Caption: Curator of the Australian Army Engineering Museum, Mr Sebastian Spencer, Mr Jack Moore and Brigadier Wayne Budd with Mr Moore&#39;s donated collection.

Imagine being a four-year-old boy and being told your former World War One soldier father had been drinking and died in a car accident. Then 70 years later you discover he took his own life because of the impending Great Depression.

This is what faced New Zealander Jack Hoey Moore Junior. His way around the tragedy to help both himself and others, was to write a book about his father called ‘Anzac Jack’ (W. J. Deed 2004) which is available free on the internet.

Head of Corps for the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) and Commander of the Australian Army Cadets, Brigadier Wayne Budd, paid tribute to Sapper Moore and the other Army engineers who went to Gallipoli in World War One.

He was at a ceremony at the Australian Army Museum of Military Engineering recently.

On behalf of the RAE he accepted the special donation of memorabilia and historical items Jack Moore Junior collected from his father’s belongings and donated to the Australian Army Museum of Military Engineering at Holsworthy, NSW.

“One of the things that happen in any military is the esprit de corps which is built around our heritage,” BRIG Budd told a gathering of more than 30 friends and family of Jack Moore Junior at the handover of the special Great War collection to the Curator of the Museum, Mr Sebastian Spencer.

“It’s about soldiers who have gone before us – their deeds and valour are what build the customs and traditions of an army or a Corps like the RAE. It underpins the values and drive of the soldiers of today.

“History is very important to any army and in particular to the RAE. We as a Corps have a proud history dating back to Federation and you are all part of the RAE family in some way.”

BRIG Budd said the Engineers had stored their displays and archives in a series of buildings since 1939. He said the Australian Government agreed to build the current state of the art museum at Holsworthy when it was redeveloping the site.

Special donation to Army Museum of Military Engineering

Recommended for you