FROMELLES AND POZIÈRES
Mena, Egypt. c. 1915. Captain G.G. McCrae and Lieutenant Heighway marching at the head of C Company, 7th Battalion, AIF
At the base of each window is a single word. Bean pondered the qualities, the values seen in these men and women, essential not just for victory in battle, but for depth and breadth of character. Character derives from the Greek word meaning the impression left in wax by a stone seal ring. Transcending money, rank, power, influence or talent – is character. It is informed by worthwhile, intrinsic virtues. Those fifteen values are: RESOURCE, CANDOUR, DEVOTION, CURIOSITY, INDEPENDENCE, COMRADESHIP, ANCESTRY, PATRIOTISM, CHIVALRY, LOYALTY, COOLNESS, CONTROL, AUDACITY, ENDURANCE and DECISION.
Bean concluded that what made the Australian ‘digger’ so special, “lay in the mettle of the men themselves”. To be the kind of man who would give way when his mates were trusting to his firmness... to live the rest of his life haunted by the knowledge that he had ...lacked the grit to carry it through – was the prospect these men could not face. Life was very dear, but life was not worth living unless they could be true to their idea of Australian manhood. A century later, SAS Sergeant ‘S’ reflecting on the battle of Tizak in Afghanistan said: “To fail would be worse than death. To let down your mates in combat … would be worse than death.” …that’s it – that’s the essence. You don’t let your mates down. That is the essence. The most fragile yet powerful of human emotions is hope – belief in a better future, a better world. Hope is sustained most by reaching out in support of one another – “mates who go over together” and even when gripped with fear, don’t let one another down. Their spirit is here in these commemorations. Amidst the horror, it is not about war. It is about love and friendship. Love of family, love of country. We honour lives devoted not to them selves – but to us; and their last moments to one another. They gave us greater belief in ourselves and a deeper understanding of what it
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means to be Australian. Their ultimate legacy is that a life of value is one spent in the service of others, irrespective of the cost. Like them, what we need most is one another. After the bloodbath at Fromelles, Sergeant Simon Fraser spent three back breaking days bringing in the wounded from no man’s land. A lone voice pleaded through the fog, ‘Don’t forget me, cobber’. He didn’t. We won’t. We never will. We are Australians. The entire address by Dr Nelson to the National Press Club of Australia can be viewed at www.npc.org.au. All images courtesy Australian War Memorial.
Through the saps to Pozières by Frank Crozier (1883-1948)
Charles Moschoudis Charles Moschoudis 1 O’Connell Street Sydney NSW 2000
Call Charles on (02) 9279 3333 Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved Under Professional Standards Legislation. Migration Agent Registration Number 1682766.
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FREEMASON SEPTEMBER 2016