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PeterInSa


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As ANZAC Day approaches, I Thought about………
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(Cindy, Delete if in-appropriate for the Forum)

Umpteen years ago + I was a Gasoline Cowboy (Transport Company) in the Army Reserve. I was the 2nd best shot in the company and could kill an enemy at 600m according to the range target bullseye. However, in a camouflage exercise, I and my fellow section soldiers could not see a squad of 12 that were hidden in foot high grass not 20m away from us. This made me very wary of fighting in a jungle situation.

Last week talking to the father of a current SAS soldier who served in Afghanistan, he told me that male Taliban fighters would dress up in Burqa hiding a weapon under their clothes and the only way they could tell, if something was sus if they could see hairs on the wrist or feet. To live, work, fight in this 24/7 environment makes my fear of the jungle miniscule.

Of Couse they also had instances of Afghanistan army personnel that have been turned by the Taliban, shooting at them in their army barracks and elsewhere.

I know from a cousin who severed 3 stints in Vietnam, continuous fighting without rest is rare, but with high intensity combat, unit rotation and rest periods could be reduced, with impact on your mental health, which would not be helped with problems from home, partner having trouble with teenage son, partner finding another relationship. This mental stress could cause you to make decisions that would otherwise not be made and could go against you in a future legal situation.

It seems to me the current environment in Australia is along the lines  of, if a soldier in a foreign war theatre on seeing an enemy must confirm that he/she is holding a gun/rifle/ explosive device pointed at you, before the shoot to kill, preferably taking a photo of the enemy prior to the shot to defend the action in case it is raised by a soldier in your section (or citizen) who was envious of you position/partner/lifestyle, (or saw the situation differently), bringing a legal case against you when back in Australia. To me approaching what the police need to go thru to justify very round shot in a disturbance.

I question why the Army/SAS hierarchy, to my knowledge, has not been called to account with problems due to our involvement in Afghanistan. Did they know and not do anything or they did not know because they were far from the coalface/front line.

And on Anzac Day when I hear the Last Post it reminds me of Army Cadets training during School days playing the Last Post on my Bugle at night at our annual camp at the Enoggera army camp Brisbane.

 

Lest We Forget

·         Burqa: A one-piece garment that covers the entire face and body, featuring a mesh screen over the eyes.



-- Edited by PeterInSa on Wednesday 22nd of April 2026 09:41:49 PM



-- Edited by PeterInSa on Wednesday 22nd of April 2026 10:54:07 PM

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Craig1


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Thank you Peter, well put.

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Magnarc


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Ditto. Well said.



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rmoor


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Yes, some good observations there.

Many of our journalists witch-hunting returned soldiers have short memories.
Not so long ago terrorists were filming beheading innocent people and posting the gruesome images on the net.

Who is out there bringing the millions of awful terrorists acts to justice?

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DMaxer


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I think being involved in any war in any theatre would be terrifying. Decisions have to be made in a split second in some cases that on later review prove to be erroneous. This is accepted and only alleged criminal acts outside of this are prosecuted.

The Geneva Convention was signed and adopted by all 196 States and every member of the United Nations is a signatory to its enforcement. If personnel are alleged to have committed criminal acts outside the rules of warfare stipulated in the treaty then they face prosecution. It is a high bar for the prosecution to succeed unless there are actual witnesses to the alleged act(s) and then the testimony obviously has to be corroborated by others that were present.

I imagine personnel of any fighting group, elite or otherwise, would be adoptive of the esprit de corps and it would need to be something quite extraordinary for this to be broken. I think personnel that were present would be the only ones whose testimony would be relevant. 

Anzac day is such a special day. The sacrifices made by so many just to keep our country safe. True heroes. 

 

  

 

 



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rmoor


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I have been watching the midday ABC short series on Fromelles, Pozieres etc.
Absolutely frightening what those Aussie and NZ troops went thru.

An absolute bloodbath and waste of young lives.
As they said on the show yesterday, there were only three ways to come out. Dead, wounded, or sick.
It must have taken immense intestinal fortitude to go over the top in some of those battles.

Was horrendous when they blew up the German occupied hill.
I think they said yesterday 10,000 Germans died in the space of 30 seconds.

What a waste of young lives.....I just don't get man's inhumanity to man......

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BBN2


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rmoor wrote:

What a waste of young lives.....I just don't get man's inhumanity to man......

-----

We are a tribal species - I doubt you have strong emotions over the current wars in Africa. 

'Twas always thus.

 



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Are We Lost


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A good posting Peter.

We should all think of and remember those courageous soldiers who volunteered and risked their lives. The horrors of what they went throught is hard to imagine. In more recent times, the horrors would be different, but would they be any less?

