Imbros to be honoured in Hampton

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The bluish Aegean Island of Imbros will σύντομα beryllium honoured by a special commemorative plaque successful Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Hampton arsenic portion of a task to recognise the war work transportation of the section Castlefield Estate. To people the centenary of the instauration of the Estate, a large assemblage lawsuit is planned for Sunday 23rd March 2025, betwixt 11am and 3pm, astatine Castlefield Reserve. All are welcome.

The commemoration is portion of a section assemblage task – the Castlefield Estate Centenary Project – to recognise the humanities value of the naming of a fig of streets successful the Castlefield Estate aft sites connected to Australia’s engagement successful the First World War. The Estate was a ample War Service Commission homes property built for veterans and their families pursuing the war. This year marks the centenary of the constitution of the Estate.

The task was initiated by residents of the Estate, led by the erstwhile Bayside Mayor Felicity Frederico OAM and media and communications advisor Robert Curtain. Supported by Bayside Council, the task initiators successful assistance exertion to the Victorian Government’s Victoria Remembers assistance programme was auspiced by the Sandringham & District Historical Society. They person besides received firm support for the project.

According to the Sandringham & District Historical Society, the naming of the streets aft First World War conflict sites occurred pursuing the extremity of the war arsenic the authorities built caller homes for returning soldiers and their families. In Hampton, 67 acres of farmland was carved disconnected the Castlefield Estate to make a neighbourhood of adjacent to 300 Californian Bungalow houses – 1 of the largest war work location developments successful Victoria.

As a effect the streets of the caller property were named aft battlefields, mostly of the Western Front. These see Amiens, Hamil, Lagnicourt and Passchendaele. These correspond some of the large subject engagements of the Australian subject successful the whole war. Imbros is included nary uncertainty to correspond the Gallipoli campaign, 1 of the large such subject operations connected the Eastern Front. The archetypal residents of these caller homes were veterans, war widows and their families. The Society has created a very informative webpage detailing each of the streets, their battlefield connections and details connected the archetypal residents, with little subject biographies of the veterans. For illustration that for Imbros Street tin beryllium viewed here.

The task will spot the proviso of large, full-width bronze footpath plaques being installed successful each street of the property to tell the story of the First World War locations identified, and a ample interpretive motion will beryllium erected astatine the Castlefield Reserve. In addition, a caller Castlefield Estate Audio Walking Tour is being produced, which will beryllium portion of the Bayside Walks section tourism app.

The projects Robert Curtain states that successful designation of this transportation much than 200 remaining weatherboard and terracotta tile Californian bungalow homes connected the Estate were declared a practice precinct successful 1989. In addition, helium points retired that the Australian war transportation of the Estate is reflected successful the information that the archetypal veteran residents of the Estate built a Memorial Hall and aboriginal the merchantability of that gathering went to support the constitution of the adjacent Hampton RSL. “The property is simply a surviving memorial to those who served, arsenic well arsenic an architecturally important slice of our community’s history”, Mr Curtain said.

It is highly important that Imbros was selected for inclusion successful the Estate street names. Clearly this is grounds that the relation of Imbros successful the Gallipoli run was much appreciated than we mightiness person expected. Indeed it would look that a fig of the archetypal residents of Imbros Street connected the Estate look to person had subject connections to Imbros done their war service.

Three possibilities are that of the 5th Battalion’s Corporal James Law, the 6th Battalion’s Private John Nathan and the 10th Battalion’s Signaller John Masterson. Both the 5th and 6th Battalions were anchored successful Imbros’ Kephalos Bay successful November 1915. The 10th Battalion came to Imbros for a abbreviated play of remainder from the beforehand astatine Gallipoli successful June and July 1915. James Law would take up residence astatine 27 Imbros Street and John Nathan astatine fig 14, while John Masterson’s widow would marque her location astatine fig 10. Was the representation of Kephalos Bay and its remainder camps successful the minds of these caller residents of Imbros Street arsenic they moved in?

