Blair Anderson Wark (1894–1941) was an Australian recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of
the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and
Commonwealth armed forces. A quantity surveyor and member of the
Citizens Military Force, Wark enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
on 5 August 1915, for service in the First World War. After initially
being employed in the defence of the Suez Canal, his battalion was
shipped to the Western Front; it was here that Wark would be twice
decorated for his bravery and leadership. Having received the
Distinguished Service Order in 1917 for his actions at Polygon Wood,
Wark was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918 for his leadership and
gallantry when in temporary command of his battalion over a three-day
period, while conducting operations against the Hindenburg Line.
Returning to Australia after the war, Wark resumed work as a quantity
surveyor and established his own business. A respected member of
Australian society, he held several positions and directorships in
various companies and charities, before re-enlisting for service in the
Second World War. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Wark assumed command
of the 1st Battalion (City of Sydney's Own Regiment), but died suddenly
at Puckapunyal Camp, Victoria, of coronary heart disease at the age of
46.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_Anderson_Wark>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
356 BC:
The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, was destroyed in an act of arson by a man named
Herostratus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis>
1403:
Forces under Henry IV of England defeated a rebel army led by Henry
'Hotspur' Percy at the Battle of Shrewsbury in what is now Battlefield,
Shropshire, England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shrewsbury>
1831:
In Brussels, Leopold I was inaugurated as the first King of the
Belgians.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I_of_Belgium>
1925:
Creation-evolution controversy: High school biology teacher John T.
Scopes was found guilty of violating Tennessee's Butler Act by teaching
evolution in class.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial>
1944:
World War II: American troops landed on Guam to liberate it from
Japanese control.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Guam_%281944%29>
1964:
Race riots began in Padang, Singapore, then part of Malaysia, during a
Malay procession marking Muhammad's birthday, leaving 23 people killed,
450 people injured, significant damage to property and vehicles, and a
government imposed 11-day curfew.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_race_riots_in_Singapore>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
untoward (adj):
1. Unfavourable, adverse, or disadvantageous.
2. Unruly, troublesome.
3. Unseemly, improper
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/untoward>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
There's no one thing that's true. It's all true.
--Ernest Hemingway
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway>