SAS soldier Harry Moffitt's cricket bats loaned to Australian War Memorial
They became a symbol of his distinguished military service – accompanying him on 11 tours of duty.
Now former Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) Team Commander and Team Specialist Sergeant Anthony 'Harry' Moffitt's cricket bats have been called up for one more innings.
The bats – which each tell a story and feature the signatures of Victoria Cross recipients, those killed or injured in action, military leaders, royalty, and political leaders – will be on display at the Australian War Memorial's new ANZAC Hall Mezzanine to be opened in 2026.
Moffitt spent almost 30 years in the Australian Army – 25 with the elite SASR – having completed almost 1000 days on Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor Leste.
'I love cricket. I've always taken a football and cricket bat away just understanding that it is a little piece of home,' Moffitt told news.com.au.
'It's unique to Australian culture, so it identifies us in coalition environments'.
It was while hunting for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2002 during his first deployment with the SASR that Moffitt soon realised the bats also played a crucial role in their operations.
'It had the power beyond just the casual game and relaxation for the guys,' the 57-year-old said.
'It became apparent it was a way to ingratiate ourselves with the locals, to build rapport. It became a way to gain intelligence'.
The bats also had a way of healing broken spirits.
During what Moffitt described as the 'the most traumatic day of my life' while on duty in Afghanistan, scores of civilians were killed or badly injured following a suicide bombing.
'It always impacted me quite a bit more sometimes than when we were hurt or soldiers were hurt just because it kinda goes with the territory,' Moffitt said.
After a day of triaging and treating the injured, Moffitt and his team returned to their base. Moffitt would later grab his bat and start a game of cricket.
'I could see in real time it was unfurling everyone and relaxing everyone and breaking the tension,' he said.
'Everybody was very sombre and it wasn't long before there were a few smiles and a bit of a sledge and terrible batting or bowling'.
One of Moffitt's bats – from his 2005 tour of duty in Iraq – remains missing, while another was returned after being MIA for 12 months following his stint in Afghanistan in 2009/10.
But it was a chance conversation with a cricket buddy that Moffitt truly understood the significance of his bats of war collection.
'I was sitting in my shed back in Perth at our family home and I was having a beer with a cricket mate of mine and I was just unpacking them and putting them in a box,' Moffitt said.
'And he said to me 'mate they'd make a great collection one day'.
'I hadn't really thought of anything except the man den'.
The bats were previously on display at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, which led to Mofftitt's book Eleven Bats. They were also featured in a previous Sports and War exhibition at the Australian War Memorial.
The Australian War Memorial's Senior Curator & Concept Developer, Middle East Galleries Dr Kerry Neale said 'there is a longstanding connection between sport and war'.
'It's about the display of team work and physical prowess, the pride in wearing a uniform and potentially even representing your country,' Dr Neale told news.com.au.
'It's also about friendly competition and camaraderie, and how sport can translate across language barriers. Harry's bats capture all of this in a way, and are also a unique way of representing one man's service across so many deployments, over multiple conflicts.
'2025 holds many significant anniversaries and for me that really highlights the ongoing importance of recognising the service and sacrifices of past and present service persons and the loved ones who support them,' Dr Neale said.
'[It's the] 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations, 75th anniversary of Australian service in the Korean War, and 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War'.
Asked what he feels when he looks at this bats today, Moffitt said: 'I feel a sense of pride. I'm really proud of the SAS regiment. It's a tough job for tough people'.
'I'm also proud of all the men and women I served with, We got into some pretty hairy situations, we lost people along on the way.
'My evolved thinking is the bats don't really just embody my service or a large proportion of it, but I truly believe – at the risk of sounding boastful – they are the best artefacts of Australians of the last 20 plus years of ADF operations overseas,' Moffitt said.
