Why?
We drive past the Shrine and local war memorials, through the Arch of Victory and along Avenues of Honour.
We respect them but, without a personal connection, they are just there.
The primary motivation for the website is to enable 21st Century Australians to find their personal connection with the inanimate memorials in their community, and provide an enduring outlet for what they find, by using the 21st Century's medium-the Internet.

Born and raised in the Western District, I was infected by the Family History bug in 1999.
After first discovering that one of my grandmother's brothers died in WW1, I then found another brother was with the same unit on the same day and survived, wounded and decorated. When I later found 2 of my grandfather's cousins, also brothers, had not only died in Belgium but served in the same battalion I set about finding out more about the 39th Battalion A.I.F.

There was the brief information about the unit on the AWM website but little else.
From the battalion's history (in the SLV) enough was gleaned to justify a side trip to Flanders in 2006.
With the "Kohima" epitaph ringing in my ears at Tyne Cot Cemetery, I decided to "Tell Them of Us".

Anyone typing "39th Battalion AIF" into any search-engine is now presented with a link to this site.
My mission is to encourage YOU to contribute anything you have about the members of 39th Battalion AIF.
The site has quadrupled in size since it was launched in April 2006, due to the material volunteered by relatives of members, now spread around Australia and the world.

Construction
Being constructed as it is - totally online using the free resources provided by Google - the information is available worldwide, 24/7, for as long as Google exists. (Hopefully longer than the current Editor is around.)
There are no "bells and whistles", background music or animations.
It is "plain-label" black text on white background deliberately.
 
Sources
The significant sources, regretfully not always fully acknowledged, have been:
The Australian War Memorial
Ian Harris, of Hampshire in England, who generously provided his grandfather's collection of photos.
The National Archives of Australia
The THIRTY-NINTH The History of the 39th Battalion AIF, A.T.Paterson, Melbourne 1934, (G.W.Green & Sons)
The local newspapers of Western Victoria.

All images have either been "borrowed" from the above or are originals taken by the Editor.

Any errors and omissions are the fault of The Editor, and are unintentional.
Please advise so they can be corrected immediately.

Barry Dunne
Portland.

Contact:
email:  The Editor                     Postal: Box 179 Portland, Victoria, Australia. 3305