By Casey Neill
A former Greater Dandenong mayor laid a wreath for the city at an Anzac Day service in France.
Kevin Walsh attended an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in northern France.
“There was an acknowledgement of the 52nd Battalion as the Gippsland Regiment and the wreath was laid on behalf of the city,” he said.
“There were many photographs of soldiers from the 52nd Battalion who lost their lives here in the service.
“It was a very moving service that I have felt very privileged to attend.”
On 4 April, the Journal reported that Mr Walsh was behind a successful push to name the Heatherton Road overpass at EastLink in Noble Park the Gippsland Regiment Bridge.
He said then that the 52nd Battalion – known as the Gippsland Regiment – took part in many battles in France, including the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918.
“After the First World War the Battalion was re-raised as a part time/militia battalion in Victoria and named The Gippsland Regiment and had its headquarters in Dandenong,” he said.
He said it was amalgamated with the 37th Battalion in 1930 and sent to New Guinea during World War II.
Mr Walsh presented a mug bearing the 52nd Battalion logo to the museum at Villers-Bretonneux.
Greater Dandenong Mayor Youhorn Chea authorised Mr Walsh to lay the wreath.
“On a day when we reflect on the sacrifices that service men and women have made, and continue to make for the freedoms we now enjoy, my council joins the many communities around the world this Anzac Day to pay tribute to the memory of those who fought, and those who were killed or reported missing in action,” he said.
“We also remember the families and loved ones left behind by those who were taken too soon.”
