The First World War began when Britain and Germany went to war in August 1914, and Prime Minister Andrew Fisher’s government pledged full support for Britain. The outbreak of war was greeted in Australia, as in many other places, with great enthusiasm.

Australia’s early involvement in the Great War included the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landing at Rabaul on 11 September 1914 and taking possession of German New Guinea at Toma on 17 September 1914 and the neighbouring islands of the Bismarck Archipelago in October 1914. On 14 November 1914 the Royal Australian Navy made a significant contribution when HMAS Sydney destroyed the German raider SMS Emden.

On 25 April 1915 members of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) landed at Gallipoli together with troops from New Zealand, Britain, and France. This began a campaign that ended with the evacuation of troops on 19 and 20 December 1915. Following Gallipoli, Australian forces fought campaigns on the Western Front and in the Middle East.

Throughout 1916 and 1917 losses on the Western Front were heavy and gains were small. In 1918 the Australians reached the peak of their fighting performance in the battle of Hamel on 4 July. From 8 August they then took part in a series of decisive advances until Germany surrendered on 11 November.

The Middle East campaign began in 1916 with Australian troops participating in the defence of the Suez Canal and the allied reconquest of the Sinai Peninsula. In the following year Australian and other allied troops advanced into Palestine and captured Gaza and Jerusalem; by 1918 they had occupied Lebanon and Syria. On 30 October 1918 Turkey sued for peace.

For Australia, as for many nations, the First World War remains the most costly conflict in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which over 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner.

The outbreak of war was greeted in Australia, as in many other places, with great public enthusiasm. In response to the overwhelming number of volunteers, the authorities set exacting physical standards for recruits. Yet, most of the men accepted into the army in August 1914 were sent first to Egypt, not Europe, to meet the threat which a new belligerent, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), posed to British interests in the Middle East and the Suez Canal.

After four and a half months of training near Cairo, the Australians departed by ship for the Gallipoli peninsula, with troops from New Zealand, Britain, and France. The Australians landed at what became known as Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915 and established a tenuous foothold on the steep slopes above the beach. During the early days of the campaign, the allies tried to break through Turkish lines, while the Turks tried to drive the allied troops off the peninsula. Attempts on both sides ended in failure and the ensuing stalemate continued for the remainder of 1915. The most successful operation of the campaign was the evacuation of troops on 19 and 20 December, under cover of a comprehensive deception operation. As a result, the Turks were unable to inflict more than a very few casualties on the retreating forces.

After Gallipoli the AIF was reorganised and expanded from two to five infantry divisions, all of which were progressively transferred to France, beginning in March 1916. The AIF mounted division that had served as additional infantry during the campaign remained in the Middle East. When the other AIF divisions arrived in France, the war on the Western Front had long been settled in a stalemate, with the opposing armies facing each other from trench systems that extended across Belgium and north-east France, from the English Channel to the Swiss border. The development of machine-guns and artillery favoured defence over attack and compounded the impasse, which lasted until the final months of the war.

While the overall hostile stasis continued throughout 1916 and 1917, the Australians and other allied armies repeatedly attacked, preceded by massive artillery bombardments intended to cut barbed wire and destroy enemy defences. After these bombardments, waves of attacking infantry emerged from the trenches into no man’s land and advanced towards enemy positions. The surviving Germans, protected by deep and heavily reinforced bunkers, were usually able to repel the attackers with machine-gun fire and artillery support from the rear. These attacks often resulted in limited territorial gains followed, in turn, by German counter-attacks. Although this style of warfare favoured the defence, both sides sustained heavy losses.

In July 1916 Australian infantry were introduced to this type of combat at Fromelles, where they suffered 5,533 casualties in 24 hours. By the end of the year about 40,000 Australians had been killed or wounded on the Western Front. In 1917 a further 76,836 Australians became casualties in battles, such Bullecourt, Messines, and the four-month campaign around Ypres, known as the battle of Passchendaele.

In March 1918 the German army launched its final offensive of the war, hoping for a decisive victory before the military and industrial strength of the United States could be fully mobilised in support of the allies. The Germans initially met with great success, advancing 64 kilometres past the region of the 1916 Somme battles, before the offensive lost momentum. Between April and November the stalemate of the preceding years began to give way, as the allies combined infantry, artillery, tanks, and aircraft more effectively, demonstrated in the Australian capture of Hamel spur on 4 July 1918. The allied offensive, beginning on 8 August at Amiens, also contributed to Australian successes at Mont St Quentin and Péronne and to the capture of the Hindenburg Line. In early October the Australian divisions withdrew from the front for rest and refitting; they were preparing to return when Germany surrendered on 11 November.

