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LOCAL SOLDIERS WHO SERVED AND SURVIVED THE WAR
Most of our local soldiers did return home, some early before the end
of the war. Many badly wounded in body and mind.
The soldiers who participated in the war were average young men and
later older enlistments who in a lot of cases had a history connected to two
other institutions in Redhead, the Redhead Surf Club formed in 1908 and
the Redhead School formed in that same year.
Further Research
Take a good look at this well-known 1908 photograph
of the local Surf Club members on the next page. Can you identify some
of our army volunteers? Can you identify who was killed in action and
those who were fortunate enough to return?
Photo taken from REDHEAD: VILLAGE, BEACH & SURF Club 1908 -
1983 by Chris Conrick page 2.
There are two names that have connections to some of our local soldiers
volunteers.
George Moore is a brother of Harold Moore, and Herb Palmer who this
document indicates was killed in World War 1 was probably Leslie
Herbert Cecil Palmer, a farmer from Taree, NSW who enlisted on 30
September, 1916 and embarked from Sydney on 17 February 1917.
Palmer only has an Embarkation Roll attached to his details (this will be
explained later).
It was only natural that local men who volunteered for community service
as Life Savers would also join in the defence of the “Mother Country”.
The Club was formed in 1908 as a lifesaving club after the formation of a
club at Merewether. The Australian population had been given permission
in 1902 to use the beaches for “surfing”. Before that it was an illegal
practice.
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