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LOCAL RECOGNITION
A number of soldiers are listed on both the Dudley and Redhead War
Memorials.
Our research evidence shows that this could be due to several reasons:
1. The Dudley Memorial was established first in 1921 by residents of
both Dudley and Redhead. Therefore some families would have
assumed it was the proper place to place your son’s name. Ninety
four names appear on the Dudley monument while only fifteen
names are on the first Redhead plaque. The disparity of numbers on
each memorial was an indication of disparity of populations;
Dudley was a much larger community.
2. The close proximity of the two memorials may have been another
factor with the Dudley monument being at the junction of main
roads leading into Dudley (Ocean Street) and Redhead (Redhead
Road);
3. The close association of the two mining communities that saw each
soldier being a miner as well as a resident of a particular village. An
example of this association can be shown by a letter written by
William Wallace Croker from his hospital bed requesting
information on his “pal” Pte. W Callender” who came from
Dudley. The letter was written on 3rd April 1918. Unfortunately,
Wesley Greta Callender was killed in action at Passchendaele on
the 12th October 1917.
The two Croker boys appear on both memorials, as does John William
Dodds - his parents had lived in separate suburbs, Dudley and Redhead.
William Carr appears on the Dudley monument but lived in Redhead.
AUSTRALIA’S WARTIME PARTICIPATION
The Timeline below will give researchers an overall concept of the
features of the war as it related to Australia:
1. Our early and forthright declaration of war as a supporter of the
mother country, Britain;
2. The importance of Gallipoli as our “baptism of fire”;
3. The length of the war - the war of attrition;
4. The limited number of battalions that the AIF participated in, but
also the heavy casualties that were inflicted on our soldiers in each
battle.
5. The ANZACS late involvement into the European sphere of action
meant that they gave away a lot of experience in trench warfare to
the initial combatants, particularly German forces.
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