AMOSA JUNE NEWSLETTER v1.2.pdf - Army Museum of South ...

THE EXHIBITOR
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE
ARMY MUSEUM OF SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
AMOSA
JUNE 2011
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
THE MANAGER‘S REPORT
With mandatory training
behind us and a year of
exciting possibilities in front
of us, 2011 shapes up as a
significant year in the
development and maturing of
the Army Museum of South
Australia. WO2 Stephen
Rogers has commenced duty
with us and he is making a
positive transition from
R e g u l a r t o R e s e r v e
service. In January Jim
Love and John Neild
attended the Deakin
University's Australian Army
H i s t o r y U n i t s
(AAHU) Introduction to
Muesology (Museum Curator
Training) course and
reported positively on the
c o n t e n t a n d t h e
opportunity the Course
provides to meet and network
with peers from other
Museum's through out the
AAHU network. Along with
Sue Urban, Nick Williams
and Bob Dikkenberg I have
attended a History SA
w o r k s h o p a i m e d a t
developing a portal for our
Museum the History SA's
website. The URL is
http://www.community.history.sa.
gov.au/organisations/australianarmy-museum-of-south-australia
We can advertise our
events and the Museum
activities via that network
which is linked to all other
registered and accredited
Museums in South
Australia. Sue Urban will be
developing the site for us.
History SA has changed it's
May History Week format so
that this year it was History
Month. Our feature luncheon,
which we began three years
ago, this year was held on
May 25 and featured Lady
Downer, who served with the
58th Searchlight Battery in
WW2. It also featured Jack
Tredrea MM who saw service
in Borneo with Z Force in
WW2 and Rex Lipman, the
inaugural CO of AUR and
who served in various
theatres during WW2.
ABC's Simon Royal again
offered to moderate at the
function. An early booking
was essential and Jan Rose
sold 200 seats although we
could have sold many more,
so popular was the event.
The preparation of meals
was once again organised by
members of the Foundation
Board. It is a keynote event
in our calendar but doubly
s p e c i a l a s M A J G E N
Wilson's Keswick Barrack
Heritage Walk Establishment
Group invited lunch guests to
witness the launch and
d e d i c a t i o n o f w a l k
immediately following the
luncheon. On behalf of
everyone associated with the
Army Museum of South
A u s t ra li a I wi s h to
publicly record our thanks to
our Headquarters Group in
Canberra for their active
a s s i s t a n c e i n t h e
d e v e l o p m e n t o f t w o
significant initiatives at
Keswick. $75,000 has been
Major Barry Willoughby
Manager of AMOSA
provided so that we can have
new custom made uniform
display cabinets in the WW1
Gallery and the Pacific
Gallery. We expect to
commission the cabinets
before June 30 this year.
Additionally $25,000 has
been allocated for us to erect
five red Calca Granite bases
onto which a 600mm by
400mm bronze plate
inscription have been
mounted depicting the
Barracks as it was in
yesteryear. The Heritage
Walk will be a conducted tour
of the Barracks on the first
Sunday of each month. We
need guides from our ranks
to staff the walk. If you are
interested please let me
know. Ideally a dedicated
group of six to ten people will
allow flexibility in deployment
and a chance to grow our
visitor numbers to AMOSA.
Barry Willoughby
Manager
AMOSA
Inside this issue
Museum unveils flag &
flagpole
The AMOSA tie 2
Diggers Report 2
Wiles Cooker 3
Old Sword Blade
Saved
History Week
Luncheon
Salute to the ANZAC‘s 5
VC Winners 6
Special points of
interest:
Lady Downer, Rex Lipman
& Jack Tredea speak at the
History Luncheon—25 May
2011
Launch of the Keswick
Barracks Heritage Walk
New History SA
Community history website
‗Diggers‘ column
A Wiles Cooker—South
Australia‘s own!
AMOSA Membership
2
3
4

MUSEUM UNVEILS NEW FLAG and FLAGPOLE
The museum now has a flag and
it flies proudly from the recently
erected flagpole in the centre of
the museum precinct. The project
has been under way for some
time but now that it has turned
into a reality it looks very
impressive and gives the
museum a sense of identity.
