always there pt.2

AS I was riding to the Footscray train station last saturday I thought about taking some photographs. At first I was not going to, and my reason was that where I was held nothing new for me. I knew what was around the corner and what the streets looked like. A thought, a remembrance, came to the forefront of my mind that beauty is everwhere and all she needs is to be seen, and that I ought to take my camera out of my pocket and begin the process of making the unknown known :-).

There are two parts to this weeks post and some of the photographs in part two were taken by my good friend Daniel Kitcher as we took a walk around a construction site which is next to the Marybyrnong immigration detention centre, a commonwealth facility.

Following on from the first paragraph I caught the 7.31am train to Flinders street station, this was on Saturday you see, so I was travelling to St. Kilda for to practice Chinese medicine at a residential drug withdrawal facility in order to gain some clinical hours on my record sheet.

My Saturday epiphany had somthing to do with my cycle past the War Memorial.

Each life is important.

My great grandfather on my mothers side, born in 1878, Mr. Guy Moore travelled in 1916 from Melbourne, Australia to France as a Private serving in the 12th Reinforcement Company of the 23rd Batallion of the A.I.F (Australian Imperial Forces).

Three days after his arrival on the 14th of November 1916, at the age of 37 years and 7 months he was killed by artillery fire at the Western Front. His strap was returned to his widow and six children.

On the 31st of the 1st 1916 Guy Moore took the following oath; I, Guy Moore swear that I will well and truly serve our sovereign Lord and King in the Australian Imperial Force from 31-1-16 until the end of the War, and a further period of four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed, or removed therefrom; and that I will resist His Majesty's enemies and cause His Majesty's peace to be kept and maintained; and that I will in all matters appertaining to my service, faithfully discharge my duty accrding to law. So Help Me, God. Guy Moore.

The story as I always heard it from my mother, and from my father too, was that my mothers Grandmother was not at all happy with Guy's decision to join the A.I.F. and go off to fight in the war.

The story is that Guy and other men were given alcohol and bravado by recruiters from the war office and signed up on the spot one night.

31/1/16 Enlisted MELBOURNE
5/9/16 Proceeded O/Seas FRANCE from ENGLAND
6/9/16 Marched in from England to ETAPLES
19/9/16 Marched out to join Unit from ETAPLES
23/9/16 Taken on Strength FRANCE
25/9/16 Killed in Action FRANCE

In 1923 When the Victory Medals' were being handed out Guy's widow, Martha, refused to accept delivery and she and her children held to their dying days resentment against the mode of Guy's induction. My mother says that Mrs. Martha Moore cleaned offices in the city at night to supplement the AIF pittance.

Each of us is important and war is crap.

There is much more I would like to write about concerning Guy and his experience.

When time allows.