Bill Woerlee

2823 Trooper Herbert Leslie Schramm [1892-1960]

Bill Woerlee - Profile

My name is Bill Woerlee and hail from Canberra, Australia, a truly Capital place. My speciality is Australian Light Horse history which covers all aspects of Australian, Boer, Allied and Ottoman military history. Each part forms the whole narrative within an Australian context.

The historical notion of the Light Horse in Australia lingers long and warm in the national identity. It deals with the self reliant person who meets the world head on and conquers each challenge. Implied within this is the concept of "mateship" and a "fair go" which adds to the notion of trust and comradeship. These are values borne of hardship and flow through into the mainstream of the Australian ethos.

There are also some darker aspects to the story which Australians see coming to the surface at various times. These too need to be examined.

So I have undertaken the challenge to write balanced accounts of the various campaigns in which Australian Light Horsemen took part.

The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre

My time is devoted to collecting data, cataloguing and presenting items on the dedicated website:

The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre

The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre was established to present an accurate history of the Light Horse units formed from 1899 to 1920. Through careful scholarship this site aims to provide people who have an interest in this particular phase of Australian history an ability to meet with the historical Light Horsemen and so gain a clear version of the life lead by these men, their families and the society in which they lived during the formative period. It is through quality research and commentary that this earlier generation gain their honour and well deserved place within the Australian Story.

Wikipedia Contributions

As a contributor to Wikipedia, I have a specific focus on ensuring that the entries relating to the Light Horse reflect the actual history rather than the imagined history often played out in books or movies. Issues like the emu feather, the Charge at Beersheba, the shooting of the horses and the defeat of Ottoman and Boer forces often are filled with fantasy. It is important to present the view from the other side of the trench as well as those of other contemporary sources rather than to fix on the propagandist or triumphal view that is often presented as fact. Corrupt history usually leads to incorrect conclusions and corrupt contemporary analysis of problems. Good history leads to good data for decisions.

Remembering

• 2823 Trooper Herbert Leslie Schramm [1892-1960]: B Troop, A Squadron, 9th Light Horse Regiment, 3rd Light Horse Brigade 1916-19. The great grandfather of my children.

• Siebe Schoppen [1890 - 1953], conscripted for service in Holland 1916. Incarcerated in a concentration camp on Lombok 1942-45. Died just before I was born. My maternal grandfather.

• Geradus Martinus Woerlee [1892 - 1975], conscripted in the Dutch Army, 1915-17. Assisted the Dutch underground during WW2. My paternal grandfather.

The dreadful effects of War deprived me of knowing these men except by letters and photographs. This is my way of understanding the reasons why.

Memberships within Wikipedia

This user is a member of the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history task force.