Tiger-pie

Badge given to Legion members to wear on their lapel. Source: www.awm.gov.au

Yeah, now you have to pay hundreds for them, and many of them are deactivated for use as a show piece. You could buy the locally (Lithgow) made ones here for under a hundred dollars still in their grease paper with a bayonet, scabard and a sling, all matching numbers, never issued. I had one that had the full fore-stock furniture on it with peep sights. I bought another one and fitted that with a 'sports stock', basically a sniper stock with the cheek piece, and mounted a scope to use for hunting.

Used a WW2 .303 Lee Enfield for deer hunting years ago. That was back in the day when they were cheap and you could buy old military ammo for bugger all. The ammo was good for sighting in or pest control (shooting 'roos), but useless for deer hunting. I would buy soft-point bullets for actual hunting. They kick like a mule too, I don't know how they put up with shooting them during long engagements.

Further. Soldiers humbled by medals of valour By Murray Brewster, THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - Facing Taliban militants amid a rain of rockets may have been uncomfortable, but standing in Rideau Hall was downright nerve-racking for some Canadian soldiers who accepted bravery awards Wednesday. Standing before Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean in their dress uniforms, under the watchful eye of Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of defence staff, wasn't the problem. It was all the praise. The suggestion he was a hero rattled Sgt. Gerald Killam, who received the Military Medal of Valour for leading his platoon safely out of a Taliban ambush last May. "I have my heroes and my heroes, they don't come home," said Killam, a native of Cole Harbour, N.S., who had friends among the 81 Canadian soldiers who've given their lives in Afghanistan. He was particularly close to a group of soldiers who served in Afghanistan in the fall of 2006, and recalled having coffee with some soldiers of the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment who ended up killed and wounded. "I've known quite a few guys who never made it back. It's very personal and so, those are my heroes and to label me the same way, I'm not very comfortable with it, no." Killam, who served with the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment battle group in the spring of 2007, said he appreciated the recognition and took pride that he did his job and his platoon came home safely. Maj. Dave Quick, who accepted the country's second-highest decoration for bravery, the Star of Military Valour, was equally ill-at-ease as he shook hands with Jean and Hillier, and heard the applause of friends and family at the reception. "I'm uncomfortable with the recognition on a personal level, but I understand what it represents professionally," said Quick, 34, who was wounded by an improvised explosive device on April 22 last year. Despite his injuries, he rallied his troops and carried the fight to Taliban positions in Zhari district, outside of Kandahar. Quick, a native of Burnstown, Ont., led 24 combat operations in Afghanistan and never lost a man. "I'm very humbled, but personally it's very hard to get this recognition and attention when you know there are people who are reading the newspaper who've lost sons and daughters. "I have a hard time with that. It's not about me - or even what we did as a team. It's about what Canada is committed to in Afghanistan." Five Canadian soldiers, including Killam and Quick, were awarded medals of valour for their service in Afghanistan. Another 31 service decorations - including Meritorious Service Crosses and Meritorious Service Medals - were presented separately to other soldiers, sailors and airmen. Rideau Hall's ornate reception room left Pte. Aaron Dolmovic awestruck, but he said it was "great to see how proud everyone was of us." Dolmovic - originally from Cottlesville, N.L. - and another soldier, Cpl. Dave Gionet, a native Pigeon Hill, N.B., provided life-saving first aid to another comrade whose vehicle had been blown up in a roadside bomb attack on April 11, 2007. Both of them received the Medal of Military Valour. In the same attack, Pte. Jay Renaud, originally from Tilbury, Ont., was in the Coyote reconnaissance vehicle that had been hit. He was blown clear of the wreckage and knocked unconscious. When he regained his senses, Renaud began administering first aid to his wounded mates. He too received the medal of valour. "It is often in the most difficult situations that we show our true worth," said the Governor General. "You are absolute proof of this. You have shown the world what you are made of." Jean went further with her praise, saying history will remember the vital role they have played in bringing peace to Afghanistan. Hillier singled out each of the valour recipients and said their names are now part of Canada's military history and will inspire future generations of soldiers. Pte Shane Aaron Bradley Dolmovic is presented with the Medal of Military Valour by Governor General Michaelle Jean. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Below:

A mate of mine who is a communications specialist in the RAN attached to a US army unit was awarded this medal. Obviously he wasn't permitted to wear it back here... Regards, Johnsy

Medal of Loyalty, a state award for Kelantan. Regards, Johnsy

Families not left in the dark for over 60 years, the location of sinking of the Bismark was known and there were some survivors taken from the water post-battle. Actually, no parallel at all...

