Great turn out for Anzac Day, people from Warrandyte and all over Melbourne  have come to honor the fallen heroes of the World Wars.

Anzac Day

They were all answering the Call of the Dardanelles,Little did they know, they were entering a living hell.The brave ANZAC’s, marched up the hill, With their aim, freedom and to kill. Fighting for our freedom, With their families at home, who really, really need them.

At Gallipoli, 10,000 ANZACs lost their lives, While a small amount of them, only just survive. As the Reveille played, get them up in the morn’, As they thought about what would happen after dawn. They slowly chewed on the Anzac biscuits that their families had made,
As they hid in the trenches, extremely afraid.

For the families whose daddies, brothers and husbands who went to war, And for those who didn’t come back, their heart is so sore. The Poppy’s laid over the soldiers, who were laid to rest, May all of the ANZACS, be well and truly blessed.

At the Anzac Day parade, the soldiers march, strong and tall, These are the people, who answered the call.

The Jones Family in front of heir slab hut.Warrandyte 1896. The hut was located in Yarra Street, near Police Road

Butcher
Enlisted August 18, 1914
Single
Age 32
Returned to Australia in October 19, 1917

Thomas T. Jones was one of the several sons in the Jones family.The picture above is of some of the family following the death of their miner father in 1896 from inflammation of the lungs and quinsy. Their mother, Mrs.Elfreda Jones, was pregnant with their 9th. Child and the family was left destitute. The community rallied round to support them by setting up a fund and holding concerts and events . Mrs. Jones was very grateful for the support as evidenced by by the following report which appeared in The Evelyn Observer and South East Bourke Record Friday 8 May 1896.
Private Jones served firstly in Egypt from where he wrote home that he was working with horses. Later he was sent to France. He was sick and hospitalised in England before returning to Australia in October 1917 and discharged due to ill health.

The Sloan Family in fron of Moonlight Cottage, Warrandyte in 1906. Henry is 2nd from the right.

Orchardist
Enlisted August 20 1914
Age 19
Returned to Australia October 8 1918

Henry Edwin Sloan was born and raised in Warrandyte, living with his family in the cottage with his father. Henry Edward Sloan , had built.In 1909 the family moved to Wonthaggi where his father worked in the State Coal Mine. When the mine closed temporarily in 1910, the family moved back to Warrandyte to where Henry worked for an orchardist. He remained there aftre the family moved again to Wonthaggi and enlisted in August 1914.

He server firstly throughout Gallipoli campaign. After the evacuation he was transferred to France. He was wounded in action and gassed in in November 1917.

Henry was awarded the Military Medal and the citation describes the difficulties of laying a telephone line over long distances which was over heavy fire and needed constant repairs. The citation reads in part : “Gunner Sloan effected such repairs at least 30 times. .. Ti swas done at great personal risk, and notwithstanding the man had several remarkable escapes he performed this duty cheerfully …and set a splendid example of courage and devotion of duty and cheerfulness under very adverse conditions”

The first bar to his Military Medal wa awarded in September 1917 for establishing communications between batteries while under shelling.

Following the return from overseas . Henry returned to his former job at the Warrandyte Orchard. He met and married Ellen Williamson from Yea in February 1920 and started a family . In that year he took up a soldier settlement block in Glen Waverley and established a flourishing orchard.

He took early retirement due to ill health resulting from his war service . Henry Sloan died of a heart attack in April 1957 and is buried in Box Hill cemetery.