Alyssa Fritzlaff
THE Morwell RSL and the Morwell Historical Society will be holding a presentation next week on the life and service of Captain Ian Green.
Cpt Green was the first person from Morwell and Sale to lose his life in World War II, and was one of the 130 Australians killed during the Battle of Bardia.
The approximately 30 minute audio-visual presentation will be given by Lieutenant
Colonel (R) Alistair Capp, military historian and great-nephew of Cpt Green.
He will also present a copy of Cpt’s Green biography, which he has written.
The presentation is free and open to the public and will be held in the Anzac Room at the Morwell RSL at 1.30pm on Thursday, March 24.
Cpt Green was born in Morwell in 1911 and attended the Morwell State School
After school, he joined the militia and worked as a bank clerk in the National Bank in Melbourne and then transferred to Sale where he was working when he enlisted.
Morwell RSL president Wayne Hutchinson said when World War II broke out in September 1939, Ian Green enlisted the very next month.
He was promoted to Captain and posted to 2/7TH Battalion, a part of the 6TH Division,
Second Australian Imperial Force. This was a volunteer battalion, predominately from Victoria.
After initial training at Puckapunyal, Captain Green’s battalion sailed for the Middle East in April 1940.
In early January 1941 6TH Australian Division was ordered to capture the Italian garrison at Bardia, a coastal fortress in Libya.
The Battle of Bardia was the first British military operation of the Western Desert
campaign and the first battle of the war for Australian troops.
Mr Hutchinson said the Battle of Bardia was a decisive victory for the Australian
Army and was predominately led, planned and fought by Australians
No bookings are required for the presentation.
Public will be required to scan the QR code on entry and show full vaccination status in
accordance with the Victorian Department of Health requirements.
The Morwell RSL restaurant and bar facilities will be open before and after the audio-visual presentation.
