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The Australian Red Cross in action
Video
Nurses from the Australian Red Cross serve tea and refreshments to returned soldiers, including those injured and in convalescence.
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Flying the “Fighting Experimental Machine”
Audio
Royal Flying Corps Flight Commander Reg Kingsford of Nelson, New Zealand describes the third aircraft he learnt to fly during World War I, as the “Fighting Experimental machine.” Officially, it was the Royal Air Factory F.E.2b, the Farman Experimental 2 biplane (two-seater), in which he took a fellow Kiwi for a joyride.
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The nimble “Scout Experimental”
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Legendary New Zealand fighter pilot Keith “Grid” Caldwell, engaged in more fights, for his time in the air, than any other pilot in WW I. He also commanded one of the most successful fighter units, No 74 ‘Tiger’ Squadron. In this interview excerpt he describes the capabilities of the British fighter biplane, the “Scout Experimental” or formally, Royal Aircraft Factory S.E. 5.
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Fighter Aviation Takes Off
Audio
In 1916, 2nd Lieutenant Keith Caldwell joined No.75 Squadron of the newly-formed Royal Flying Corps. The squadron went on to have an impressive history as part of the RAF and RNZAF, despite deficiencies in early aircraft design. In this brief interview, Caldwell describes flying BE2 and Sopwith Camel fighter planes. Captain ‘Tiny’ White, another New Zealander in No.75 Squadron recalls the lack of flight instruction available and the sportsman-like ethic between opposing front line forces at the beginning of the war.
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Ask Your Tailor for Anzac Tweed
Video
The factory weaving Anzac Tweed was on the brink of closure when it was taken over by the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League. It then employed only returned servicemen and their families.
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Comforts for the troops
Video
Throughout the war Federal Government House, the magnificent Melbourne residence of Australia’s Governor-General, was a central depot for Red Cross supplies for Australian troops serving overseas. Medical supplies and clothing, and small luxuries such as soap, tobacco and fruitcakes (known as ‘comforts’) were donated by the women of Victoria and delivered to Government House. Its ballroom became a warehouse and factory where goods were received, made, checked and despatched by volunteers, and the stables were converted into a workshop for making furniture and crutches. This silent film clip shows the first shipment of Red Cross supplies being loaded on to motorised and horse-drawn vehicles and leaving Government House for despatch to Australian soldiers in Egypt.
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‘Australia prepared’ – making ammunition
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‘The Amazing Micrometer’, a machine measuring to one 40,000th of an inch, is one star of this 1916 film, made at Australia’s Colonial Ammunition Company. Many of the factory’s workers are women, symbolising a community united in the war effort and highlighting women’s vital contributions on the home front. They are seen making .303 cartridges, packing them in cases, and filling a soldier’s bandolier (ammunition belt). This is an extract from an hour-long documentary showing how Australia ‘made and equipped the expeditionary forces’ to contribute to the Allied cause during the Great War.