I can only agree Rick. 'The Lady' need no longer look toward the Indian Ocean in search of her lost sons...

Such was the shock of the sinking of the Sydney that the government of the day decided that they would delay the release of information. The Sydney was sunk on November the 19th 1941, it was not until November 30 that the Curtin government announced the loss of the warship, well after the first German lifeboats were being recovered.

Today the SV Geosounder will sail from Geraldton, West Australia, to conduct a final visual confirmation that they have found HMAS Sydney and Kormoron. They will use an ROV to take photos to identify the two wreaks. The distance between the two ships has put to rest the persistant rumour that the Germans had machinegunned the Sydney survivours in the water. Geraldton is the location of the HMAS Sydney memorial.

I don't believe that any survivours stayed on in Australia, but I can't confirm that. I wouldn't imagine they wouldn't be too welcome in post-war Australia given that every state here lost someone that day. The only comment I have seen from any German survivours was the following: Relieved survivor: I hope I get my watch back Miki Perkins March 18, 2008 KORMORAN survivor Bill Elmecker has a gentle sense of humour: when asked how he feels about the discovery of the World War II German merchant raider on the sea floor off Western Australia he replies: "Well, I hope I get my watch back." Mr Elmecker, 85, is the only remaining HSK Kormoran survivor in Victoria, and possibly Australia. He witnessed the fierce gun battle between his ship and HMAS Sydney, which vanished with her 645 crew on November 19, 1941. On Sunday the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, revealed the wreck of Kormoran had been discovered off Steep Point, north west of Geraldton. Yesterday HMAS Sydney was also found, its hull largely intact, about four kilometres from the other wreck. Mr Elmecker was 16 when he left the family farm in Austria and was conscripted into the German Navy as a cook, and later a gunner aboard Kormoran. "I'm happy they find my ship but I feel pity for everyone on the Sydney. They would have been taken by sharks," he said yesterday. "They were good fighters and their families will be happy they have been found." Kormoran had been posing as the Dutch merchant ship Straat Malakka and when its cover was blown Mr Elmecker had been responsible for dropping the camouflage railing in front of the guns as HMAS Sydney approached. The noise of the falling metal railings was so loud that it burst his eardrums and the guns fired so rapidly that the paint peeled off the metal barrels, he said. "For about 20 or 30 minutes we were shooting, shooting, shooting. They had big elevators bringing up all the ammunition from below," he said. "It was too busy to think. I was running around reloading." When Kormoran was damaged beyond repair Korvettenkapitan Theodore Detmers ordered the surviving crew into lifeboats and blew up the vessel on a time fuse with more than 300 sea mines. More than 80 dead Germans were left behind. Mr Elmecker's lifeboat capsized and when it was righted the survivors found its provisions had floated away. They last saw Sydney drifting away on the horizon. As the sharks circled they spent seven days adrift, able to drink only a sip of fresh water each day, until they were picked up by the Australian cargo vessel Koolinda. Mr Elmecker, known as Internee No. 1159, and the 320 other Kormoran survivors were interrogated in Perth and later taken to PoW Camp 13, near Murchison, in Victoria. Arthur Knee, researcher at the Tatura Irrigation and Wartime Camps Museum, said that at its height the camp held 4000 Italian and German prisoners in good conditions. "They were well fed and there was no rationing as there was outside," Mr Knee said. Despite a daring escape in 1946, after which he slept in cemeteries and worked illegally for a local widow, Mr Elmecker was repatriated to Germany in 1947 but chose to return with his Austrian wife, Theresia. "He's happy the wrecks have been found. We're both happy. Thank God it solved the mystery," Mrs Elmecker said. This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/03/17/1205602293098.html