When an enemy has used subterfuge and killed your friends is it any wonder that some made their own justice ... if indeed that is what happened.

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DMaxer


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The laws relating to war crimes is no recent invention. In the western world it dates back to to the Lieber Code in the early 1860s during the American Civil War. People were prosecuted then for acts outside the definition of military warfare. The Hague Conventions of the early 1900s set rules on the means and methods of warfare which were adopted by all nations. The early League of Nations which formed into the United Nations extended them even further especially with the decisions and rulings of both the Nuremberg and Tokyo war Trials.

The rules were made by joint decisions of all the members of the United Nations and agreed upon by all signatories. The Geneva Convention was ratified by all the signatories.

The Rome Convention established the first International Court and also defined genocide, crimes against humanity, aggression and more specific war crimes. All members of the UN are signatories to this treaty which has also been ratified by all members.

Obviously different people react differently to what they perceive is there role and duty. People witness horrible acts of destruction during warfare.  The laws adopted by the United Nations and its various bodies recognizes the difference between explanation, as to why something might have happened, and justification, as to whether it was lawful and should have happened. A brutal example of this was My Lai during the Vietnam war.

The rulings are explicit. Explanation does not equate to justification. War is a horrible act.



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Peter_n_Margaret


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My father enlisted in the RAAF in WW2, but served with the RAF as an Astro Navigator in Beauforts and Beaufightors. The Beaufighters were one of the first squadrons to be fitted with rockets. They also carried torpedoes.
I cannot comprehend navigating a moving aircraft to a target over the ocean at night using just the stars.
Amasingly, he carried a personal camera for most of the war and we still have many photographs he took all over the world, including Pearl Harbour, USA, UK, Egypt, Iraq, Ceylon and  Malta. He lost many mates in Malta.

Bristol Beaufighter Mk X1

page 4 cE.jpg

Beaufort

page 10cE.jpg

Accommodation in Egypt.

page 17cE.jpg

In more recent years, Margaret and I visited Gallipoli. 

This is Lone Pine.

P1000774E.jpg

As we walked down the hill from Lone Pine, there was a woman somewhere in the valley singing Amasing Grace.

Some things are etched into your brain, forever. 

Lest we forget.

Cheers,

Peter

 



-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Friday 24th of April 2026 10:44:44 AM

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fwdoz


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My dad was captured at the fall of Singapore & was a POW on the Burma Railroad. He never spoke much about the war, sharing just a few stories about lucky escapes & lost mates.

Today I finally got to wear his recently received war medals at the dawn service in Ballarat this morning. Later this morning I will march in his place as I remember all those who sacrificed so much to give us the lives we have today.

Lest we forget.

 

WarMedals.jpg



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rmoor


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My late father was with 78 Wing, 75 and 77 squadrons.

New Guinea, New Hollandia, Moratai and Borneo from memory.

He too never spoke of the war.

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Peter_n_Margaret


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www.youtube.com/watch
Cheers,
Peter

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Magnarc


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I think that we will never see the likes of those lads ever again. Our world at present is in turmoil almost everwhere you look.Greed abounds, honour is a word that doesn't exist. 

Anzac day is the one time that we can come down to earth, and applaud those lads who literally walked into hell.

We should never, ever forget their bravery and commitment. A lot of good men on both sides died on that day. 



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rgren2


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IMG_5051.pngI dont mean to offend anyone, Im just putting my hand up.



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Ineedabiggerboat


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Is it a button or a T shirt. I want one.

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rgren2


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Ineedabiggerboat wrote:

Is it a button or a T shirt. I want one.

 A quick google and either are available at very reasonable prices.



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Magnarc


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The Beaufighter was a brilliant design and a very formidable fighting machine. It was known to the Japanese as the Whispering Death.

 Equipped with four 20mm Hispano cannons and six .303 machine guns, it was one of the most heavily armed fighters of its time. Later variants added rockets and torpedoes, making it a devastating weapon against enemy shipping.



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Peter_n_Margaret


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Magnarc wrote:

The Beaufighter was a brilliant design and a very formidable fighting machine. It was known to the Japanese as the Whispering Death.

 Equipped with four 20mm Hispano cannons and six .303 machine guns, it was one of the most heavily armed fighters of its time. Later variants added rockets and torpedoes, making it a devastating weapon against enemy shipping.

 This is a pic of a 20mm shell from one of those huge machine guns and a map, printed on silk and sewn inside their uniforms in case of being shot down over enemy territory.

