9. The Collie RSL Mural

The Collie-Cardiff RSL Mural

Saluting their Service - Grahame Old

The RSL Mural Concept – Mateship

The Collie RSL mural artist, Jacob (Shakey) Butler, met with representatives from the RSL, Library and Museum and with some Collie Residents before forming his idea about War and Mateship. He was struck with the profound impact that war has had on the history of Collie. Instead of capturing the devastating side of war he chose to create an uplifting mural that focused on comradery, mateship, discipline and the loyalty that soldiers had for one another both during and after war. He chose the iconic game of Two-Up as the driver behind the mural. His intent was to paint each figure life-size and with realism so that each portrait is full of life and personality. His use of local Collie servicemen and women in the mural tells many stories and represents the spirit of the Collie-Cardiff RSL Sub Branch.

The Australian Military places heavy emphasis on looking after its members and their families whilst they are serving the nation. Mateship plays an important part in this process. RSL Sub Branches throughout Australia provide a venue for mateship to continue when the time comes for servicemen and women to return to civilian life and military service leads to mates made for life.

The game of two-up has been played by Australian Soldiers as far back as WW1, whenever there was a lull in the fighting soldiers would escape the horrors of war with a friendly game of two-up. The game played an important part in mateship.

Mining companies in Collie have always fostered great mateship among the miners on and off the work site. During WW1 the Military Mining Corps was formed to tunnel under enemy trenches. Among the first to enlist were miners from the coalfields of Collie. A total of 21 miners from Collie served in the Mining Corps during WW1 and sadly 2 of those soldiers died whilst on active service.

The Mural – Part 1

Mateship and the game of Two-Up

To add to the history behind the mural the artist has chosen faces of ‘Collie Boys’ from all wars. A brief service history of those soldiers playing the two-up game follows;

Street view, left to right

The first two men depicted are unknown miners from Collie.

The 3rd man (sitting) is 55630 Robert Hugh Loxton. Vietnam War Veteran Robert Loxton served with 1st Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers.

The 4th man is 5400124 Neil Francis Wood. Korean War Veteran Neil Wood served with the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. Neil Wood was a past President of the Collie-Cardiff RSL Sub Branch.

The 5th man is Lieutenant George Arthur Lamerton MC. WW1 Veteran George Lamerton was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry during the battle of Bullecourt in May 1917. George Lamerton was a founding member of WA’s own 11th Infantry Battalion, one of the first ashore at Gallipoli he survived four long years at War before being Killed in Action on the 10th August 1918 during the last major battle of WW1.

The 6th man is 54324 Leslie Thomas Murrell. Vietnam War Veteran Les Murrell served two tours of duty in Vietnam, one with the Special Air Service (SAS) and the second tour with the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV).

The 7th man (sitting) is WX20337 Thomas Job Bowers. WW2 Veteran Thomas Bowers served with the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion in the Middle East and Java.

The 8th man is 3970 Martin O’Meara VC. WW1 Veteran Martin O’Meara served with the 16th Infantry Battalion.

The 9th man is 1438 Thomas Hugh Sarre MM. WW1 Veteran Thomas Sarre served with WA’s own 10th Lighthorse Regiment. He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in September 1918 for actions in Egypt. Thomas Sarre was a past President of the Collie-Cardiff RSL sub Branch.

The 10th man (sitting) is 5715861 Terrence John Healy. Vietnam War Veteran Terry Healy served with 96 Transport Platoon.

The two-up spinner in the ring is 5714772 Sydney Alexander Murchison Riley. Vietnam War Veteran Syd Riley served with the 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment.

The 12th and 13th men (sitting) are unknown Collie Miners.

The 14th man (sitting) is WX7908 Alfred Thomas Fogarty. WW2 Veteran Alf Fogarty served with the 2/16th Infantry Battalion in the Middle East and New Guinea.

The 15th man is WX39640 Sydney Walter Daniel. WW2 Veteran Syd Daniel served with the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion in Java.

The 16th man (sitting) is an unknown Collie Miner.

The 17th man is S153607 Darrin Robert Hunter, RAN. Leading Seaman Darrin Hunter served during the Gulf War.

The 18th man is WX7905 Frederick John Annesley. WW2 Veteran Fred Annesley served with WA’s own 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion. Taken Prisoner of War at the fall of Singapore he later died at sea whilst being transported to Japan for forced labour. The unmarked Japanese POW transport ship, Rakuyo Maru, was sunk in the South China Sea by a US Submarine pack. The American submarine commander was not aware the ship was transporting POW’s.

The 19th man is 54237 Francis Carr Cashmore MG MID. Vietnam War Veteran Frank Cashmore served two tours of duty with the Special Air Service (SAS). He was awarded the Medal of Gallantry and Mentioned in Despatches for bravery actions in Vietnam.

The 20th man is 5715978 James Mungo Thomas White. Vietnam War Veteran Jimmy White served with 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, sadly he was Killed in Action in Long Khahn Province on the 4th April 1969.

The Mural – Part 2

The RSL Logo

The 2nd scene in the mural is a re-creation of the RSL Logo showing service personnel from all three of the armed services. The Artist shows life size figures of the emblem, the Sailor, Airman and Nurse are again Collie identities.

The Sailor shown is 2148 Charles George Suckling RAN. WW1 Veteran Charles Suckling served as a Stoker on board the Australian Submarine AE2. The AE2 was badly damaged of the coast of Gallipoli and subsequently scuttled by her crew. The crew became prisoners of war held by the Turks for the remainder of the war.

The soldier shown is NX43500 Harold West. WW2 Veteran from NSW, Harold has no link to Collie. Harold West was one of many Aboriginal servicemen who have served the nation in all wars. Harold served on the Kokoda Trail in New Guinea, sadly he contracted scrub typhus and died of sickness whilst on Active Service on 26 Nov 1942.

The Airman shown is 415079 Herbert (Bert) Leonard Fuhrmann DFM. WW2 Veteran Bert Fuhrmann served with Bomber Command England. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for air actions in April 1943, when he flew his badly damaged Bomber aircraft back to the safety of England. Sadly, in July 1943 he was killed in Action when his Lancaster Bomber was shot down over Germany killing all crew.

The Nurse shown is WXF34623 Lillian Annie Mumme. WW2 Veteran Lillian was a Nursing Sister with the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). Lillian Mumme served with the 2/4th Australian General Hospital in the Middle East during WW2. The record of service rendered by the 2/4 AGH in many battlefields between 1940 and 1945 was second to none.

The Mural – Part 3 A

Mateship

In part 3 the Artist again shows life size figures of mates at war. He includes a portrait of a soldier in Vietnam showing a fellow soldier a photo of his wife and new born son. The depiction represents the sacrifice that service personnel make in war when they leave their loved ones behind. The final depiction shows a soldier carrying a fellow soldier to safety. This represents mateship at its finest, never leaving your fellow soldier behind, both during and after war. Soldier on the left is Private Bill McWhirter, Bickley WA, shown talking with Collie boy, 53974 Ronald William Miffling, in 1967 during the Vietnam War. Ron Miffling is showing Bill the photo of his wife and new born son. The story was run in newspapers across Australia in August 1967, two weeks after the birth.

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The Mural – Part 3B

Unknown WW1 wounded soldier being carried to safety by Collie soldier 3970 Martin O’Meara VC. WW1 Veteran Martin O’Meara was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions of valour over the period 8/9/10/11/12 Aug 1916 during the battle of Pozieres. Martin O’Meara repeatedly entered ‘no man’s land’ whilst under heavy gunshot and shell fire to recue wounded soldiers.

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