From the DoD site. AIR FORCE DETACHMENT ON HMAS SYDNEY II The discovery of the wreck of HMAS Sydney II helps close a chapter of Royal Australian Air Force history. Six RAAF members were among the ship's 645 crew when it went down with all hands in 1941. This small party was a detachment from RAAF's No. 9 Squadron based at Rathmines, New South Wales. The detachment was embarked to operate and maintain the Seagull V Walrus amphibious aircraft which the light cruiser normally carried for reconnaissance, gunnery spotting, and search and rescue work. Reports from German eyewitnesses (the only survivors of the action) later described how, during the opening salvos of the engagement, Kormoran hit HMAS Sydney II in the area between the ship's funnels, where the Walrus A2-L2177 was sitting on its catapult. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon, both acknowledged the sacrifices of the Air Force detachment when they addressed Parliament yesterday on the loss of HMAS Sydney II. 'I add my congratulations to The Finding Sydney Foundation and the Royal Australian Navy in locating HMAS Sydney II. This discovery is also a significant and emotional event for Air Force,' Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd said. 'I hope that tracing the ship's resting place provides a degree of comfort to the families of the six RAAF members and the Royal Australian Navy crew who served their nation with courage and died in this fierce battle.' AIRMSHL Shepherd said. The Air Force members lost with HMAS Sydney II were: Flying Officer Raymond Barker Barrey (pilot), 25, from Welland, SA Flight Sergeant Sidney Marley (fitter 2E), 29, from Hamilton, NSW Corporal Arthur John Clarke (fitter armourer), 34, English-born, from Edithvale, Vic Corporal Roy Ebenezer Foster (fitter 2A), 36, from Petrie, QLD Leading Aircraftman Richard Dodds (fitter 2A), 26, English-born, from Sydney, NSW Leading Aircraftman Keith Homard (photographer), 27, from Maitland, NSW

You need to get your facts right Kevin before you railroad a legitimate organisation. There are two distinct organisations, they are: 1. The Legion of Frontiersmen of the Commonwealth 2. Legion of Frontiersmen Australian Division. Link: http://www.frontiersmen.org.au/ The latter, the Australian Division has moved away from militarism and no longer uses military ranks, they concentrate on doing good work such as locating, recording and maintaining Australian war memorials and supporting Cadet units. They no longer wear military uniform, nor march as a formed group or use military rank. Unfortunately the former uses the same symbology as the Australian Division, thus creating confusion. Most are wannbes who dress in uniform and wear self-awarded medals. They have damaged the reputation of the LoF and are a blight on society, most wearing actual military awards they were never entitled to. With regards to the medal group, once you are a civvie, you can wear what you like. It is very unlikely that this gent would have tried to get away with wearing the Long Service and Efficiency medal on a parade ground. The ribbon is used, as far as I'm aware, by all Commonwealth Divisions, who's medals were all based on the original Legion of Frontiermen medals of the UK. Regards, Johnsy

Civil services such as the police and firemen were entitled to the WW2 pair that he has as they were considered as part of the defence of Britain. Regards, Johnsy

Could be a presentation piece, we have a framed bullion badge in our mess from RAF Air Station Coningby. Regards, Johnsy

Sonar image of Sydney. It can be seen on right. The wreck is clearly visible next to a well defined debris field. The height of the wreck above the seabed is causing the dark acoustic shadow just to the right of the wreck. This image covers 6kms of seabed.

Rest assured that as soon as images become available, I will post them here. LOL, no sooner said than done, got to love the internet. The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Shalders briefs the media at today's press conference which announced the finding of HMAS Sydney (2), with (LtoR) The Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Mr Kevin Rudd and Mr Ted Graham Chairman of The Finding Sydney Foundation listening on.

