Issue #01 - January-March 2021
- Discover their stories -
- Understand their sacrifice -
- Honour their legacy -
HWT News
(news@historicwartours.com.au)
Welcome to the first “News from HWT”. These editions will include stories (blogs), interesting articles, latest travel information and feature some of HWT’s tours once international travel returns.
This edition has two blogs, one on the RAAF 461 Squadron and an amazing co-incidence. The other blog has the history of the emu plume that we see on the slouch hats worn by the members of the Rpyal Australian Armoured Corps.
I hope you enjoy it and any feedback would be appreciated.
RAAF 461 Squadron - Courage & Co-incidence
The 31st March 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the forming of the Royal Australian Air Force. In that time, aircraft of the RAAF have been engaged in many theatres of war and conflict and humanitarian relief. With the army and the navy, we look to all three armed services with pride.
To commemorate this magnificent milestone, our latest blog is a story from World War II and one of an amazing co-incidence in the registralion of the aircraft and it’s prey.
Bridge on the River Kwai
Part of the 415 kilometres of railway built by allied POW’s and forced asian labour during World War II, the Bridge on the River Kwai is a popular tourist attraction in Thailand.
Although the bridge was destroyed late in the war, it was rebuilt and reopened to railway traffic, in the mid 1950’s. The interesting aspect about this is that these were a total of 688 bridges built along the railway but none actually crossed the River Kwai. The bridge we see today, crosses the northern part of the Mae Klong River which was renamed the River Kwai, after the success of the 1957 movie “Bridge on the River Kwai”.
Capella, The Australian Light Horse and the Emu Plume
An unexpected find at Capella (54kms north of Emerald in Central Queensland), is this memorial to the Australian Light Horse and the origin of the emu plume. The anecdotal story tells that one day, back in early 1891, a detachment of mounted troopers was on ‘special duty’ in the Capella area. When things were quiet, they broke the monotony by riding down emus and decoration their hats with the bird’s feathers. Little did they know that the emu plume on the slouch hat would still remain a proud tradition in the Australian Army, 130 years later.