Maurice Wilder-Neligan (1882–1923) was a British-born Australian soldier who commanded the 10th Battalion during the latter stages of World War I. Emigrating to Australia before the war, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He was decorated for bravery and commissioned during the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915. He received a severe head wound while leading a successful raid on German trenches near Fleurbaix, France, in early 1916, earning a second decoration for gallantry and the praise of war historians. In July 1917 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and received command of the battalion. He led it during the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge in September and was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in June 1918. He was again decorated for courage for the capture of the commune of Merris on 29 July. After the war, he worked as a district officer in the Territory of New Guinea, where he died at the age of 40, probably of complications from his war wounds.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Wilder-Neligan
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1818:
French physicist Augustin Fresnel submitted his "Memoir on the Diffraction of Light", providing strong support for the wave theory of light. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustin-Jean_Fresnel
1914:
The first shots of World War I were fired by the Austro- Hungarian river monitor SMS Bodrog upon Serbian defences near Belgrade. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslav_monitor_Sava
1958:
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, establishing a new federal non- military space agency known as NASA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA
1981:
An estimated worldwide television audience of 750 million people watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Prince_Charles_and_Lady_Diana_Spencer
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
deadfall: 1. (uncountable, Canada, US) Coarse woody debris; deadwood. (countable, specifically) A fallen tree. 2. (countable, specifically) A fallen tree. 3. (countable, Canada, US, hunting) A kind of trap for large animals, consisting of a heavy board or log that falls on to the prey. 4. (countable, US, slang) A cheap, rough bar or saloon. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deadfall
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
䷳ KEEPING STILL. Keeping his back still So that he no longer feels his body. He goes into his courtyard And does not see his people. No blame. True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the time, and thus there is light in life --I Ching https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/I_Ching