With Courage and Honour

Navy buglers performing 'With Courage and Honour'

With Courage and Honour was composed to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Today marks the 83rd anniversary of that battle. The march features the bugle, which is a traditional instrument used for communicating messages onboard ships. Various bugle calls are used throughout this march including General Salute and The Alert. The march was first performed at the Cenotaph, Sydney, on 8 May 1992 in the presence of veterans of the Battle of the Coral Sea.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought between the Japanese and Allied navies from 4 May through to 8 May 1942 in the Coral Sea, about 500 miles northeast of Australia. In the spring of 1942, Japanese forces planned to invade southern New Guinea, a move designed to knock Australia and New Zealand out of the war. The Allies, including the U.S., Australia, and Great Britain, gathered a large fleet to thwart the invasion. After several days of searching and skirmishing, the Japanese and Allied fleets found each other on May 8 and each sent aircraft to attack the other. Both air attacks occurred at about the same time approximately 200 miles apart with both sides suffering losses.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was an important turning point in the war in the Pacific because, for the first time, the Allies had stopped the Japanese advance. Many Australians still refer to it as, "The battle that saved Australia."

Lest We Forget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzEHXe3aXiU