Gathering to remember the sacrifice of Australians in World War I

THE formal commemoration of Australia’s entry into World War I will be launched in Melbourne with events that aim to capture the spirit and sacrifice of the era.

Louise Nicol, John Purdue, and Carolyn Smyth are proud of their grandfather John Purdue, who fired what is considered the first Allied shot of the war at Fort Nepean. Picture: Alex Coppel

THE formal commemoration of Australia’s entry into World War I will be launched in Melbourne today with events that aim to capture the spirit and sacrifice of the era.

The week begins today with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance to mark the centenary of the outbreak of war.

At 11pm on August 4, 1914, the British Empire declared war, ensuring Australia, too, would become part of four years of carnage and devastation. By the time peace came, 60,000 Australians had lost their lives.

This evening, a 90-minute commemorative event at Melbourne Town Hall will reprise a similar public meeting a century ago when patriotic songs and speeches welcomed Australia’s support for the Empire.

Tomorrow, the focus shifts to what is considered the first Allied shot of the war, when the garrison at Fort Nepean fired a shot at the German steamer SS Pfalz just hours after the outbreak of war.

The steamer was making a dash through the heads when the garrison’s warning shot, fired by John Purdue, a 24-year-old from Camperdown, halted its progress.

Colonel Purdue’s grandchildren, John, Carolyn and Louise, will be back at Point Nepean tomorrow to be part of the remarkable piece of history.

Carolyn Smyth remembers her grandfather as a strict man, steeped in the discipline of military life.

“He perhaps wasn’t fully aware of what he did then at the age of 24 but (later) he was extremely proud of what ­occurred there,’’ Ms Smyth said. He also left a detailed description of the events leading up to the discharge of the shot.

“They told us to engage,’’ Col. Purdue remembered of firing the shot, “then waiting and the tide was flowing very fast when we had the word to fire and I pressed the electrical trigger and saw it land with a splash in the water; the splash went right up over the bridge of the ship.

“The last order we had was ‘stop her or sink her’,” he said.

That was enough to stop the Pfalz and she was towed back to Hobson’s Bay where she later became an Australian troopship.

Victorian Anzac Centenary committee chair Ted Baillieu said Melbourne’s mood at the announcement of war was enthusiastic and exuberant.

“Marvellous Melbourne was getting ready to go to the world,’’ he said.

Melbourne was the national capital in 1914 and the city revelled in that role. But at war’s end, 19,000 Victorians were dead and 42,000 were injured.

Mr Baillieu said commemorating the events of a century ago ensured future generations shared an understanding of what occurred during the Great War.

“Without it, the connecting, the respecting, the remembering, the honouring won’t survive the baby boomer generation,’’ he said.

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GREAT WAR COMMEMORATION THIS WEEK

Today: 2-2.30pm, Shrine of Remembrance, wreath laying ceremony to

mark outbreak of World War I. Open to the public.

Tonight: 6-7.30pm Melbourne Town Hall Commemoration, featuring William

McInnes, Archie Roach, Deborah Conway and Clare Bowditch. Registration required

at anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/commemorativeweek

Tomorrow 11am-1pm: First Shot commemoration, Parade Ground, Point Nepean

National Park, Portsea. Open to the public.

Tomorrow: opening of Shrine of Remembrance’s touring exhibition Australia Will Be

There: Victorians in the First World War (1914-1919)

Wednesday: Launch of book Victoria At War 1914-18 by Michael McKernan.

Originally published as Gathering to remember the sacrifice of Australians in World War I