Bon Ap: ANZAC birthplace, Grandfather of hybrid warfare linked to French restaurant
Since the invasion of Iran got under way, there has been no shortage of news reports and commentary about warfare. Surely there is nothing I can cover on my blog that hasn't been written somewhere else already?
While contemplating what to do for ANZAC day this year, I took out some of the old files about my great grandfather, the ANZAC hero Sgt Robert Ernest Edward Pocock. I decided to go through the documents line-by-line to see if there was anything interesting. I didn't have to go any further than the first document, his birth certificate, to get a surprise.
I saw the address of Sgt Pocock's birthplace, 193 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, on his birth certificate and I decided to type it into a search engine to see what is there today. In fact, it is one of Melbourne's most well-known French restaurants, Bon Ap Petit Bistrot, Fitzroy. I put together a series of pictures telling the story of how my great-grand-father went from Bon Ap to feeding the diggers in the north of France.
While Sgt Pocock worked in the munitions industry, it is an interesting coincidence that I've gone into modern day cybersecurity projects, especially those concerning social engineering.
Far too many diggers didn't make it back to Australia. They had to battle the enemy, the cold and worst of all, disease. We see all of these things in the report about Sgt Robert Pocock (10768) of the 3rd Divisional Train, 22 Company in the north of France and Belgium.
Looking south down Brunswick Street from Robert Pocock's birthplace, we see the spire of St Patrick's Cathedral. Robert was a Baptist. His second son, Walter, married in the Catholic Church. His grandson, John, married in the Cathedral itself. Robert's great-great-grandson would become a member of the Cathedral Choir.
Sgt Robert Pocock is in the middle of the photo with the rank insignia of a sergeant on his sleeve.
