Returning Soldiers 1919

One hundred years ago .... 

Several of the Kurrajong men finally came home on the troopship 'Borda' which departed England on 12 May 1919. The 'Borda' crammed in 1900 troops who were given a rousing farewell by a large crowd at Plymouth.

At Codford Military Base, two days before departure, the men of the 33rd Battalion participated in a Farewell Dinner which included soup, fish, beef, vegetables, dessert and coffee.

After an uneventful seven weeks at sea, the 'Borda' arrived in Melbourne and the NSW men were transported to Sydney by three special trains. Here they were met by relatives and friends.

Some Inverell district men among the troops on the 'Borda' were Privates F G Turner, B P Gallagher, Allan Palmer, Thomas Caley, Stan Callinan, William Finney, G H Rainger, JW Goldman, Hector Moore, William Pollock, A H Roberts, A J Williams, A M Bryant, A W Kennedy, Thomas Lowrey, H L Cutcher, R G Cook, E P Lloyd, N S Lloyd, G F Watson, Eric McGee, A Williams, Gunner J H Wells, Corp E O McCosker, Signaller Claude Cross.

Image: Private collection