I Was Only Doing My Job: Australia's Military History

4-AUGUST-1914/4-SEPTEMBER-1939. While serving as a Naval Reservist, Midshipman Richard Stanley Veale ordered the first shot fired by British Forces in the First World War. Twenty years later while in command of the same shore battery that fired the first shot in the First World War, Commander Richard Stanley Veale would order the first Australian shot fired in anger during the Second World War. Explore the remarkable life and service of Commander Richard Stanley Veale. From his early days as a naval cadet to his significant contributions during the First World War and Second World War, Commander Veale's journey is one of dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to his country. Join us as we delve into the naval pioneer's story, from ordering the only two shots in Fort Nepean's history to his enduring civic contributions. A true all-rounder, Commander Veale's legacy is a testament to a life well-lived and dedicated to Australian society. Special thanks to Doug Veale for sharing this remarkable family history. --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ --- Linktree https://linktr.ee/iwodmj For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

19-MAY-1915. While serving as a soldier of the 2nd Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, Sergeant William Charles Bullock Beech, horrified by the tragic loss of life of his comrades on Gallipoli, took a biscuit box, signal wire and a broken mirror to invent one of the most iconic weapons of trench warfare on Gallipoli, the Periscope Rifle. --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ --- Linktree https://linktr.ee/iwodmj For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

8-AUGUST-1918. While serving as Engineers of the 8th Field Company, Australian Imperial Force, Lieutenant George Burrows, Sapper John Henry Palmer and Leslie James Strahan were attached to the 31st Australian Infantry Battalion when the Australian Corps participated in the Battle of Amiens, the start of the 100 Days Offensive. As they were deconstructing German fortifications at the old Amiens Defensive Line, they were called forward to deal with an obstacle in No Mans Land, it was the Largest War Trophy Collected by Australian forces that was brought back to Australia. --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ --- Linktree https://linktr.ee/iwodmj For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

27/28-JANUARY-1916, While serving as a soldier of the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, Private Edward Attfield did not let his diminutive stature prevent him from volunteering for overseas service. He landed at Gallipoli and despite wounds and illness served until the evacuation in December 1915. When he returned to Alexandria, he vanished, never to be seen again. His story is a murder mystery that took 100 years to solve. --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ --- Linktree https://linktr.ee/iwodmj For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

11-NOVEMBER-1993. To mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the unidentified remains of an unknown Australian soldier, exhumed from the Adelaide Cemetery in Villers Bretonneux in France was interred within the Hall of Memory of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia. Today marks the 30th Anniversary of that interment. Lest We Forget. --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ --- Linktree https://linktr.ee/iwodmj For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

In this episode, I sat down over two separate sessions with Melissa Ratliff of God's Favorites: A History Podcast and Ryan Day of the History Daddy YouTube channel I talk about the service and fate of Australia's first (and only) Battlecruiser HMAS Australia, Ryan talks about the feared German Battlecruiser Bismarck, and Melissa surprised everyone by not discussing the sinking of the Titanic, but of her sister ship the Oceanic. For Melissa Ratliff https://linktr.ee/MelissaFairLady For Ryan Day https://linktr.ee/HistoryDaddy --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

25-APRIL-1915, While serving as Commanding Officer of the Royal Australian Navy's second Submarine HMAS AE2, Royal Navy Officer Lieutenant Commander Henry Hugh Gordon Dacre Stoker was faced with the challenge, to traverse the Dardanelles when the last two submarines to do so were sunk. The Stage is set, the curtain is drawn, allow I Was Only Doing My Job: An Australian Military History Podcast to introduce you to the Silent ANZAC Join us for the conclusion to our involvement in Historytoks #ShipwreckSummer --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Pateron https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

14-SEPTEMBER-1914, While serving as Commanding Officer of the Royal Australian Navy's first Submarine HMAS AE1, Royal Navy officer Lieutenant Commander Thomas Fleming Besant was killed in action when AE1 disappeared during a patrol following the Australian Capture of German New Guinea. The mysterious disappearance of AE1 became a haunting chapter in naval history, that was quickly overshadowed by events in the Dardanelles eight months later to the point where the whole campaign is largely unknown. Join us for Part one of the conclusion to our involvement in Historytoks #ShipwreckSummer --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Join our Pateron https://www.patreon.com/IWODMJ For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net. Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

9-AUGUST-1942. While serving as a Surgical Officer aboard the Royal Australian Navy Heavy Cruiser HMAS Canberra, Surgeon Lieutenant Kenneth Newman Morris MID participated in the first American counter-attack during the Pacific Campaign, the Battle of Guadalcanal and the disastrous Battle of Savo Island. In the Second World War chaos, one man apart out for his courage and resilience - Surgeon Lieutenant Kenneth Newman Morris. Morris exhibited unwavering dedication as he tended to wounded sailors amidst relentless enemy fire and blazing flames. As the ship's fate hung in the balance, Morris defied danger, his head torch illuminating the way as he saved lives and provided comfort. His actions in that fiery inferno earned him a mention in dispatches. After the battle, Morris continued to serve, training in cardiac and thoracic surgery. With his wife, Dr Fay Kinross, he pioneered advancements in heart surgery, impacting countless lives. This Episode is part of #ShipwreckSummer --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net. Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