P1080286e.JPG

Cheers,

Peter

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fwdoz


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After finally getting Dad's replica war medals recently, I trotted off down to the RSL last week & signed up as a member. Yesterday I marched for him for the first time on ANZAC Day in Ballarat. I was asked to carry the Descendants of Veterans sign, which was very humbling & a huge honour. Dad would be up there smiling with pride and at the thousands of lovely people who turned out for both the Dawn Service & the late morning march & service.

What also inspired me was how many young children were there to march & lay wreaths. Primary Schools are doing a fantastic job in Ballarat at keeping the ANZAC tradition & stories alive. There are some outstanding young people out there in our community; our future is hopefully bright by their presence.

 

Anzac1.jpgAnzac2.jpgAnzac3.jpg



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Burt65


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rgren2 wrote:

IMG_5051.pngI dont mean to offend anyone, Im just putting my hand up.

 

100% on this one... Only people that have fight a war on the front line, can truly understand why it is shameful what we are doing to this man! He is a hero, not a criminal!



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Ineedabiggerboat


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Couple of things. Its great to see younger people recognising the veterans in greater numbers every year. The rules should be changed when your enemy does not wear a uniform. Burt is right. Unless youve been there, you cant possibly understand. I support Ben Robert Smith fully and find it reprehensible that he is being prosecuted. Add to that, allowing those brides to return is an insult to most Australians. Their children were the ones holding up severed heads FFS.

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Peter_n_Margaret


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There are laws, and the courts will decide. That is how this country works. Ignore that and the risks are severe.
Cheers,
Peter

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Ineedabiggerboat


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Not sure our laws are respected by terrorist groups. Bit one sided.

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Ineedabiggerboat


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Im sure the six veterans who take their own life each month would like your support peter.

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Burt65


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Ineedabiggerboat wrote:

Im sure the six veterans who take their own life each month would like your support peter.

 

Peter has never been on the front line,  and I'm sure that he has never killed another human being.. It is painfully obvious by his comment.. He's completely ignoring the human factor and the mental state that these soldiers found themselves in, while shooting people that are trying to kill you...

This is not a person that woke up one morning bought a plane ticket and decided to go in another country to kill an innocent person... This is a professional soldier paid by us to protect us and to perform a job that no many people would do... In the heat of the moment under who knows what circumstances, he lost it, and killed some innocent... And now you want to pass a judgement, for a person that for a second, maybe a minute, instead of been a 100% 24-7 fighting machine, dropped his shield, and experienced a very common human feeling of hatred, that only show us, that after all, is just another human being...

It's pathetic!!!



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Are We Lost


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Burt65 wrote:

..... In the heat of the moment under who knows what circumstances, he lost it, and killed some innocent... 


 We dpn't even know this was "some innocent(s)".

We hear the term "was not taking an active part in the hostilities". He was tasked with finding those who masqueraded as civilians but killed his comrades. Perhaps he found them.



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Burt65


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Are We Lost wrote:
Burt65 wrote:

..... In the heat of the moment under who knows what circumstances, he lost it, and killed some innocent... 


 We dpn't even know this was "some innocent(s)".

We hear the term "was not taking an active part in the hostilities". He was tasked with finding those who masqueraded as civilians but killed his comrades. Perhaps he found them.

 

Thankfully, Australians have a clear idea of where we stand on this matter...

https://www.change.org/p/a-pardon-for-ben-roberts-smith?source_location=psf_petitions

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/crime/petition-claiming-innocence-of-ben-robertssmith-gathers-more-than-10000-signatures-in-24-hours-amid-public-divide-over-arrest/news-story/03d15b94db9cba83e3efe7f2b5af0dfb

https://www.reviveaus.com/brs

https://www.facebook.com/groups/freebenrobertssmith/

https://www.benjaminrobertssmith.life/

 

NOTE: I didn't check most of these links as I only signed two petitions, I believe it was the first link, but there are several other links if you search...

I hope in the end, Ben will be able to forgive the ignorant and the double standard, that we live in...

 



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Peter_n_Margaret


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Ineedabiggerboat wrote:

Not sure our laws are respected by terrorist groups. 

 If we do not obey and enforce our own laws, we are no better than those terrorists.

The courts will decide. That is why we have them and that is why they are independent.

Trial by media or by the public (who never know all of the facts) is never the answer.

Cheers,

Peter



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Ineedabiggerboat


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Peter youve posted a map of Australia showing the extent of your travels. I would be very surprised if you havent stayed at aboriginal town camps which been in the news recently for a profoundly sad reason. Did you ever see violence against women or children and did you intervene or turn the other way? If so, why? I have an aboriginal half sister who lives in a camp near Barrow Creek. I have some knowledge of what goes on, in a small area.

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