Veterans similar these experienced Imbros arsenic it was transformed by the Gallipoli campaign. As I person recounted successful my publication From Imbros Over The Sea, Imbros played a important relation successful the Gallipoli run arsenic an precocious base. It was present that the Allied office for the run were located. As a large roadstead for shipping, the large harbour astatine Kephalos was transformed into a large subject shipping basal arsenic hundreds of ships plied the waters betwixt the Gallipoli Peninsula and adjacent Lemnos and beyond.

Imbros was besides a large craft basal for the campaign, with airplanes, seaplanes, balloons and airships based astir the harbour. It was location to the world’s archetypal intent built craft carrier. The land was besides the ιστοσελίδα of aesculapian facilities, ample remainder camps, a subject cemetery and a supply base. Imbros was where the Australian bakeries were based, supplying immense supplies of caller breadstuff to the troops connected the Peninsula. The celebrated Australian war analogous and aboriginal authoritative historiographer of the campaign, Charles Bean, was based present too.

And astir importantly the beingness of so galore Allied subject unit connected the Island resulted successful large κοινωνικά enactment with its then overwhelmingly Hellenic population. Troops sent to recuperate for abbreviated periods of remainder would traverse the Island connected hired section donkeys with their section guides taking them to the large villages and towns that laic beyond the Allied camps. These soldiers wrote location and successful their diaries of swimming successful the Island’s waters, of visiting its churches and enjoying the hospitality of the locals.

Over caller years it has been my pleasance to assistance our ain section Hellenic diaspora from Imbros successful promoting greater consciousness of the Island’s relation successful the run and Australia’s Anzac story. Last year I was capable to make a photographic accumulation re-telling this story. The accumulation has been shown successful Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with different locations planned. The accompanying publication – From Imbros Over The Sea – was launched by the Imbrian Society of Melbourne astatine the section Greek Orthodox Church successful adjacent Parkdale.

Mr George Xinos of the Imvrian Society of Melbourne said that the assemblage was overjoyed that the Estate and the task honoured Imbros. “How due that 1 of Melbourne’s bayside suburbs should person honoured the relation of Imbros successful Australia’s Anzac story, an country of Melbourne were galore residents of Imbros would aboriginal settee and statesman their caller beingness successful Australia. By honouring the relation of Imbros, this task has besides honoured this important facet of the Hellenic relation successful Anzac”, helium said

Harry Pavlou is 1 section Hellene who has lived connected Imbros Street for a fig of years. “Being of Hellenic practice and surviving successful Imbros Street I consciousness so arrogant of the value the land of Imbros played successful WW1”, helium said.

The centenary lawsuit to beryllium held astatine Castlefield Estate connected Sunday 23 March 2025 will beryllium attended by various dignitaries including representatives of the Australian military, of work organisations and Federal and State politicians. These dignitaries see Her Excellency the Hon Professor Margaret Gardner AC Governor of Victoria, the Hon Natalie Suleyman Victorian Minister for Veterans, Cr Hanna El Mousallem Mayor of Bayside and Ms Zoe Daniel Federal MP for Goldstein.

The authoritative proceedings will commence astatine noon and will see the unveiling of 1 of the memorial plaques successful the beingness of the Governor of Victoria. The Royal Australian Navy Band will perform. A lone piper from Haileybury College will perform, RAAF cadets will rise the emblem and children from Hampton Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School will besides perform.

There will beryllium nutrient vans and a BBQ arsenic well arsenic a fig of accusation tents astatine the reserve representing the Sandringham & District Historical Society, section schools and the Imvrian Society of Melbourne. The Imvrian Society tent will see displays from its caller pictorial accumulation arsenic well arsenic offering copies of From Imbros Over The Sea for sale.

Mr Xinos said that the Society was arrogant to take portion successful this important solemnisation and congratulated the task initiators and supporters for each their hard work successful bringing it to a reality.

Jim Claven is simply a trained historian, freelance writer and published author. He has conducted humanities probe connected the Island of Imbros and worked with the section Imvrian Society of Melbourne to make a large photographic accumulation connected Imbros and Gallipoli arsenic well arsenic writing the accompanying book. Most precocious helium was Associate Producer of the caller 1941 Greek run documentary Anzac The Greek Chapter that was launched astatine the Greek Film Festival successful Melbourne and Sydney past year. He tin beryllium interaction via email – [email protected].

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