Cadets from 130 Army Cadet Unit ( Heatley ) provided the cenotaph guard . Pictured from left are MAJ ( AAC ) Chris Cummings , CUO Wing-Hong Leung , CUO Ashley Toombes , CDTSGT Kitana Clark , CUO Adrian Button and CPL ( AAC ) Julie Louis
101st Anniversary Ba�le of Pozieres
Nasho Neville Hines ... his great uncle PTE Leonard Irvine was killed in the Battle of Pozieres
58 | AUGUST 2017
A SMALL , but attentive crowd gathered to mark the 101st anniversary of the Battle of Pozieres at The Strand cenotaph last month . It ’ s the second time Townsville military groups have paused to mark the anniversary of what was one of Australia ’ s most significant battles in WWI . MAJ Katie Burrup HQ 3Bde delivered the address at the service and she drew on the diarised thoughts of CPL Arthur Thomas 6Bn before and after the two-day battle . She said CPL Thomas readied himself for action near Pozieres on Friday , July 21 , 1916 . “ He was fit , calm and ready ,” she said . “ He told his mates : ‘ I will do my bit well ’.” MAJ Burrup said after a day and a night of fighting , his understanding had changed . “ The awful sights of today have made me sick and patriotic songs should be cut out ,” he wrote . “ People who have not experienced modern warfare should be wary before giving their views .” MAJ Burrup said as the battle was waged , CPL Thomas saw mates blown apart and horrors nobody should be made to face , yet his resolve to fight for his country remained steadfast . “ Many of the difficulties faced by CPL Thomas more than 100 years ago remain for our soldiers today ,” she said . However , the support available for the modern soldier was much more than the “ grin and bear it ” attitude of the early 20th century . “ The changes I have seen in recognising the service of our people - mentally and physically - have been significant ,” MAJ Burrup said . Soldier recovery centres , family welfare centres and resilience centres were becoming standard for combat brigades .