James Newland (22 August 1881 – 19 March 1949) was an Australian officer in the First World War. He received the Victoria Cross for successfully leading a company in several assaults on German positions and repulsing counterattacks in April 1917. Newland joined the Australian military in 1899 and saw active service during the Second Boer War. After completing several years' service in the artillery, he transferred to the militia in 1907. He became a police officer in Tasmania before re-joining the permanent forces in 1910. He was in the first wave of Australian Imperial Force soldiers to land at Gallipoli. In the days following the landing, he was wounded and evacuated to Egypt, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Transferring to the Western Front in 1916, Newland was mentioned in despatches for his leadership while commanding a company during an attack at Mouquet Farm. He was wounded twice more during the war; medically discharged in March 1918, he returned to service with the permanent army. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1941.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Newland
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1711:
Queen Anne's War: A British attempt to attack Quebec failed when eight ships wrecked on the Saint Lawrence River. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Expedition
1777:
American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold used a ruse to convince the British that a much larger force was arriving, causing them to abandon the Siege of Fort Stanwix (reconstructed fort pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Stanwix
1864:
The Red Cross movement led by Henry Dunant officially began when twelve European nations signed the First Geneva Convention, establishing the International Committee of the Red Cross. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Geneva_Convention
1944:
World War II: Wehrmacht infantry carried out an assault operation against the civilian residents of nine villages located in the Amari Valley on the Greek island of Crete. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust_of_Kedros
1961:
Ida Siekmann jumped from a window in her tenement building trying to flee to West Berlin, becoming the first person to die at the Berlin Wall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_Siekmann
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
louche: 1. Of questionable taste or morality; decadent. 2. Not reputable or decent. 3. Unconventional and slightly disreputable in an attractive manner; raffish, rakish. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/louche
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
We are the miracle of force and matter making itself over into imagination and will. Incredible. The Life Force experimenting with forms. You for one. Me for another. The Universe has shouted itself alive. We are one of the shouts. --Ray Bradbury https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury