Australian World War Stories

Private John Simpson carried wounded soldiers from the deadly valleys of Gallipoli to safety using a donkey. Day and night he braved sniper fire and shrapnel as a stretcher bearer with the 3rd Field Ambulance. On May 19th machine gun fire cut him down while carrying two wounded men. He was buried on the beach at Hell Spit.

Rest In Peace young man, you will always be remembered.

🇦🇺 Let's hear these men sing throughout Australia today. We will remember them.

It’s a striking image of a treasured family photograph, a poignant reminder of William and F***y Seabrook’s overwhelming grief after their three sons were killed in the battle for the Menin Road 100 years ago.

On 20 September 1917, the Seabrook brothers – George, Theo and William – were with the Australian 17th Battalion when it attacked the German positions in front of the village of Westhoek. Advancing more than a kilometre, the battalion’s attack was considered a success. But the day would prove devastating for the Seabrook family of Sydney.

With a final handshake for his batman, Lieutenant William “Keith” Seabrook led the men of his platoon into the front line positions. While walking in single file along the duckboards they were hit by a phosphorous bomb that killed or wounded the full section of the platoon he was leading.

As their younger brother was being stretchered from the battlefield, Privates George and Theo Seabrook were with the battalion as it launched its attack. Both were hit by a single artillery shell and killed instantly. George was 25 years old, Theo a year younger.

William died of his wounds the following day. In the breast pocket of his tunic was a photograph of his mother, F***y. The fragment that killed him had gone through the photo. He was 21 years old.

For the Seabrook brothers, it was their first, last and only battle. George and Theo’s bodies were never found. Their names are on the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing in Ieper (then known as Ypres) along with more than 6,000 other Australian dead and missing in Flanders.

F***y Seabrook penned William’s epitaph for the grave she would never see in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery: “A willing sacrifice for the world’s peace.”

Mrs Seabrook desperately wrote to the military authorities on the 27th of November 1917. “It is all very confusing to our mind,” she wrote. “And if you could explain to me we would be much obliged and thankful. The blow of losing our three sons in one battle is terrible. We are heartbroken.”

Bruce Steel Kingsbury, VC (8 January 1918 – 29 August 1942) was an Australian soldier of the Second World War. Serving initially in the Middle East, he later gained renown for his actions during the Battle of Isurava, one of many battles forming the Kokoda Track Campaign in the south-east of the island of New Guinea, then part of the Australian Territory of Papua (now Papua New Guinea) . His bravery during the battle was recognised with the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. The first serviceman to receive the VC for actions on Australian territory, Kingsbury was a member of the 2/14th Infantry Battalion.

In just 10 minutes during World War Two, submariner Kenneth Briggs executed a pivotal diving mission ... it was a mission that ultimately contributed to shortening the Pacific War. He sadly passed away in 2018.

81 years after his ex*****on on 11 April 1943, Private Samuel Solonsch was awarded the Commendation for Gallantry on 14 November 2024.
Days after becoming a POW in Java, Solonsch escaped with two mates and built a resistance army. For eight months, he led Australians, Dutch, and locals in guerrilla operations across the island, evading Japanese forces while coordinating attacks against the occupying army. Captured in November 1942, he was tried for treason by court-martial and executed.

What have you done for your country lately? Remember this legend on Australia Day.

Carroll died on 4 October 1971, at the age of 80, and is buried in Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.