(08 AUG) Battle of Amiens

Prime Minister Billy Hughes signs Treaty of Versailles: the first signing of an international treaty by Australia. Australia obtains League of Nations mandate over German New Guinea.

The airline Qantas is founded

Edith Cowan becomes the first woman elected to an Australian parliament

The Smith Family charity is founded in Sydney

Vegemite is first produced

The first Miss Australia contest is held

The tenth parliament is formally opened in Canberra, finalising the move to the new capital

Bert Hinkler makes the first successful flight from Britain to Australia, and Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first flight from the United States to Australia. The Shrine of Remembrance is built.

Western Australia celebrates its centenary

Batsman Don Bradman scores a record 452 not out in one cricket innings

Sir Douglas Mawson charts 4,000 miles of Antarctic coastline and claims 42% of the icy mass for Australia

The Sydney Harbour Bridge opens

Western Australia votes at a rerefendum to secede from the Commonwealth, but the vote is ignored by both the Commonwealth and British governments

The last Thylacine dies

The radio series Dad and Dave begins

Sydney hosts the Empire Games, the forerunner to the Commonwealth Games

(April) Prime Minister Lyons dies in office and is replaced by Robert Menzies and the first Menzies Government

A team of scientists, under Howard Florey, develops penicillin

3 Divisions of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force join operations in the Mediterranean. After initial successes against Italy, 2nd AIF suffered defeat against the Germans in Greece, Crete, and North Africa.

Private 3192881, 7th (Airborne) Bn., King's Own Scottish Borderers Cemetery: ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY, Netherlands Grave Reference/Panel Number: 22. A. 7. Location: Arnhem is in the eastern Netherlands. Oosterbeek lies 7 kilometres west of Arnhem on the road to Wageningen. From the Utrechtseweg, turn on to the Stationsweg heading for Oosterbeek Station. At the railway station, turn right on to Van Limburg Stirumweg. The entrance to the cemetery is a short distance along this road opposite the town cemetery. Historical Information: On the 17th September 1944, the British 1st Airborne Division began landing West of Arnhem in order to capture and hold the bridges over the River Rhine as part of 'Operation Market Garden'. A costly battle ensued, which nine days later lead to the remnants of this Division being withdrawn back across the Rhine. After the war, this site was chosen for the burial of casualties from this period and those of later battles in this area. James is mentioned in the book "OFF AT LAST" by author Robert Sigmond, p 214. It shows that his "FIELD BURIAL was along Wolfhezerweg between railway station and Duitsekampweg. WOUNDED afternoon 18 September." Documents obtained from the Renkum archives show that his FIELD BURIAL was "In centre of field" and was marked with a "Cross" and states that his date of death was unknown. The FIELD BURIAL was at map coordinates 666 805, the document shows the body was "Isolated on field" and the human remains were disintered on 3 Dec 1945 for reburial at Oosterbeek. James was a Catholic and he married Patricia who was a Protestant.

Feb, Fall of Singapore. 15,000 Australians become Prisoners of War of the Japanese

Australia wins its first Oscar, with cinematographer Damien Parer honoured for Kokoda Front Line! documentary.

Cowra breakout, mass escape of Japanese prisoners of war occurs in NSW.

Cemetery : ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY Country: Netherlands Locality: Gelderland Visiting Information: Wheelchair access to this cemetery is possible via main entrance. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on 01628 507200 Location Information: Arnhem is in the eastern Netherlands. Oosterbeek lies 7 kilometres west of Arnhem on the road to Wageningen. From the Utrechtseweg, turn on to the StatioNew South Waleseg heading for Oosterbeek Station. At the railway station, turn right on to Van Limburg Stirumweg. The entrance to the cemetery is a short distance along this road opposite the town cemetery. Historical Information: Following the Normandy landings of June 1944, the Allied advance through northern Europe was extraordinarily rapid and on 11 September 1944, the Second Army entered the Netherlands just south of Eindhoven, the first Allied troops to set foot in the country since its fall in May 1940. Their next aim was to cross the Rhine before the Germans had time to reorganise after their recent setbacks, securing crossings over the rivers and canals that stood in their path at Grave, Nijmegen and Arnhem. 'Operation Market Garden' would involve the United States 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the Commonwealth 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Parachute Brigade. On 17 September 1944, the 1st Airborne Division began landing west of Arnhem, but German resistance, bad weather and problems with supplies and reinforcements led to heavy losses, and their objectives were not taken. They were forced to form a perimeter at Oosterbeek which they held stubbornly until 25 September, when it was decided to withdraw the remnants of the division across the lower Rhine. Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery contains the graves of most of those killed during the September landings, and many of those killed in later fighting in the area. There are now 1,678 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 246 of the burials are unidentified and two casualties are commemorated by special memorials. There are also 73 Polish burials and eight Dutch graves. The three non-war graves in the cemetery were Commission employees. No. of Identified Casualties: 1511