Albany West Aus

Spent a pleasant time at Peaceful Bay near Denmark here in West Au very quiet part of the world among the Tuart & Jarrah forrests.

We did a quick run to Albany to viewe the new ANZAC tour there and I am very impressed with the whole affair and urge any West Aussies or Easterners to visit if your going past.
They have some unique items including C E W Beans fountain pen no doubt used correlating his 23 year effort recording and writing the AIF forces from 1914-1918.
It is an interactive display with lots of information and artifacts on loan from various places around Aus & N.Z, a very nice N.Z stamped Hooked Quilion there.

It is pretty reaching some of the information presented when you get to the Somme, Frommelles, Posieres sections with finally the tombstone of an unknown Australian soldier.
One piece that I recall was the enlistment requirements for personnel;
Initially the volunteers were to be ~ Aged 20 - 30 y/o no taller than 5' 2" weigh no more than 12 stone (76 kilo's) and single.
Of course the rules were relaxed after the attrition rates saw the need for more replacements as fast as the recruiting/training could turn them out.

Finally you get a grand view of where the first fleet sailed out of Albany harbour and for some it would be the last of Aus they saw.
Sadly for the horses or "Walers" (Whalers) 11,000 of them across WWI only 1 came back to Aus (Sandy) another 5 returned to their N.Z shore all the others were given away or shot by their riders.
This broke the hearts of the troops having to do this to their steeds that carried them across the deserts during that campaign. "Australia in Palestine" 1919 .ed
The Waler horse was chosen as it could go long distances in searing heat on little water allowing our troops to outflank the Turks in the desert.
It is still a touching part of our history just how much the troops cared for their horses and what a heartbreaking thing it was to have to shoot them.......

My grandfather was a driver in the Royal Canadian Artillery moving guns and shells to the front, he had a great love for his team and all horses that remained with him all his life. I have a photo of him taken in Belgium during WW1 ,in it he is with his team sitting atop one oh his horses who were named Tom and Dick I had intended to post a series of his war photos on Rememberance day but didn't get them up in time, I will post them in the near future.