Federal Member for Blair and Labor’s Veterans’ Affairs spokesman Shayne Neumann today attended and laid a wreath at a Commemoration Service to honour First World War veterans from Ipswich who served in the Battle of Fromelles.
Today’s event was dedicated to Ipswich Grammar School (IGS) old boy Corporal Edward Robert Kent MM, who fought at Fromelles and received the Military Medal for his service.
The commemorative service held at Ipswich General Cemetery was the only commemoration to the battle to be held in Queensland this year, and was organised by the 31st Infantry Battalion Association.
It was attended by Cpl Kent’s descendants, Ipswich City Council Deputy Mayor Cr Nicole Jonic, members of the local ex-service community, and students from IGS, St Edmund’s College, St Mary’s College and Bremer State High School.
Mr Neumann said today’s memorial ceremony marked the 105th Anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles and was an important reminder of the significant contribution of servicemen from Ipswich towards the First World War.
“We have a proud tradition of military service in Ipswich, and today we honour that tradition and personal connection to the Battle of Fromelles,” he said.
“The Battle of Fromelles on the Western Front is widely recognised as one of the worst days in Australia’s military history and was the first major battle fought by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in France.
“The 5th Australian Division suffered over 5,500 casualties, both wounded and killed, with many of those killed remaining unaccounted for almost a century after the battle.”
The 31st Battalion AIF took part in the engagement and is the only battalion of the 5th Division from the First World War that exists today as the 31st/42nd Battalion Royal Queensland Regiment based in Townsville.
Ipswich was chosen as the location for today’s ceremony as a number of soldiers who took part in the battle are buried at Ipswich cemetery, including Cpl Kent who is buried near the cenotaph, while 16 former IGS students served with the 31st Battalion in the First World War.
In 2009, under the former Federal Labor government, 250 Australian and British First World War servicemen were recovered from burial pits near the French village of Fromelles by the joint Australian Army and United Kingdom Ministry of Defence project team.
The recovered remains were reburied in the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery in 2010 as part of the Fromelles Project, which has provided closure and recognition for the families of these Australian soldiers who never came home.
Mr Neumann said it was difficult to comprehend the scale of Australian losses in the Battle of Fromelles.
“The Anzac spirit of courage and resilience was exemplified on the Western Front and today is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the experiences of those brave soldiers and to be grateful for the service of every Australian man and woman who defends our country,” said Mr Neumann.
“Battlefields such as Fromelles, Pozières, Bullecort, Passchendaele, Le Hamel, Villers-Bretonneux and Mont St Quentin are part of our history and remain places of great national significance.
"We must remember the service and sacrifice of our soldiers on the Western Front".