Unlike their counterparts in France and Belgium, the Australians in the Middle East fought a mobile war against the Ottoman Empire in conditions completely different from the mud and stagnation of the Western Front. The light horsemen and their mounts had to survive extreme heat, harsh terrain, and water shortages. Nevertheless, casualties were comparatively light, with 1,394 Australians killed or wounded in three years of war. This campaign began in 1916 with Australian troops participating in the defence of the Suez Canal and the allied reconquest of the Sinai Peninsula. In the following year Australian and other allied troops advanced into Palestine and captured Gaza and Jerusalem; by 1918 they had occupied Lebanon and Syria. On 30 October 1918 Turkey sued for peace.

Australians also served at sea and in the newly formed flying corps. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN), under the command of the Royal Navy, made a significant contribution early in the war, when HMAS Sydney destroyed the German raider Emden near the Cocos Islands in November 1914. The Great War was the first armed conflict in which aircraft were used; about 3,000 Australian airmen served in the Middle East and France with the Australian Flying Corps, mainly in observation capacities or providing infantry support.

It is 100 years since the beginning of the First World War for some reason maybe because there is so much on the telly about it that, it has been on my mind. The war ran from 28^th July 1914 to 11^th November 1918. It was called the war to end all wars or the Great War.

It would become one of the largest wars in history, with close to 70 million people being involved and the death toll was staggering with around 16 million dying and another 20 million injured.

At least 2 million died from diseases and 6 million went missing, presumed dead. This article lists the casualties of the belligerent powers based on official published sources.

About two-thirds of military deaths in World War I were in battle, unlike the conflicts that took place in the 19th century when the majority of deaths were due to disease. Nevertheless, disease, including the Spanish flu and deaths while held as prisoners of war, still caused about one third of total military deaths for all belligerents.

There were about 60,000 Australian dead and more than 150,000 wounded. There had never been a war like it. It was the first major war of the industrial age, the first war to include tanks, machine guns, trench warfare, gas and many other horrors which were previously unknown on the battlefields of the world.

It was the war fought on the biggest stage of all time. No previous war had ever spanned continents and hemispheres.

Researching this I have not been able to find a clear reason for the war other than power pure and simple, if this is wrong please feel free to tell me the reason for it.

Of course when Australians think of the First World War we think of Gallipoli, the first troops landed on 25 April 1915. After eight months of heavy fighting, the troops were withdrawn around the end of the year.

The campaign was the first major military action of Australia and New Zealand as independent dominions, and is often considered to mark the birth of national consciousness in those nations. The date of the landing, 25 April, is known as “Anzac Day“. It remains the most significant commemoration of military casualties and veterans in Australia and New Zealand.

The campaign was one of the greatest Ottoman victories during the war and is considered a major Allied failure. In Turkey, it is regarded as a defining moment in the nation’s history: a final surge in the defence of the motherland as the Ottoman Empire crumbled. The struggle formed the basis for the Turkish War of Independence and the founding of the Republic of Turkey eight years later under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who first rose to prominence as a commander at Gallipoli.

So to all those who fought, we will remember you……………lest we forget

I liked this so I am reblogging

Hi all been sick yesterday and not in the mood for blog writing but I am much better today and at last getting around to writing a blog post.

Now what to write about, ok I could start by telling you that my granddaughter Summer is pretty sick at the moment she has viral tonsillitis and has been running a high temperature. Her mummy had to get the doctor to your door (after-hours doctor) out to her last night who after looking at her said he thought she should go over to the hospital so Kathy and Summer spent all night at the emergency department.

I could tell you that while she was at the hospital last night Kathy was so tired that she laid down next to Summer in the bed and the next thing she knew she was on the floor and a nurse was asking her if she was ok, she fell out of bed……………

Today Leo went on a school excursion to see something called Wombat Stew I don’t know what it was about really, http://www.civicprecinctnewcastle.com.au/component/k2/item/57

I know that he had to catch a bus there and back and I think he thought that was the most exciting bit as he has gone on about it a bit since I have picked him up.

What else well tomorrow is Jeans for Genes day so Leo will be wearing jeans to school he has to take a gold coin donation $2 so they can raise money.

Also because it is Jeans for Genes day Kathy told the day-care that she thought a good activity for the little ones to do at the day care would be to make placemats out of old jeans, so she asked on Facebook if anyone in the family had any old jeans and her sister and cousin gave her some so has about 7 pairs to take into the day care for them to cut up and use.

