Contact the authors
The authors are keen to hear from anyone who might have information about men who served in the 56th Battalion during the First World War. We have access to all the official papers, but what we’re also really interested in are personal stories, especially things like diaries, letters, postcards or photographs.
If you can help, please either:
Leave a comment on this blog or,
Send an email via Craig.Tibbitts@awm.gov.au or,
Phone (02) 6243 4248 (w) or (02) 6259 5551 (h)
Many thanks…
28 April, 2008 at 5:41 pm |
I had 2 great uncles who served with the 56th. One died of wounds in 1917 and is buried at Dernencourt. The second survived the war after being wounded and gassed, and died at Inverell, NSW in 1985. I have photoes of both men, and photoes of Edward Brown’s grave at Dernencourt, France. If they are of any interest to you, please let me know and I will forward copies of the photoes to you. Regards, Evan Brown
Editor’s response: Hi Evan, thanks for contacting us. Your great uncle Edward must have been wounded at Louverval on 2 April 1917. By coincidence I’ve recently been writing the chapter on this battle. I’ll send you an email so you can send copies of the photos.
Cheers,
Craig.
16 June, 2008 at 9:40 am |
Hello
I am in the process of writing a history of the 48th Battalion. I have written a few others, some of which are in the AWM library.
They are :
The Westralian Battalion – 44th Bn AIF
The 52nd Battalion AIF
For King and Cobbers – 51st Bn AIF
Please check them out and let me know what you think.
I have been collecting information for a future project on either the 53rd or the 55th Battalion. I do have some info on the 56th – including a detailed honour roll, which I am happy to share with you.
Do you have an email address for Yves Fohlen? I need to get in contact with him.
Good luck with your project!
Neville
Editor’s response: Hi Neville, thanks for your comment. I am aware of your books but haven’t read any at this stage – too much other reading on my plate I’m afraid. We’re compiling various rolls of 56th Bn men, but send us what you’ve got if you like, you might have some data that we haven’t yet collected. As for Yves Fohlen, I don’t have his contact details, but if you visit the Families and Friends of the First AIF, you can probably track him down through that blog. The 53rd does need a new history written, as The Whale Oil Guards is quite inadequate. I know of a chap who has commenced work on a history of the 55th, but not sure how advanced he is by now.
Cheers,
Craig.
4 April, 2009 at 6:17 pm |
I have just completed a website called Dear Homefolks http://www.smythe.id.au/letters which is the transcripts from over 100 letters from Bert Smythe to his family back home.
His brother Vern Smythe was a Captain in the 56th. There are a few original letters from Vern and the other two brothers Viv and Percy but most of the letters are from Bert.
cheers
Jax
Editor’s response: Hi there, many thanks for letting us know about your website. I must say you’ve done a wonderful job on it. It’s really well presented and such a great tribute to the family. Congratulations. Of course Vernon Smythe is an important figure in the 56th, so he’s of genuine interest to us. I’ll have a good read of the other brothers’ letters as well.
Regards,
Craig.