Everyday that the museum is
open the flag will be flown, raised
by the Museum Manager Major
Barry Willoughby.
LEFT and BELOW:: The museum’s
new flag flies from the newly erected
flagpole
THE BEST DRESSED PEOPLE WEAR A MUSEUM TIE
Along with the flag the museum
now has it‘s own tie and like the
flag it is in the state‘s colours.
Sadly the state colours of South
Australia are shared by the
Adelaide Crows (Who are having
anything but a good year) and
therefore the tie is worn but not
without some reluctance by
supporters of other ALF teams.
The white, blue and yellow of the
West Coast Eagles would have
been outstanding. (for Dikko!)
DIGGER‘S REPORT
The AMOSA badge gives the tie
a corporate look and gives
everyone who wears one a
sense of belonging and identity .
The photo on the right: shows
the museum manager, Major
Barry Willoughby presenting two
ties to the Brigade RSM, WO1
Michael Kerr (He is a St Kilda
supporter). One tie being for the
RSM and the other for the
Brigade Commander, Brigadier
Craig McCarthy.
This is my first column for the
Museum's Exhibitor. I would
like to thank my mate Dikko for
the opportunity to thank every
one at the Museum who have
made me feel very welcome on
the days I have been able to get
to do my duty days. I enjoy
them very much and do
appreciate the kicking ability of
s o m e o f t h e M u s e u m
volunteers. Paul Longstaff and
his group in Building 136 in
particular have a good range
Page 2
with their kicks and throws of the
Sherrin (my footy). When you in
at the Barracks don't forget to
say good aye
A special welcome to our new
soldier. WO2 Stephen Rogers
marched in at the end of
January. A regular soldier for
thirty years, we are lucky to have
his experience to help us to do
our tasks at the Museum. Best
wishes to him, Caroline and
family for a happy posting .
You can catch my column in
future editions of the Exhibitor
‗pawed’ Digger
DIGGER: The Exhibitor’s new
columnist
THE EXHIBITOR

THE WILES COOKER
What is a Wiles Cooker?
Jim Wiles enlisted in the 7 th
Australian Infantry Regiment in
Ballarat in 1903. He conceived the
idea of a steam cooker while serving
in South Africa in the Boer War. He
invented and patented the Wiles
Travelling Army Field Kitchen in
December 1913. He produced over
300 cookers for the Federal
Government during the period 1914
– 1918. At the end of WWI the
military abandoned the Wiles design
and standardised on a British Army
model. Jim sold the engineering
business and went farming instead.
The Wiles family moved to Adelaide
in June 1926 and Jim obtained
employment with the Ford Motor
Company. Son‘s Dick and Ken
started an electroplating company
soon afterwards. When war broke
out in 1939, Ken Wiles produced a
prototype of the WWII cooker. It was
tested by the Garrison Battalion
located at Keswick Barracks before
being moved to the Gawler Camp.
Sir Stanton Hicks, an expert in
nutrition, became an advocate for
the Wiles Cooker and supported its
introduction back into the Defence
Force. After some procrastination by
Army, 16 static units were installed
at Darley Camp, Victoria, 20 units at
Narrelan and Liverpool Camps and
10 for Woodside. A further 30 units
were supplied to the British Air
Force for use in Malaya. By 1942, a
tender was let for some 270 units.
Over 3000 units were eventually
produced with the Wiles family over
the 85 years of production. The
Wiles Cooker was used in service
until 1975. This was a tremendous
achievement for a South Australian
Company and the Wiles Family. We
are fortunate to have an original
WWI Wiles Cooker in our collection.
We are also grateful to Tim and
Sally Porter for their generous
donation of photographs and books
about the Wiles story.