One thing I do know is that I will be wearing jeans tomorrow when I go out just because it is Jeans for Genes day, I would like to wear my blue jeans but they need to be shortened I think so I may end up wearing black jeans or I do have red jeans as well anyway I will find a pair to wear tomorrow.

Before I leave I will let all know that I am feeling much better at last, it has taken long enough I was so sick yesterday I couldn’t watch Summer or go to see nan, although mum and I went to the nursing home today to see nan but we could only stay 10 minutes as I had to get back to go to the doctors.

My BGL’s are still too high and I have had my medication increased again, the levels are ok if I don’t eat much but I like my food too much and that is always a problem……………so now they have increased my Byetta from 5ml to 10ml twice a day and we will see how that goes.

Ok that is enough for this post as it has turned into a bloody long one at that………………….sorry………….

Good morning everyone, hope everyone is well this morning or night depending on where you are in the world. Me for some reason I woke up feeling queasy and have been coughing and reaching and throwing up.

Right now I am starting this while Leo has his breakfast than of course we will be off to the school, I hope I am ok on the drive to the school.

Now let’s move on to more important stuff because my health although important it is not the most important thing by any means.

If I was to say to you that on Saturday when I went out I was hot because it was cold would that make any sense to you?

If not I will explain, on cold days I usually put the heater on for say 10-15 minutes before I get out of bed, I have a small two bar heater in the bedroom. Anyway I put it on to warm the room a bit before I get dressed and on Saturday I didn’t so when I got dressed I dressed in really warm clothes and then I went shopping and of course because it was so cold the shopping centres had their heat turn up and that meant that I ended up getting hot. So I was hot because it was cold. Now does that make sense?

Sunday’s lunch at my parents place was great, there was 11 adults and 9 children their and we managed to have a couple of family photos taken dad took one and then Kelli took one with dad in it, of course to get on with everyone in it we would need a non-family member to take it and there was no non family members there.

Of course I am sharing a few photos taken on the day but not the big family one as yet because that was taken with my dad’s camera and I don’t have a copy of it yet.

Good morning all how is everyone today, I am at last really starting to feel like my old self, yes my nose is still running and is at times still blocked but overall I am feeling better which is a plus.

Today I am going over to my parents for Sunday lunch; this is a welcome to the family lunch for my newest great niece Kelsi Jayne. While there I am hoping to get a few family photos done.

I am really annoyed that the store that I use to have our family portrait done at has closed down and I now can’t find anywhere that does them at such a cheap price, honestly I was paying between $10-25 for the photo granted it was only one photo but remember I am married to a man who doesn’t like to part with money for such things.

Anyway we will see what happens today and hopefully we should be able to get a few photos taken. Speaking of taking photos I have had my camera on charging overnight and it still will not turn on so I guess it is cactus now Tim will have to get me a new camera………..lol

On Monday it is my great nephew Lenny’s 5^th birthday so yesterday his mum had a family party for him, no I didn’t go why because I wasn’t invited but that is ok I am annoyed, upset or anything like that.

My point in mentioning it here is because while at the party a number of family photos were taken of Sue’s children and grandchildren and I thought I would share a couple here.

Do you like history?

I do, I love to watch history programmes on telly and I love to visit museums, Tim is not so interested in history that said when we go away on holidays he will go with me to different museums but where I could spend all my time going through museums Tim gets fed up after the first couple of them.

I spend a lot of time watching the history channel and the bio channel which has a lot of programs about the English Royal family which is another thing I am interested in, that Tim can’t be bothered with.

It is strange at times to think that what is happening in the world today will one day be history, when I watch programs about the Royal Family, I think about what people will think in a hundred years’ time about the current Royal Family.

I am watching a show about the women in King Charles 2^nd‘s life which made me think what people will think about our Prince Charles a few hundred years after his life.

One wonders if our modern day royals are somewhat tame by comparison to the antics of royals of the past.

Do you watch much television?

What type of television programmes do you like to watch?

You know I get annoyed when I hear people talking about how bad it is to watch too much television, yeah really it isn’t that bad well I don’t think it is and I watch a lot of television and yes I like to have time of a morning when I first get up without the television on and the house is nice and quiet but I also like to have the television on for most of the day.

When I was a child I remember my grandparents having the radio on all day and around 6pm they would turn the television on and watch tv for the rest of the night but if I wanted to have the telly on during the day I was allowed to do so although as a child I preferred to read a lot.

