Liverpool and its suburbs have a long past associated with the armed forces in Australia, with Holsworthy Camp an integral part of our history.
Using our Heritage Collections, the Museum team have commemorated the past few ANZAC and Remembrance Days by highlighting local veterans with moving memorials, showcasing just a few of the brave people from our community who have served our country.
Image: Army photo of Arthur John Gibson, c1968. Virtual War memorial |
"Complication relating to service in Vietnam" When people think of the victims of war, they often think of the damage done in battle. The wounds and deaths caused by mortars, mines and guns. But more often than not, the biggest killer on the battlefield is disease, both physical and mental. Arthur John Gibson was born on 9 August 1944 in the town of Taree, NSW, the son of Herbert and Annie Gibson. As a young man he moved to Bankstown, where he married in 1966 and had his first child 2 years later. Arthur joined the Australian Army and moved his young family to Holsworthy soldiers' settlement. On 18 February 1970, Arthur arrived in South Vietnam with the 7th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. There he carried out his duties which included patrols, ambushes and search and destroy missions through the jungle. In total, Arthur spent just under a year in Vietnam and was flown home on 14 January 1971 at the end of his tour. By July 1972, Gibson was lying in a bed in Liverpool Hospital, suffering from "complications" related to his service in the Vietnam War. It is not clear what these complications were, but they consumed Gibson and eventually took his life. He was buried in the grounds of Liverpool General Cemetery with a full military funeral. |
Image: Studio portrait of John Edmondson, c.1941. Australian War Memorial Collection |
John Hurst Edmondson (1914-1941), the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross in World War II, was born at Wagga Wagga NSW on 8th October 1914. |
Image: Enjoying a meal on a hilltop in Korea. Pte Les Darcy O’Keaf of Liverpool Slicing Bread, October 1951. Australian War Memorial Collection |
Born in Liverpool (16 March 1929) to Patrick and Frances O’Keefe, Les Darcy O’Keefe, was one of the few local boys to see service in Korea. Les joined the ranks of K-Force on a two-year enlistment including one year on the front line. |
Image: Studio portrait of Peter Anthony Malone, c.1967. Australian War Memorial Collection |
| At the height of the Vietnam War, the young men of Liverpool were not spared the carnage of conflict. Peter 'Pete' Anthony Malone was one such young man who answered the call and would sadly pay the ultimate sacrifice. |
Image: Studio portrait of Thomas James Esen, c.1942. Courtesy of the Eccleston Family |
Thomas James Esen (b.Liverpool, 6 December 1916) was the sixth of nine siblings to Thomas Senior and Beatrice. Thomas would take part in an assault in the New Guinea Campaign on the 19th of December 1942. He was never seen again and was declared Missing in Action. |
Our Liverpool boys , researched and compiled by Liverpool City Library staff, Liverpool, N.S.W. : Liverpool City Council, [2014]
Liverpool a garrison town : an introduction to the military history and social development of the Liverpool district 1810-2010, Walsh, Matthew Thomas, [2009]
A poppy for pa, Rebecca Laing Zammit ; illustrated by Annelies Billeter, [2020]
Australian Military History Archives Search
Search results | Australian Military History Archives
German Concentration Camp Archives Search
Search results | German Concentration Camp (Holsworthy, N.S.W)