15/08/2026
With today being the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day (VP Day) or Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day), it marked the end of World War Two.
That got me to thinking, how did Batlow react to the news?
The following is from the Tumut and Adelong Times from Tuesday 21st August 1945 and describes what was happening in Batlow 81 years ago tonight.
"BATLOW CELEBRATES THE PEACE
Batlow received the magic word PEACE last Wednesday morning with a spontaneous burst of enthusiasm; but with the exodus by special train of a large contingent of the Land Army girls enroute to Sydney to participate in the big Victory Parade on Thursday, proceedings quietened considerably and the organised celebrations at night were conducted very orderly, though none-the-less enthusiastically.
All business houses promptly closed down, but many people were surprised to hear one of the mills in operation all day and to see men in another undertaking seeing the day out on quite non-essential work, it seemed hardly in keeping with the spirit of the occasion.
Naturally the dehydration plant could not close down at a moments notice and, as a matter of fact, the management was faced with a big job when the majority of the girls knocked off more or less in the middle of a shift.
Arrangements were very hurriedly made for the Land Army to leave for Sydney to participate in the Victory March; a special train was authorised to Gilmore, but as only the regular single-passenger coach was available to comprise the train, it certainly meant a "tight fit". However, the girls were in high spirits and were quite happy to be packed 152 strong into accommodation nominally for 32 passengers.
The organised celebrations at night commenced at 7.30pm with a combined service in the main hall of the Literary Institute. A huge crowd attended and joined fervently in singing a few simple hymns beloved of all people. Short addresses were given by Rev. Alexander and Rev. Dundas, and the chairman, Mr. N.L Quarmby, apologised for the absence of Rev. Brown and of Mr G.F Briggs, chairman of the Patriotic Committee.
After the service a procession was formed and proceeded to the Memorial Gates at the park, where wreaths were laid on behalf of various public bodies.
The procession made an inspiring and impressive sight as it wound its way under the canopy of trees, its way lighted by a line of flaming torches and an occasional coloured flare fired high above the tree tops. At the gates the ceremony was reverent in its simplicity; two minutes silence to observe the memory of those fallen, the reading of the roll of honour and the placing of the wreaths. Names of those fallen, as read by the President of the Returned Soldiers League were:
L Mouat, L Ayling, R Bryant, Cliff Lucas, K Broome, L Peel, G Herring, O Bretell, W Colemane, A Smith, J Peters, A Edwards and L Bunter.
A huge bonfire built near the Memorial Gates was lit from the torches, and as that died down the big crowd drifted back to the Institute, where a free impromptu dance went merrily on until the early hours of the morning.
On Thursday there was very little activity, especially after a further contingent of the Land Army had left to spend a long weekend at Wagga and local folk seemed quite content to quietly meditate on their good fortune in having experienced so very little of the real consequences of six years of war".
Having spent some time lately researching some of the Batlow men who were involved in the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, today my thoughts are with them and all those who served in World War Two.
And as far as the article goes, you can see what the Land Army girls meant to the town at the time as well as the importance of the Literary Institute as a meeting place for the residents, its not the first time I've come across gathering's that were held there back in the day.
One other piece of information caught my eye as well, the anomaly in the names read out on the night to those listed on the cenotaph.
J Peters name is missing from our Memorial, today we found him.
