the successful conclusion of the Kokoda Track Campaign,1942.
Battle of Sattelberg, New Guinea, begins, 1943.
Battle of the Somme officially ends, 1916.
HMAS Sydney sunk by the German raider Kormoran approximately 280 kilometres off Carnarvon, Western Australia, 1941.
A Japanese-based C-47 Dakota is tasked to evacuate Australian embassy in Nanjing, China, as the communist forces approach the city, 1948.
3rd Australian Division arrives in France, 1916.
Japanese night air raid on Moratai Island, Halmahera, destroys 15 Allied aircraft of the RAAFs 1st Tactical Air Force, 1944.
Kilmore-born Lieutenant Leslie Maygar is awarded the VC for rescuing a comrade during the Boer War, 1901.
The National Service Act (1964) passes Federal Parliament, 1964.
Battle of Belhamed, Tobruk, North Africa, battle honour awarded to 2/13th Battalion, 1942.
Battle of Brisbane, 1942.
HMAS Parramatta (U44), an Australian sloop, is sunk by the German submarine U-559 in the Mediterranean while escorting a supply convoy to the besieged garrison of Tobruk, 1941.
Battle of Wareo, New Guinea, 1943.
Flight Sergeant Rawdon Middleton is awarded a posthumous VC for piloting his seriously damaged Stirling bomber back to England and allowing the majority of his crew to bail out safely, 1942.
Battle of Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal, 1942.
December 2016
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Corvette HMAS Armidale is sunk by Japanese bombers off Portuguese Timor, 1942.
Russia and the Central Powers reach an armistice at Brest, 1917.
AIF disembark at Alexandria, Egypt,1914.
3RAR are presented with the Presidential Unit Citation by US Commander James Van Fleet, for their actions during the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951, 1952.
First operational sortie by an RAAF aircraft in World War Two, when a Sunderland flying boat of No 10 Squadron flies an anti-submarine patrol from England. 1939.
Aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney begins her second patrol of the Korean War, 1951.
Pacific War begins after The Imperial Japanese military launches attacks at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1941.
Prime Minister John Curtin announces that Australia is now at war with Japan, 1942.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Honner, 39th Victoria Battalion, leads his men into Gona Village, 1942
HMS Battleship Repulse and Battlecruiser Prince of Wales sunk by Japanese carrier aircraft, 1941.
1RAR launches Operation Fauna, Korea, their last attack before returning to Australia, 1952.
Battlecruiser HMAS Australia damaged in a collision with HMS Repulse, 1917.
From 11-13 December, units of the Australian Light Horse were in action against the Senussi at Um Rakham in Egypt, 1915.
Japanese forces land at Penang, Malaya, after several days of air raids, 1941.
The last Australian forces depart Tarin Kot, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan, after 12 years of combat, 2013.
Two Victorian battalions of the 4th brigade lead the advance on Fortification Point, New Guinea, 1943.
Empire Air Training Scheme agreement signed by several Commonwealth nations, 1939.
18 Brigade, 7th Division, launches assault on Buna, Papua, supported by tanks of 2/6th Armoured Regiment, 1942.
Battle of Adele River, Bougainville, 1944.
Second conscription referendum, 1917.
Battle of Jaffa, Palestine, 1917.
The first US troops begin arriving in Australia, 1941.
Capture of Magdhaba, Sinai, by General Harry Chauvel's Mounted Brigade, 1916.
Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin and sinks HMAS Arrow, a Royal Australian Navy patrol boat, with the loss of two sailors, 1974.
Christmas Day A 37 Squadron RAAF C-130 Hercules is the first plane into Darwin to help evacuate survivors, 1974.
Boxing Day Japanese forces capture Hong Kong, 1941.
Christmas Day Holiday Prime Minister John Curtin's speech "Australia looks to America", is published in The Herald, 1941.
6th Australian Division in action for the first time, probing the Italian defences outside the fortress of Bardia, 1940.
Sailors from the Victorian Colonial warship Victoria see action on shore at Matarikoriko, during the Maori Wars, 1860.
Battle of Pearl Ridge, Bougainville, 1944.
2nd AIF convoy departs Albany, WA for Egypt and Gallipoli, 1915.
Australia's military history spans more than a century,
from the late 1800s to current conflicts and
peacekeeping operations in which our men and women
serve proudly today. This calendar presents just a small
snapshot of that history. We encourage all Victorians to
learn more about our story of service and to share their
own stories so that we may continue to preserve and
pass on this rich history to future generations.
This is an accessible version: A PDF version of this publication is available at
the Victoria Remembers website (www.vic.gov.au/victoriaremembers)
Images reproduced courtesy of the Australian War Memorial and Susan Gordon-Brown.
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