Infantryman

Our infantryman is on the march somewhere on the Western Front during the last winter of the Great War

He is rugged up and burdened with heavy equipment. He must be within artillery range of the enemy as he wears his gas mask close under his chin. He is carrying everything he needs to fight, eat and sleep in the pouches and packs of his 1908 Pattern webbing belt equipment, as well as his bayonet and entrenching tool. Between his legs he cradles an infantryman’s best friend, his .303 calibre Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield rifle.

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On this day

19 April

— 1944

HMA Ships QUIBERON, NAPIER, NEPAL, and NIZAM were part of a large force attacking the Japanese at SABANG, Sumatra. The success of this action, which included the destruction of oil installations, radar stations, shipping, and port facilities, contributed to the cessation of Japanese hostilities in BURMA.

— 1945

Eight senior pilots, including Australia’s highest scoring ace, tendered their resignations from the RAAF in what has become known as the “Moratai Mutiny”. The pilots were making a stand against what they believed was a deliberate strategy by GEN MacArthur to sideline them from any meaningful action in the Pacific