Nick Williams
Photos of the Wiles Cooker
OLD SWORD BLADE SAVED By Barry Leon
Some time ago, perhaps two years,
I found a Japanese sword blade
stored in building 8 which was part
of the RSAR Historical Collection. I
found it to be an old Samurai one
dated sometime between 1600 and
1700. On closer inspection I found
that someone, for reasons known
only to themselves, had made
several attempts to drill a hole
through it. Perhaps they had
intended to mount it on the wall. To
my horror I found that there had
been three attempts with the
deepest hole being about half a
millimetre. I found it to be beyond
redemption and so, left it in storage
for a further two years. Just recently
I showed the blade to a friend who
is an expert in Japanese Swords
and we both agreed that it was a
Shinto Blade dated between 1595
and 1780. My friend felt, however,
that with careful repolishing and
shaping that I might be able to
remove the marks made by the
power drill. So after five weeks of
careful and painstaking effort with
four grades of oil stones, ten grades
of wet and dry paper and finishing
with Jewellers Rough I was able to
bring the blade back to looking like it
should have many years before.
When I found it there was no
scabbard, no fittings and just an old
military hilt stuck on the Tang. The
Tang is signed and from this I will
endeavour to find out where it was
made, who made it and the exact
date that it was made. The blade is
a Family Samurai Katana that was
taken to the Second World War by
an officer. This blade was fitted into
Shin Günter (Military) Mounts and in
doing so the craftsmen slightly
altered the Tang and removed some
of the signature. The blade is made
by the Kabushi Kitae Process in
which a soft core is wrapped in high
carbon steel giving an extremely
hard cutting edge.
All in all I feel that this blade has
been saved from a disastrous fate
and will now be an attractive display
in the museum.
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 Page 3

FORUM 2011 ―MILITARY SERVICE – WHAT IT MEANT TO ME, MY
FAMILY AND MY COUNTRY‖
On Wednesday 25 May the Museum
held it‘s Forum for 2011. Hosted by
the ABC‘s Simon Royal, it had some
very interesting guest speakers
discussing the topic ‗Military
Service—What it meant to me, my
family and my country‘ The speakers
were:
Mary Downer, Lady Downer (born
13 December 1924) is a prominent
South Australian patron, wife of
d e c e a s e d M P a n d H i g h
Commissioner Sir Alexander Downer
and mother of former Australian
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
Lady Downer was educated in
Adelaide where she was raised along
with her four brothers. Her father, Sir
James Gosse, was a prominent
A d e l a i d e b u s i n e s s m a n a n d
philanthropist as was her grandfather
Robert Barr Smith. At the age of 18,
in the thick of World War II, Lady
Downer, like her brothers before her,
joined the army. Enlisted in the 58th
Searchlight Battery, she moved to
Western Australia where she served
as a truck driver. Lady Downer
moved to London with her husband
in 1964 as he took up the post of
Australian High Commissioner. Here
she became involved in an Australian
expatriate community establishing
the Chicken and Chablis Club which
remains active today. Lady Downer
has been an active patron of the
Mary Potter Foundation since 1994 .
The Mary Potter Foundation works to
raise funds to support the work of the
Mary Potter Hospice operated by
Calvary Health Care Adelaide and to
support the development of services
to the terminally ill and their families
by the Mary Potter Hospice through
the provision of additional buildings,
facilities, equipment and/or services.
Lady Downer was the primary patron
of the Barossa Valley Music Festival
in South Australia until its termination
in 2005.
Rex Lipman: Rex has achieved
great success throughout a period of
nearly 60 years as a soldier, dental
s u r g e o n , m e r c h a n t b a n k e r ,
racehorse breeder and trainer, travel
manager, vigneron, author, and hotel
management school CEO which
gives a person a licence to write
about success, then Rex Lipman is
indeed well qualified. Having left St
Peters College in 1937 at the age of
15, he was employed as a junior in
the pastoral bank Goldsbrough Mort,
and at night he studied commerce at
Adelaide University and joined the
Citizens Military Forces. On the
outbreak of World War II he enlisted
and, as one of the youngest officers
in the second AIF, he served with
distinction as a Commando behind
the Japanese lines in Timor and later
as a staff officer in the famous 9th
Australian Division, where he was
Mentioned in Dispatches. In the late
1940s, as a Lieutenant Colonel, he
was Adelaide University Regiment‘s
first Commanding Officer. During the
four years he commanded the Unit, it
HERITAGE WALK OPENED
LEFT: Scenes from the 2011 forum
won the trophy for Most Efficient
Battalion in the Australian Citizen
Forces.