Because I am so crap at typing, I will use someone elses words. Given what was said about the hull in the article above, it leaves more questions than answers. A proper survey of the hull should reveal Sydney's final moments, though it will never be known what the actual fate of any men who went into the water was. The general concensus was that Sydney approach the Kormoran without being closed up for action, and many of the crew were on the upper decks. If they were in normal cruising watches then none of the internal watertight bulkheads would have been secured. If Sydney had been torpedoed below the water line it is conceivable that she would have flooded at a rapid rate. For no-one to escape over the side, well that seems very strange. Even Hood had a few survivours. The West Australian coast is a vast unpopulated and inhospitable area, even more so at the time of the sinking, so any crew would be hard pressed to survive should they have made it ashore. Rest assured that as soon as images become available, I will post them here. Regards, Johnsy From this source; http://www.westaustralianvista.com/hmas-sydney.html The mystery surrounding the fate of the HMAS Sydney has never been solved. The search for the ship's wreck has turned up no trace of her. The families have waited patiently for over 60 years for closure. Having decoded Commander Theodor Detmers diaries, no additional information of the whereabouts of the Sydney have been disclosed. For many years there has been rumour, speculation and conspiracy theories about the fate of the Sydney. Some believe that it was blown up by the Germans and the survivors murdered (as many didn't believe the accounts made by the German survivors). Some believe that the Sydney was sunk by a Japanese submarine and the crew subsequently murdered. Others even claim the HMAS Sydney was not destroyed at all, but captured and the crew murdered. Glenys McDonald a woman who has researched the Sydney for years suggests a cover-up. Stories of unanswered distress signals, debris and unidentified bodies washing up on the beach have all been hushed up by authorities suggesting there was more to it more than what they were telling the public. Some believe the cover up by authorities was due to the fear that such a tragedy would destroy the Nations moral. In October 2006, the body of the unknown sailor was exhumed from Christmas Island for forensic examination. The body was officially identified as one of the crew of the Sydney (though no name has been released). The forensic team at the Sydney University were given the task of examining the remains and discovered a metal object lodged in the skull of the sailor. They identified the object as a bullet from a low muzzle-velocity weapon, such as a hand gun, leading to more speculation. However, in December, the object was confirmed to be a piece of shrapnel from a German shell and not a bullet as first thought. This has again raised more doubts about the version of events believed to have happened on that fateful night. It seems unlikely that a mortally wounded man could have made it into a float while the Sydney was still moving. The focus is now moving to Hans Linke (the Kormoran?s wireless operator), who made claims in 1996 to The Australian newspaper, that both ships were virtually stationary when the Kormoran fired an underwater torpedo at the Sydney, making her virtually disabling instantly. Under this scenario it would make sense that the ship was abandoned and the men took to the Carley floats. It would have been in one of the floats that the unknown sailor received the fatal shrapnel wound. This scenario does little to resolve to whereabouts of the HMAS Sydney.

And this sums up the depth of feeling of those left behind. Regards, Johnsy Sailor's daughter cries as wreck found Almost 67 years after her father's ship, HMAS Sydney, was sunk in battle in World War II, Adelaide woman Barbara Craill has broken down in tears on hearing its wreckage has finally been found. Ms Craill's father, Walter Freer, was a 38-year-old anti-aircraft gunner on the Sydney when it went down without trace after a battle with German ship the Kormoran on November 19, 1941. The Sydney and its 645 crew were last seen by some of the Kormoran's 317 survivors heading west while on fire, into the Indian Ocean, after the battle off the West Australian coast. After wreckage of the Kormoran was found on Saturday in waters about 800km north of Perth, the Finding Sydney Foundation reported on Monday that pieces of the Sydney's wreckage had now also been found. Ms Craill said there was great closure in the news. "I haven't yet felt the sense of relief but I've broken down and cried," Ms Craill told the Fairfax Radio Network. She said she and her family hoped for many years during and after the war that her father might still be alive. "For many years we hoped and at the end of the war, when there was victory in the Pacific, we all went to town, of course, and I remember my sisters and my mother, we all searched sailors' faces, hoping that our dad was there. Perhaps he had amnesia or something like that," she said. "I know that's a childhood thing. But we looked at every sailor's face thinking he could be back and mightn't know it and we would know him." Speaking earlier to Channel Nine's Today show, Ms Craill said she would "move mountains" to visit the site of the wreckage and would like a commemoration service to now be held. After so many years of uncertainty about her father and his fellow sailors' fate, Ms Craill said she would like forensic testing of the ship to uncover the truth of what happened when the ship went down. "I would like the wreckage to be forensically examined because that's the way we will get the truth to what happened, because there's many of us believe that the truth hasn't been told," Ms Craill told Nine. She said her mother and one sister had died without ever knowing what happened to her father. "They didn't know. They all wanted to know and it's come very late for a lot of people who've passed on. But there's some of us still left and we've been clinging to this and we hoped and prayed that we would find the Sydney, yes." She said her tears today followed many years of crying for her missing father. "You get on with life ... but every time something comes up you cry, you just cry, it just happens," she said. "The not-knowing and the fact that our men were out there and nothing had been done, and all of a sudden you get this coming together now and it's a great moment in history." ? 2008 AAP

