Service brings back memories
When Beth Smith joins several hundred other descendants of the original Anzacs of WA's 11th Battalion next month at a service in Kings Park, one name in particular will be on her mind.
Her father James Frederick Rule.
Mrs Smith said he would be "pleased and proud" to see how the memories of her father and his mates were being honoured.
She said that when interest in Anzac Day waned in the 1960s, her father had been disappointed with how their sacrifice was seemingly forgotten and he would be delighted with the rebirth of the public's recognition of their service.
After enlisting and doing his training, Rule sailed with the 11th Battalion from Fremantle on October 31, 1914, aboard the transport ship Ascanius and disembarked in Egypt.
He was among those from the battalion who gathered on January 10, 1915, to be photographed on the Cheops Pyramid.
_The Weekend West _is supporting a WA Genealogical Society project to name the 703 men in the famous image.
WAGS has divided a digital copy of the photograph into grids, so each man is numbered.
Rule has been identified as number 601.
The 11th Battalion, along with the 9th, 10th and 12th Battalions, formed the 3rd Brigade, the covering force for the Anzac landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, and was the first ashore about 4.30am.
Mrs Smith said her father had spoken later of his belief that the landing had been badly planned, boats had been blown off course and of the tough task they had going in to face Turkish fire from the cliffs above.
Rule "had several of his mates die in his arms", she said.
In 1916, Rule was transferred to the new military police, known as the Anzac Provost Corp, and was transferred to England where he served until the end of the war in 1918.
WAGS and the Returned & Services League will host a commemorative service on January 10 at the State war memorial in Kings Park to commemorate the centenary of the pyramid photograph.
Descendants are invited to attend and take part in a group photo after the service.
Mrs Smith said she expected it would be an emotional day.
"To think of that photo with Dad in it, to think it was taken 100 years ago, I am proud that he's in it," she said.
Mrs Smith was joined this week by her daughter Kath Collins and granddaughters Jasmine, 6, Alyssa, 3, and Matilda, 22 months, for a photograph at Kings Park to set the scene for the service next month.
Mrs Collins said she was proud of her heritage and the descendants' service and the photograph would be a fitting tribute to her grandfather.
"It's great that we remember what they did and what it means for Australia," Mrs Collins said.
When WAGS and _The West Australian _ launched the campaign to name the men on the pyramid in July, the society had identified 150 men, of whom 58 had been verified and 92 were to be confirmed.
This week WAGS webmaster Chris Loudon said 223 men had been identified, of whom 138 had been verified.
He said 68 of those men had died as a result of their service, including 33 at Gallipoli.
Mr Loudon said 320 descendants had already registered their interest in attending the service on January 10.
Visit wags.org.au for details
