4 December 2015
Applications open for 2016 Fromelles and
Pozières commemorations
July 2016 will mark 100 years since the Battles of
Fromelles and Pozières on the Western Front, and from
today Australians will be able to apply to attend the
services in France to commemorate these important events
as part of the Anzac Centenary.
“The commemorations in 2016 will be poignant and
moving services for Australians remembering 100 years
since the Battle of Fromelles, Australia’s first major
battle in France, and Pozières, where Australia
sustained 23,000 casualties over seven weeks,” the
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister Assisting
the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC, Stuart
Robert, said.
“To ensure safe attendance at small cemetery and
memorial sites, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
(DVA) is managing a registration process open only to
Australian citizens and permanent residents seeking
attendance passes for the services, available only until
all passes are allocated.
“From 12 noon today applications will open for
attendance passes to attend commemorative services at
Fromelles on 19 July 2016, and at Pozières on 23 July
2016. Those interested should visit the Department’s
www.anzaccentenary.gov.au website for full details
on the services and how to apply.
“This is not a ballot, and noting that numbers are
limited, passes will be available to Australian citizens
and permanent residents on a first come, first served
basis.
“These services will be a special event for many
Australians, particularly those with a family member who
served in these battles, and I encourage anyone
interested in attending to register early,” Mr Robert
said.
2016 Fromelles and Pozières service
arrangements
The Fromelles commemorative service, at the Fromelles
(Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery at 1:00pm on 19 July
2016, will be open to members of the public who hold a
DVA-issued Attendance Pass, and will incorporate the
re-dedication of the headstones of those soldiers buried
in the cemetery who have recently been identified.
The Pheasant Wood site will be open to the public
from 10:00am and a pre-service program will commence at
noon. There is seating for 3,200 members of the public
in tiered, grandstand style seating.
At 5:15pm another service will be conducted at the
memorial wall at the VC Corner Cemetery. Due to space
restrictions at this site members of the public will not
be able to attend this service, but will be able to
watch it live on video screens from seats at the
Pheasant Wood Cemetery.
For those who do not receive an Attendance Pass to
the Pheasant Wood service there will be a field opened,
adjacent to the Pheasant Wood Cemetery, where they can
watch the services live on large video screens.
At Poziéres a commemorative service will be conducted
at the site of the 1st Australian Division
Memorial at Pozières at 4:00pm on 23 July 2016, open to
Australians who hold a DVA-issued Attendance Pass. The
commemorative site will be open to the public from
1:00pm and a pre-service program will commence at
3:00pm.
While there is a capacity for 3,500 members of the
public to attend this service, the majority of attendees
will need to stand as there will be limited seating
available.
For those who do not receive an Attendance Pass to
the service at Pozières, the Thiepval Memorial to the
Missing on the Somme will be available as a secondary
site to watch the service live on large video screens.
As new information becomes available, the DVA
websites
www.dva.gov.au and
www.anzaccentenary.gov.au will be updated and Tour
Operators will receive further confirmed information and
updates.
Media Contact:
Richard Briedis (Minister Robert’s Office): 0477 391
174
Dale Starr (Department of Veterans’ Affairs): 0428
805 578
Veterans and Veterans Families
Counselling Service (VVCS) can be reached 24 hours a day
across Australia for crisis support and free and
confidential counselling. Phone 1800 011 046
(international: +61 8 8241 4546)