Posted about 12 minutes before my last post. Still not fully confirmed with images, but oh so close... Regards; Johnsy Wreckage of HMAS Sydney found off West Australian coast Alison Rehn with AAP March 17, 2008 09:30am PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has confirmed the wreck of the HMAS Sydney has been found nearly 2.5km underwater off the coast of Western Australia. Speaking at a news conference about 9.20am, Mr Rudd said the discovery was a time to reflect on the bravery of all the souls lost on board. The Sydney's entire crew of 645 went down with the ship in the Indian Ocean in November, 1941, and its location has been a mystery for more than 66 years. The ship was found using a high-resolution geosounder to examine deep water off Western Australia, about 800km north of Perth and about 240km off Shark Bay. The wreckage of the German merchant raider Kormoran, believed to have sunk the Australian warship, was found before the discovery of the Sydney in 2560m of water. Early images show that the Sydney's hull remains largely intact and upright on the ocean floor. "This is a historic day for all Australians and a sad day for all Australians as we confirm the discovery of the HMAS Sydney," Mr Rudd said. "I'm advised that the HMAS Sydney was found 12 nautical miles from the Kormoran some 8 nautical miles from the principal battle site and at a depth of 2470m." "The Australian Government hopes that the discovery brings some closure to the 645 families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy in 1942." "It's also time for the nation to reflect on the bravery of all of those who gave their lives in defence of their country in this particularly bloody and brutal engagement," he said. The HMAS Sydney was found yesterday, but the discovery was confirmed this morning. Mr Rudd announced an interim environmental protection order to prevent the sites from being damaged, and he said that the site would be considered as a tomb to be "treated with complete respect". A remote submersible equipped with cameras and other hi-tech equipment is expected to assess the site early next week. Mr Rudd said that the German Government had been informed about the discovery. Chief executive of the Finding Sydney Foundation, Bob Trotter, earlier said his organisation was "pretty confident'' evidence of the Sydney wreckage had been found. He said the organisation strongly felt that the site should remain undisturbed. Mr Trotter likened the search for Sydney as climbing Mt Everest. Ean McDonald, a signalman onboard the Sydney until 1939, described reports of the finding as "momentous news''. He queried whether the location of the Sydney and the Kormoran had been kept secret by "hierarchy''. "There's always been that side of the mystery,'' he told ABC Radio. Mr McDonald said the Sydney would have been sending out signals during the pitched battle with the Kormoran. "There is this conspiracy theory which a lot of people hold.'' Australia's most enduring maritime tragedy happened as the Sydney was sunk returning to Fremantle when it met the German raider disguised as the Dutch freighter, Straat Malakka. A battle ensued from which neither ship survived. Eighty men from the 397-strong crew of the Kormoran perished. West Australian Nick Walden said it had been an anxious wait for news since the Finding Sydney Foundation search team left the Geraldton port two weeks ago. Mr Walden, of Geraldton, never knew his uncle, Albert Hollington, who was an acting leading seaman aboard the Sydney. "I'd like to see them have a look and work out exactly what happened so we can put to rest all these stories," Mr Walden said. Many theories about the fate of Sydney's crew have surfaced over the decades, arising from a struggle to understand why there were no survivors.

G'da Rick, the wreakage was found approximately 112 nautical miles off the West Australian coast (Steep Point, about 800 kilometres north of Perth) lying in 2,560 metres of water. I am very excited... Look forward to when the wreakage has been photographed and studied to get the full and final story. A friend of my Mother asked me many years ago if I knew anything about the location of the wreakage as her older brother was one of the men lost. There was a definate feeling among those left behind that there was a cover-up. Regards, Johnsy Link: http://www.steeppoint.com.au/

Is there a story to go with the award? Regards; Johnsy

Close up of the Kormoran, identified by its flared bow. Can't wait till they get some actual photos. This should give some idea of the size the area that it is spread over, this being the object in the top-centre of the previous image.

Images I forgot to post earlier. This one shows the wreakage field.

Well, not the Sydney, but another step closer... Regards, Johnsy Wreck of German raider Kormoran found Sunday Mar 16 12:16 AEDT The wreck of the German merchant raider Kormoran, believed responsible for the war-time sinking of HMAS Sydney in November 1941, has been found off the Western Australian coast. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, along with Australian Defence Force heads, announced the discovery at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Sunday. He said the search body called Finding Sydney made the discovery on Saturday, about 150km west of Shark Bay. "We are one step closer as a nation to hopefully finding Sydney," Mr Rudd said. "This is an important part in solving a 65-year-old puzzle." Australia's greatest maritime mystery claimed the lives of the Sydney's 645 crew. Sailing from Sumatra back to Fremantle in November 1941, the warship encountered what purported to be the Dutch freighter Straat Malakka off the West Australian coast. But the freighter was really the disguised German mercantile raider Kormoran. After an ensuing fight, the Sydney went down with all hands and represents the greatest ever loss of life in an Australian warship. It was also the largest vessel of any country to be lost with no survivors during the Second World War. The 317 survivors from the 397 crew aboard Kormoran were picked up over ensuing days, giving the only eyewitness accounts of what occurred. ?AAP 2008