Jack Tredrea, former Australian
commando, is one of the few surviving
members of Z-Special unit, the group of
Special Forces that assisted the
downed American airmen and helped
with their rescue. Jack was a member
of Semut 1 (Semut means Ant in Malay)
a group of undercover allied operatives
lead by the eccentric English Major
Tom Harrisson. Jack joined the army in
November 1938 and learned Malay
during training prior to the Semut
missions in Borneo. Jack Tredrea was
involved in allied secret operations
against the Japanese in Borneo in
1945. He spent over seven months in
the jungle, training and fighting with a
party of thirty Iban guerrilla warriors.
Jack gathered intelligence from all over
the Kelabit Highlands and Kayan
Territory, this information which was
radioed back to the Northern Territories
in Australia. Jack left Borneo after the
end of the war and arrived in Australia
in mid November 1945. He was
discharged in April 1946 and returned
to South Australia to take up his former
employment as tailor. He retired at age
65. He has a daughter, 4 grandchildren
and 8 great grandchildren.
The capacity crowd of 200 thoroughly
enjoyed the presentations and once
again Simon Royal did an excellent job
as the moderator.
Page 4
RIGHT: On Wednesday 25 May 2011 Lady
Mary Downer opened the Keswick Barracks
Heritage Walk. It was initiated by MAJGEN Neil
Wilson and with a crew of dedicated workers,
he was able to establish this most excellent
walk in only 8 weeks.
There is a brochure that gives details of the
walk. It was largely financed by the Army
History Unit whose contribution of $30,000
made it possible to construct 5 plaques at
strategic locations around the barracks. The
Heritage Walk will be conducted on the first
Sunday of every month.
THE EXHIBITOR

SALUTE TO THE ANZACS
On 15 April a Concert, which featured music chosen to
provide a Salute to the ANZACS, was held in Building 34A at
Keswick Barracks. Organised by Ray Saunders and with the
music performed by The 10/27 th Battalion Royal South
Australia Regiment Band, the function was enjoyed by all
those who attended.
Photo RIGHT: Scenes from what was another successful
function.
MEMBERSHIP
There are a total of 237 members and volunteers at the
present time.
If you would like to purchase a tie for your friends, we have a
special deal where the costs of the tie and Foundation
Membership are only $15.00. An added bonus for new
members signing up between now and June 30 is that the
membership will extend to 30 June 2012.
To reduce the time and expenses of using Australia Post as
the prime medium of corresponding with members, this
edition of the ―Exhibitor‖ and future correspondences will use
both mediums of mail and Email.
If you have added an email address or changed your email
address, please notify me at ray.saunders@defence.gov.au
BOOK REVIEW
An upcoming book, Diggerspeak: The
language of Australians at war by a
former researcher at the Australian
National Dictionary Centre, historian Dr
Amanda Laugesen, published by
Oxford University Press, describes in
more detail the words of war, drawing
together the diverse words produced
and used by ordinary Australians at
war, and examining their ongoing and
contemporary usage.
‗DIGGER‘
The nickname 'Digger' is attributed to the
number of ex-gold diggers in the early
army units and to the trench digging
activities of the Australian soldiers during
World War I. The actual origin of the
name has been lost in time but the
Australian soldier is known affectionately
around the world as the Digger. The
Museum‘s K9 Ambassador wears this
name proudly and to make it official he
now has his own ‗Dog‘ tags.
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 Page 5

Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC Victoria Cross winner Ben
Roberts-Smith has described how he was nearly shot dead by an
insurgent soon after the action for which he was awarded the top
Medal for Gallantry under fire. The Special Air Service Corporal was
scouting ahead of an Australian unit last June 11 when he passed an
insurgent hidden in rocks above him. The insurgent fired a burst of
gunfire at him from five to 10m away. "He missed me - obviously,"
Corporal Roberts-Smith said at the Australian war memorial in
Canberra. "One of my fellow soldiers engaged and killed that insurgent.
