London Legacy will dedicate its Annual Anzac Ball to the memory of Corporal James Dunsby as it continues to support the families of deceased and incapacitated servicemen.
This year’s Annual Legacy ANZAC Ball on 4 April 2014 at Australia House will honour the memory of Corporal James Dunsby, one of three soldiers who died tragically after competing rigorously for selection in the Special Air Services (SAS) in the rugged Brecon Beacons in Wales during last summer’s heat wave.
The occasion will also be used to launch the James Dunsby Appeal to raise funds in support of Australian war widows living in the UK and in Europe. James’s widow, Bryher, will be a guest of honour at the Ball and has been instrumental in planning this year’s event.
James Dunsby was a UK and Australian national who served with the British Territorial Army, including a tour of Afghanistan in 2008 with HRH Prince Harry. James was British born, but his family moved to Hobart when he was a child and he was raised, educated and lived in Tasmania until returning to Britain recently. James’s wife, Bryher, is the latest widow to be taken on by Legacy which still cares for 100,000 families of incapacitated and deceased veterans in 38 countries.
Invited guests at the Ball include Lord and Lady Montgomery. Lord Montgomery is the son of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, the celebrated World War Two commander of the desert campaign at El Alamein in North Africa. There is an interesting connection between James Dunsby and Field Marshall Montgomery of Alamein. They both commenced their education in Hobart after their families emigrated from the UK. Field Marshall Montgomery’s father served as Bishop of Tasmania.
There is a third Tasmanian connection in addition to James’s Dunsby and Field Marshall Montgomery. The present Lord Hobart, the 10th Earl of Buckinghamshire, who is also attending the Ball, is a descendant of Robert Hobart, the 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire and Colonial Secretary after whom Hobart in Tasmania was named.
Bryher Dunsby’s tragic loss highlights the continuing need for all Australians to support Legacy in its mission of caring for the families of incapacitated and deceased veterans here and in Europe. The Appeal will raise funds to continue this valuable work.
The James Dunsby Appeal can be supported by donating directly to the London Legacy James Dunsby Appeal. For donations in the UK, please apply to lindsaybirrell@gmail.com with your details and TT Money to London Legacy at Santander Bank (sort code: 09-01-27, account No. 80551126, including your name and address).
London Legacy is looking for volunteers to help sell pins on Anzac Day (Friday, 25 April 2014) at the Dawn Service at Hyde Park Corner and later in the morning at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Legacy is also looking for dedicated people who understand its aims to volunteer as legatees to support our widows and their families. If you can help please contact: lindsaybirrell@gmail.com
