Queenscliff overlooks the key shipping channel into the Port of Melbourne. Its location meant it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War (1853-56). These cannons were manned by volunteers from 1860. A proper fort was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
The Fort is most famous for the role it played during World War 1 (WW1). It is the site where the British gave the order to fire the first shot after war was declared. Artillery at Fort Nepean then fired a warning shot at a German merchant ship, SS Pfalz, whose captain knew war was imminent and was attempting to escape. He was ten minutes away from freedom when the first shot was fired from Queenscliff and he decided to stop because he was certain the next shot would hit the ship. No lives were lost and the SS Pfalz turned around and returned to port. For an exciting account of this event, please visit http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-05/thousands-commemorate-first-shot-of-wwi-in-portsea-victoria/5647724
To download a brochure which guides you on a war heritage trail around Port Phillip Bay, please visit http://anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/WarHeritageTrail-AroundPortPhillip.pdf
Students: For a short video history of why WW1 broke out, please watch the following ABC clip: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-01/wwi-outbreak-explained/5642416
OUR BOROUGH'S PEOPLE & THEIR ROLE IN WARTIME
The Borough's residents have supported war efforts since European settlement. Those involved in wartime activities have included both Indigenous Australians and those newly arrived. This segment of our website recognises some of those residents who contributed to the war and about whom there are written records of their achievements. We recognise this is not an exhaustive list and that many Borough residents' contributions still go unrecognised and unrewarded.
violet duddy
Violet was born in 1886 in New Zealand but she lived as a child in Queenscliff at ‘The
Hermitage’ Bethune Street. After completing her nursing training at the
Alfred Hospital Melbourne in 1911, she worked as a nurse.
In July 1915 she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service. She set off from Melbourne to care for the wounded soldiers from World War 1 on the ship ‘Orontes’ along with 18 other Victorian nurses. In October 1915 Violet was posted to the Island of Lemnos with the 3rd Australian General Hospital to care for wounded soldiers direct from Gallipoli. Lemnos played an important role during the 8.5 month campaign, housing large hospitals and convalescent camps.
In 1916 Violet began working in a hospital in Abbassia in Egypt. From there she went to Brighton in England. In 1917, Violet was promoted to a senior role and posted to Boulogne, then to Abbeville on the Somme River in France. In 1918 Sister Duddy served at a Casualty Clearing Station in the field. A casualty clearing station (CCS) is a military medical facility behind the front lines that is used to treat wounded soldiers. The station would usually be located just outside of the range of enemy artillery and often near transportation facilities (e.g., a railway). In a letter to her father Arthur Duddy, then a councillor for the Borough of Queenscliffe, Violet described the retreat of the nurses from Amiens stating: “when the Germans nearly burst through, it was touch and go”.
In July 1915 she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service. She set off from Melbourne to care for the wounded soldiers from World War 1 on the ship ‘Orontes’ along with 18 other Victorian nurses. In October 1915 Violet was posted to the Island of Lemnos with the 3rd Australian General Hospital to care for wounded soldiers direct from Gallipoli. Lemnos played an important role during the 8.5 month campaign, housing large hospitals and convalescent camps.
In 1916 Violet began working in a hospital in Abbassia in Egypt. From there she went to Brighton in England. In 1917, Violet was promoted to a senior role and posted to Boulogne, then to Abbeville on the Somme River in France. In 1918 Sister Duddy served at a Casualty Clearing Station in the field. A casualty clearing station (CCS) is a military medical facility behind the front lines that is used to treat wounded soldiers. The station would usually be located just outside of the range of enemy artillery and often near transportation facilities (e.g., a railway). In a letter to her father Arthur Duddy, then a councillor for the Borough of Queenscliffe, Violet described the retreat of the nurses from Amiens stating: “when the Germans nearly burst through, it was touch and go”.