Primary source collections
Cohn Collection
A chance conversation led to the eleventh hour discovery of Leo Cohn’s letters and a series of photos. Leo joined the 1st Light Car Patrol in Palestine in 1917 and wrote a series of detailed observations on the patrol’s experiences in the closing period of the war and the period of occupation in Syria. These letters were preserved by Leo Cohn’s daughter Helen Bruinier and, thankfully, transcribed by granddaughter Shelley Cohn.
Cornwell Collection
Held by the Army Tank Museum. It consists of two photo albums which were donated to the Museum by Cornwell’s grandson. The photos show the day-to-day life of the unit and the officers of the British Armoured Car units.
Creek Collection
Access provided by the Creek family in 2014. A series of photo albums, individual images, souvenirs and press cuttings relating to Herbert Creek’s life.
Harkin Collection
Held by the Army Tank Museum. Donated to the Museum by Henry Harkin’s great nephew, Henry Harkin Junior, in 2005. Artefacts include personal items, a Royal Victorian Medal and a series of commercial photographs of the unit.
James Collection
Held at the Army Tank Museum. Consists of Captain James’ personal papers from the period 1916 to 1919. They include various original documents, random papers, photos and a series of exercise books that contain the day-to-day existence of the Armoured Car Section, 1st Australian Armoured Car Battery and 1st Light Car Patrol periods. It is evident that these papers were the primary source for The Motor Patrol. In 2013 additional material was added to this collection by the James family.
Morgan Collection
Access provided by Henry Morgan’s family in 2014. Contains a series of individual images relating to Henry Morgan’s life and service.
Young Collection
Access provided by the Young family in 2014. Extensive photo albums and individual images outlining the Royal Park, Egyptian and early Sinai periods, these albums proved invaluable as most images were captioned. Combined with Ivan Young’s letters from the Nhill Free Press they effectively document the unit’s history in a comprehensive manner.
The descendants of the ‘Pioneers of Armour’ have certainly inherited their ancestors’ sense of comradeship and pride as all material has been shared without hesitation or reservation. Copies of these collections can now be found at the Army Tank Museum.
Bean, C.E.W., Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18, Vol. III, The AIF in France 1916, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1929.
_____, Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18, Vol. IV, The AIF in France 1917, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1929.
Butler, A.G., Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services 1914-1918, Vol. III, Problems and Services, AWM, Canberra, 1943.
Cohn, A.A., Cohn, J.M. and Cohn, L.J., Tablets of Memory. The Bendigo Cohns and their Descendants 1853-1989, Antelope Press, Doncaster, 1990.
Curkpatrick, K.M., Saddle to Boots. A history of the 19th (Aust) Machine Gun Battalion, selfpublished, Warracknabeal, 1990.
Droogleever, R., That Ragged Mob, Trogan Press, Melbourne, 2009.
Fairclough, H., Equal to the Task. The History of the Royal Australian Army Service Corps, F.W. Cheshire, Melbourne, 1962.
Finlayson, Damien, Crumps and Camouflets, Australian Tunnelling Companies on the Western Front, Big Sky Publishing, Newport, 2010.
McGuirk, Russell, The Sanusi’s Little War, Arabian Publishing, London, 2007.
Perrett, Bryan, Megiddo 1918. The last great cavalry victory, Osprey, Oxford, 2005.
Rayner, R.J., Darwin Detachment, A Military and Social History, Rudder Press, Wollongong, 2002.
Scates, Bruce, A Place to Remember. A History of the Shrine of Remembrance, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 2009.
Williams, C. and McGuirk, R., Light Car Patrols 1916-19. War and Exploration in Libya with the Model T Ford, Silphium Press, London, 2013.
Smith James. The Cyclopedia of Victoria, Vol. III. The Cyclopedia Company Melbourne 1903.
Reserve of Officers List 1946, Part 2.
Journals
Cecil, Michael, ‘Grit, Australia’s First Tank’, Ironsides, Journal of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, 2001.
Coady, Mr ‘The First Australian Armoured Cars’, RAAC Bulletin, 1972.
Finlayson, David, ‘I’m sitting at Uncle Henry’s Desk’, Ironsides, 2006.
_____, ‘Kinship and Co-operation. The Silver Mark V Tank’, Ironsides, 2012.
_____, ‘Australia’s First Mechanized Arms Officer’, Ironsides, 2013.
_____, ‘Serviens. Australia’s First Mechanized Sergeants’, Ironsides, 2014.
Finlayson, David and Cecil, Michael, ‘Pioneers of Australian Armour. The Armoured Car Section and 1st Light Car Patrol’, Ironsides, 2005.
Sheldon, Jack, ‘Bullecourt: Day of Disaster. The Assault seen from the German side of the wire’, Wartime: The Official Magazine of the Australian War Memorial, Issue 63, winter 2013.
Sweeting, A.J., ‘Langley, Hudson John Watson (1894–1919)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 9, Melbourne University Press, 1983.
The Victorian Government Gazette (various).
Websites
ancestry.com.au
australianfootball.com
Newspapers
The Adelaide Mail
The Adelaide Register
The Advertiser
The Age
The Argus
The Australian Town and Country Journal
The Ballarat Courier
The Bendigonian
The Bendigo Advertiser
The Barrier Miner
The Border Watch
The Brisbane Courier
The Brunswick and Coburg Leader
The Canberra Times
The Coburg Leader
The Cumberland and Fruitgrowers Advocate
The Cumberland Evening Times
The Daily Herald
The Egyptian
The Hamilton Spectator
The Horsham Times
The Mail
The Launceston Examiner
The Leader
The Mercury
The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate
The Nhill Free Press
The Port Melbourne Standard
The Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail
The Register
The Shepparton Advertiser
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Queenscliff Sentinel
The West Australian
The Williamstown Chronicle