I just don’t see how watching tv is a bad thing, that said I don’t think it is fine for a child to spend all day every day in front of the telly but who does that none of my girls spent that much time watching telly and none of my grandchildren spend that much time watching telly during the day they are more likely to watch it during the night and when it is wet and they are unable to go outside to play and many times they will have the telly on but they are playing with toys as well and watching and playing at the same time.

There are many good programmes that teach children as well as entertain them.

Now to me I love my telly I love history programmes and I love crime shows and I watch a lot of British crime shows and I love Australian shows as well at the moment I think

Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries http://www.abc.net.au/tv/phrynefisher/ she is bloody great and I also liked

Mr & Mrs Murder http://www.fremantlemedia.com.au/shows/mr-mrs-murder oh and I have to add

Dr Blake Mysteries http://www.abc.net.au/tv/doctorblake/ just to name a few good Aussie shows.

Here we are on a nice warm in the sun but cold everywhere else Saturday and first up I would like to let everyone know that my dad is home from hospital and doing much better, be it being a bit of cranky sod due to the prednisone he was on but that will pass and we are happy he is home. He even came to Friday breakfast yesterday and my daughter said it was nice to see him looking ok, although she was annoyed when she found out that he called her nanna fat the day before, if mum is fat what am I…………fatter that’s what but what the hell I am happy and I know that I have no motivation to lose weight at the moment it is too cold.

However, that is not what this post is about, I will tell you what it is about…………………nothing much…………………Moving on though while I was out shopping this morning I heard these women talking about how one of them thought microwave ovens are a waste of money and don’t save time at all and I thought how stupid are you. Yes I know not everyone may agree with me but still this is what I thought, I love my microwave and can remember when my parents first bought one it was not long after they came on the market and you know I have had one ever since pretty much we may not have had one when we were first married but more or less we have always had a microwave.

I think they are great for reheating stuff and defrosting stuff such as ice cream that is rock hard 20 seconds in the microwave and it is soft enough to get it out of the container without breaking a spoon. I also like to do potatoes that I intend to roast in the oven in the microwave first, you peel the spuds and pop them into a freezer bag and cook for about 10 minutes till they are nice and soft then you cut them and drizzle oil over them add salt and pop them in the over for an hour, 10 minutes in the microwave halves your oven time.

Ok I would never cook a cake in the microwave, or my meat although I do cook bacon in the microwave a lot and I do poached eggs for Tim in it as well, to me the microwave has its place alongside other kitchen appliances.

What do others think is the microwave oven a time saver and a great invention or do you agree with the women I overheard and think they are a waste of money.

Ok here I am at last writing another post been a bit slack lately sorry for that no excuse I have just not been in the mood and when I have been I have been busy with other stuff but I am here now.

So what am I going got tell you today, well my dad has been in hospital since Thursday he was having trouble breathing and was coughing a lot and would cough till he throw up so mum took him to the GP who sent him to the hospital and they hospital admitted him as he was that bad, but after a few days of strong antibiotics via the drip in his arm he has improved a lot and may be home today or tomorrow I just hope they don’t send him home too soon.

Saturday night he got up and went to the toilet and what happened on his way back to bed, he fell over, and of course couldn’t reach his buzzer and had to sit on the floor calling for help; thankfully the woman in the next bed heard him and called for the nurse. He was told he fell because he was wearing socks, but dad has to wear sock all the time due to the nerves in his feet being shot and his feet being as cold as ice blocks all the time.

While he has been in hospital he has had some visitors but not me I have been too sick to go and see him mum has gone every day morning and again in the afternoon and my brother has gone a few times as well.

While dad has been in hospital mum has had a couple of nights home alone and she has loved it mum likes being home alone this is something my sister can’t get she seems to think mum needs someone to stay with her, I of course get it because I love being home alone.

Mum was telling me that my niece Temika who is only 4yrs old was upset about poppy being in hospital and said to her mum that she was worried that poppy wouldn’t come home and would have to stay in the hospital like great nan does, she said that poppy is very old and is sick a lot and that might be while he will not be allow to come home, mum said she was very upset about this and Sandy had to assure her that poppy would be home as soon as he was better and that he was getting better by being in the hospital.

The funny thing is that Temika will not go near pop very often, she doesn’t like giving him hugs and kisses, but Temika has always had a problem with men from the time she was only a baby, we feel she might have had a problem with men in a passed life but that is another post.