It was the last contact of the day." A photograph of Australia's most
decorated living soldier taken minutes after that engagement was
placed yesterday in the War Memorial's Hall of Valour, which
commemorates the exploits of all 98 Australian VC winners. Just 90
minutes before the photograph was taken, the 2m tall soldier had
added the VC to his Medal for Gallantry by single-handedly charging a
Taliban machine gun nest to protect members of his unit pinned down
by heavy fire.
ABOVE: Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith or Big
Ben and RS to his mates
MEDAL NEWS—13 NEW
VICTORIA CROSSES
LEFT: WALL HONOURS THE FALLEN
The Kibby Club, otherwise known as the OR‘s Boozer located
within the bounds of Keswick Barracks in South Australia, has
created a wall that honours the soldiers who have died while on
duty in Afghanistan. A lot of effort on behalf of Cpl Chris Dakers
has made the wall something very special and worth a look if
ever you are in the barracks area. Sadly the photos on the wall
are growing in number with the death of three more soldiers in
Afghanistan bring the total to 26.
THE VICTORIA CROSS
Of all the orders and decorations open to members of the
Australian Defence Force, the Victoria Cross remains the most
honoured, the most coveted. It marks its wearer as one
possessing supreme courage, a disregard for danger and
complete devotion to duty. The Victoria Cross (VC) was instituted
on 29 January 1856 and was made retrospective from 1 August
1854.
Thirteen former Australian servicemen -
11 sailors and two soldiers - are to be
considered for a posthumous Victoria
Cross. Under an inquiry foreshadowed
in December but officially launched on
Saturday, the independent Defence
Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal
will investigate unresolved recognition
for past acts of naval and military
gallantry and valour. Best known on the
list is John Simpson Kirkpatrick of
Gallipoli fame. The number of sailors
reflects the fact that not one VC has
ever been awarded to an Australian
sailor. Parliamentary Secretary for
Defence David Feeney said there had
been numerous acts of gallantry and
valour by Australian naval and military
servicemen since World War I. "A
number of people have raised the issue
of a Victoria Cross for former Defence
Force personnel," he said in a
statement. "I am pleased that the
tribunal will inquire into recognition for
thirteen naval and military personnel.
Their brave acts of gallantry and valour
deserve greater recognition." Senator
Feeney said he had directed the tribunal
to make recommendations on the
eligibility of the 13 to receive the Victoria
Cross, the Victoria Cross for Australia or
other forms of recognition. The tribunal
will take submissions and conduct public
hearings in the second half of the year.
Tribunal chairman Professor Dennis
Pearce said before making any
recommendations on the eligibility of the
13 cases for any form of retrospective
recognition, they would consider the
rules, procedures and issues of principle
relating to award of the VC, VC for
Australia and other forms of appropriate
recognition plus the evidentiary
standards. "We will consult experts in
the field of honours and awards. We will
also take into account the constitutional
and diplomatic issues," he said. "Only
once this has all been done, will the
tribunal be able to proceed to the
consideration of the 13 cases." There
would appear to be significant
challenges. Until 1991, the VC was
awarded to Australians through the
Imperial Honours System. In 1991,
Australia adopted the VC for Australia,
an identical medal but awarded through
the Australian Honours System.
However, the VC for Australia can still
only be awarded "with the approval of
the Sovereign, by instrument signed by
t he Go v ernor - Gen eral o n t he
recommendation of the Minister". The
tribunal will also take submissions from
members of the public on others who
might also be worthy of recognition for
gallantry, although they won't be
considered in detail at this time.
There would appear to be no shortage
of possible contenders. For example,
Harry Smith, who commanded
Australian troops at Long Tan during the
Vietnam War, last month called for
Warrant Officer Jack Kirby to receive the
VC for gallantry during that battle.