This Episode marks Two years since the launch of the podcast. 1-JULY-1942. While serving as Chief Yeoman of Signals as part of the Royal Australian Navy, Chief Yeoman of Signals Stephen Lamont was selected as part of the network of observers stationed across strategic locations in Northern Australia and neighbouring territories known as the Coastwatchers. Initially stationed on Anir Island off the coast of New Britain, Lamont was in Rabaul when it fell to the Japanese. Lamont's selfless actions and dedication to his comrades stand out as he bravely chose to stay behind and care for two sick sailors, knowing the dangers that awaited him as he was captured by the Japanese and ended up being on board the MV Montevideo Maru that was sunk by the USS Sturgeon, claiming the lives of over 1000 allied Prisoners of War and civilians in what is still considered Australia's worst maritime disaster. This Episode is part of #ShipwreckSummer --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi ⁠https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast ⁠ Feedspots Top 50 Military History Podcast list ⁠https://blog.feedspot.com/military_history_podcasts/⁠ For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net. Access to the Discord Server ⁠https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj⁠ Find the Podcast on Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/iwodmj⁠ Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj⁠ Mastodon ⁠https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/⁠ YouTube ⁠https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

10-December-1941. While serving as a midshipman aboard the Royal Navy Battlecruiser HMS Repulse, Midshipman Robert Ian Davies MID participated in the first major naval engagement of the Pacific Campaign. We delve into the remarkable story of Midshipman Robert Ian Davies and his role in the sinking of the British battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse during the Second World War. Despite limited firsthand accounts of Davies' actions, his bravery and leadership caught the attention of his superiors, leading to his nomination for higher recognition. We explore the Valour Inquiry and the challenges faced in honouring Davies' gallantry. While the Tribunal ruled against awarding him the Victoria Cross, the testimonies of respected naval officers shed light on his courageous actions. We also reflect on the fate of the sunken ships and the unfortunate illegal salvage activities that have disturbed their resting places. Join us as we uncover the life, service, and legacy of Midshipman Robert Ian Davies, a symbol of sacrifice and resilience during a tumultuous time in history. This Episode is part of #ShipwreckSummer --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast Feedspots Top 50 Military History Podcast list https://blog.feedspot.com/military_history_podcasts/ For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net. Access to the Discord Server https://discord.gg/v3Vpb9Fhsj Find the Podcast on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IWODMJ Twitter https://twitter.com/iwodmj Instagram https://www.instagram.com/iwodmj Mastodon https://mastodonbooks.net/@IWODMJ/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@iwasonlydoingmyjobpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

20-MAY-1941. While serving as a Company Commander within the 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner, participated in the first major engagements of the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War including the capture of Bardia, Tobruk and the disastrous campaign in Greece before making a name of himself during the Kokoda Campaign. In this episode, we focus on the Australian operations around the Japanese strongholds of Buna, Gona and Sanananda --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi here  For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net. Access to the Discord Server Visit here Find the Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

16-FEBRUARY-1942. Serving as a Staff Nurse in the 2/13th Australian General Hospital, Second Australian Imperial Force, Sister Florence Casson was one of the 21 nurses executed as part of the Bangka Island Massacre at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army. This Episode coincides with International Nurses Day 2023. To Donate to the Vivian Bullwinkel Project or the Bangka Island Scholarship Fund go here https://foundation.acn.edu.au/Foundation/Donate/The_Vivian_Bullwinkel_Project_2021.aspx For show notes, photos and transcripts visit www.thedocnetwork.net and follow the show on Instagram and Twitter at @IWODMJ and like us on Facebook at I Was Only Doing My Job and to follow me for more history hijinks you can follow me on TikTok/Instagram/Twitter @docwinters. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

20-MAY-1941. While serving as a Company Commander within the 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner, participated in the first major engagements of the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War including the capture of Bardia, Tobruk and the disastrous campaign in Greece before making a name of himself during the Kokoda Campaign. In this episode, we focus on the Australian defensive operations along the Kokoda Trail in the Pacific. --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi here  For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net. Access to the Discord Server Visit here Find the Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message

20-MAY-1941. While serving as a Company Commander within the 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner, participated in the first major engagements of the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War including the capture of Bardia, Tobruk and the disastrous campaign in Greece before making a name of himself during the Kokoda Campaign. In this episode, we focus on the disastrous defence of Crete and the prelude to the Kokoda Campaign in the Pacific. --- Buy the Podcast a Ko-Fi here  For Show Notes, transcripts and photos check out the I Was Only Doing My Job Website at www.thedocnetwork.net. Access to the Discord Server Visit here Find the Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iwasonlydoingmyjob/message