A special gift was presented to the Sydney Swans, nearly 100 years after it was used in one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of WW1.
A bayonet, recovered in the fields of where the Battle of Pozières raged for 45 long days as part of the Somme Offensive, made the long journey from France to Sydney recently to now sit proudly in the Club’s possession.
The weathered and delicate artefact, part of a collection of relics which were discovered long after the war ended in 1918, was presented to the Swans on behalf of the mayor and citizens of Pozières in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Among them was Corporal Norman Bradford, a member of the 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, and one of some 23,000 ANZAC troops either killed or wounded in the intense struggle against the Germans for control of the northern outpost.
Bradford played seven games for South Melbourne before his enlistment and was only 21 when he was killed in action on August 4, 1916.
He is one of 19 soliders still missing to this day.
President of the Pozières Remembrance Society Barry Gracey made the emotional presentation in person, revealing the Battle of Pozières had not been properly commemorated by the Australian Government.
“Pozières was our greatest loss of life in battle ever,” Gracey said.
“We had just on 7,000 men killed and 16,000 men wounded in about six weeks. Over 4,000 have never been found or identified, which means that field is Australia’s biggest military graveyard. Unfortunately, these men have been overlooked.
“The bayonet is a gesture that these men haven’t been forgotten and they won’t be forgotten by the people of Pozières.”
Bradford was among 40 former VFL footballers killed in the Battle of Pozières, and 10 South Melbourne players (former and current before enlisting) killed in WW1.
The bayonet and accompanying certificate will be framed and put on display at the Swans’ SCG offices.
The Pozières Remembrance Association, in conjunction with the rural commune, are erecting a Mermorial Park to honour the soliders who fought and died during the battle as well as protecting those whose remains have not yet been found.
