1917: Captain H.W. Murray of the Australian 4th Division ( Australia's highest decorated soldier during World War I ) won the Victoria Cross at Stormy Trench north-east of Gueudecourt, France.

Capt Murray led his company in an attack and quickly captured the enemy position, fighting back three heavy counter attacks by the enemy. He encouraged his men, led bombing and bayonet parties and carried wounded men to safety.

1920: The RAF College at Cranwell was established for the training of officer cadets, under the command of the great aviation pioneer, Air Commodore Longcroft.

1941: Lieutenant General Sir Richard O'Connor's superb campaign in the Western Desert came to fruition, as the first units of the British 7th Armoured Division emerged from a great sweep across the desert to cut off the Italian Tenth Army's line of retreat at the village of Beda Fomm.

A small force of motorised infantry, artillery and armoured cars under Lieutenant Colonel Combe of the 11th Hussars blocked the road, and despite repeated Italian efforts to break through, held their position. Meanwhile, as British tanks arrived on the scene from their gruelling march across the desert, they harried the flanks of the huge column of Italian men and equipment, while 6th Australian Division, which had pursued the Tenth Army along the coast, closed in from the north-east. The Italians were forced to surrender on 7 February. With just two divisions, O'Connor had advanced over 500 miles and captured 130,000 prisoners, 400 tanks and 1,300 artillery pieces.