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Australia Fromelles

2010 Twenty Cent

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This Fromelles commemorative issue remembers those who lost their lives during the famous battle and is part of the Australia Remembers series. The tragic but heroic loss of life will never be forgotten as this 2010 coin suggests. The reverse was designed by Wojciech Pietranik and shows the famous image of a soldier carrying a wounded compatriot. It also has the legend AUSTRALIA REMEMBERS LOST SOLDIERS OF FROMELLES. The obverse features an Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, right-facing and crowned. The legend reads ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2010.

The Battle of Fromelles will be forever remembered by Australians as so many gallant soldiers lost their lives in a failed attempt to divert German attention from an alternative offensive. It is thought that 5,533 casualties were suffered by the 5th Australian Division alone (Australian War Memorial, 2013) . The Battle of Fromelles was supposed to draw attention away from a main attack at Somme, around 50 miles further south. Unfortunately, the German defences were underestimated and despite some areas being taken by Australian soldiers, the Germans counter-attacked and forced them back. The offensive was ineffective and deemed a failure as it did nothing to draw attention from Somme. The endeavour of the soldiers to do their duty at Fromelles should never be forgotten. It had produced the greatest loss of Australian lives in any 24 hours in history. Indeed, Robin Corfield and Lambis Englezos gained wider attention by locating unmarked mass graves at the site near Fromelles and naming the soldiers through DNA testing. There are now new memorial graves at Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery giving the dead the respect they truly deserve. There is now a Fromelles Project which utilises the DNA testing and it has identified 124 soldiers to date (Australian Army, 2014) . The names of the soldiers that have been identified have been listed and are available for those wishing to view it. For each new identity discovered, a new headstone is laid at the Fromelles Military Cemetery at Pheasant Wood.