'They bridge Afghanistan, Iraq and Timor Leste and other peacekeeping missions'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
21 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Mason Fletcher tees off after father, Dustin Fletcher, is again snubbed by Hall of Fame selectors
Mason Fletcher, the son of Essendon champion Dustin, has lashed out at the Australian Football Hall of Fame selectors. After Tuesday night's Hall of Fame event where a Legend was unveiled and eight past players were inducted, the exclusive door was once again closed on Dustin Fletcher. Dustin is of course one of just six players in history who has reached the 400-game milestone at the elite level. The durable full-back retired at the end of 2015 with 400 games (exactly) to his name, two premiership medals, two All-Australian blazers, and a best and fairest (in a premiership year). Mason, who once trained at Essendon as a teeanger but decided to pursue American football, is unhappy that his father has once again missed the cut. On his Instagram story, he posted a picture of Hall of Fame inductees Luke Hodge, Nick Riewoldt, Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce and captioned the image with his father's AFL record. '400, 2 flags, 2 all aus, and a bnf doesn't do the trick, I guess,' he raged. The outburst is not typical for the mild mannered Fletcher family. Dustin was an unassuming defender who started his career when he was a teenager and still at school. Although unassuming, he certainly was impactful on the field and was famous for his booming kick. When he was 18 years old, he won a longest kick competition, and that superboot became a weapon in the years to come. In his first season in the AFL, he became a key part of Kevin Sheedy's Baby Bombers who powered their way to premiership glory with a shock win over Carlton. Dustin is the son of Ken Fletcher, who was also a high-profile and respected player at Essendon. Ken played 264 games for the Bombers between 1967 and 1980 and won a club best and fairest in 1978. Some fans were also upset that AFLW stars Pearce and Phillips had found their way into the Hall of Fame so quickly. AFL players have to be retired for five years before they can be considered for induction. But the criteria is different for AFLW players. 'I would never deny (Daisy's) impact on the women's game, but hasn't she been retired for 5 minutes? It took Gary Ablett Sr 8 years to be inducted, Erin less than 2 years? Over 1000 goals vs 50. 250 games vs 50 odd?' one fan said on social media. And another: 'Congrats to her on her induction. But didn't (Phillips) only retire last year & isn't the criteria 5 years retired?' And another: 'Well I expect (Richmond champion) Dustin Martin to be in next year and made a legend the year after if this is how quick it's going to be inducted.'
The Age
21 minutes ago
- The Age
Australia vs South Africa: The battle for the world Test championship at Lord's
Marnus Labuschagne has kept Sam Konstas out of the Australian team for the world Test championship final at Lord's, as captain Pat Cummins revealed his instructions for Usman Khawaja's latest opening partner. Cummins confirmed the team in London last night, with Cameron Green coming back at number three in the order and Josh Hazlewood beating Scott Boland for the third pace bowling spot. Cummins stressed that Labuschagne needed to find ways to put pressure back onto South Africa's bowlers at the top of the order this week, as both Konstas and Josh Inglis challenge for places in the top six. 'The extra layer is I do believe the pitches in Australia have been as hard as ever in Test cricket for the top order and the starting point for Marnus was similar to mine, they were pretty flat batting wickets in general, whereas the last few years have been tough going for the top order. Loading 'It's a similar conversation to David Warner over here. It's more about the style and how they go about it. We love when they're busy and putting pressure back on the bowlers. 'That's our message here to Marnus, opening the batting can be tough, but it can also be the best time to bat before the Dukes ball actually starts swinging and there's runs to be scored. So it's keeping that positive intent is when he's batting at his best.' As the world's best team over the past four years, Australia are more or less a well-known quantity entering the world Test championship final at Lord's. Aside from some doubts about Labuschagne's place in their future, Cummins' team is extremely settled, with vast experience and plenty of confidence in themselves. Lately, Cummins, his deputy Steve Smith and others have hinted they may well keep playing for longer than once thought, an indicator of how much they are enjoying the game at present. There are few surprises about the setup, just a lot of quality and durability in the face of advancing years. They do not look like a fading force. The biggest question this week, then, is about South Africa. Are they up to challenging Australia in a one-off game to decide the title, or might they find themselves revisiting the hated 'chokers' tag that has followed the Proteas around at showpiece finals for most of the past three decades? Tellingly, South Africa's coach, the plain-speaking Shukri Conrad, has not been shy about forcing his players to confront that tag. In December, when the Proteas looked like they might cough up a winning position against Pakistan on home soil when qualification for the final was up for grabs, he challenged the team not to choke. The result was a narrow victory, and Conrad revisited that territory this week. 'I thought it was the opportune time to lay down that challenge,' Conrad said. 'Maybe because we had another chance, if it didn't go our way we had another chance in Cape Town. But yeah, it didn't go down kindly, but at some stage that conversation needs to be had, you know, and it's all about choosing when to have that. 'So we added the evening before, left it, result worked out okay. We touched on it briefly the other day around, what were the learnings from that and what sort of response we can expect.' Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma said his team had evolved considerably since they were comfortably beaten in Australia in 2022-23. Conrad and Bavuma were appointed captain and coach immediately afterwards. 'Oh that wasn't a good time in Australia,' Bavuma said. 'I think for a lot of us who were there, it was a little bit of an eye-opener. Playing against Australia, seeing how their batters went about their business, facing their bowlers and how you're always under pressure and you had to find ways to exert pressure back on them. 'And I think that, at least for me, gave me an opportunity to kind of have a look at my game, to see where I can improve and hopefully try to emulate the performances that those batters were putting up at that point in time. I think it was a critical point in our journey as cricketers, but for me particularly.' Victory in this WTC decider would mean more to South Africa. It would be a fillip for a country that has long battled to make the sums add up to play as much Test cricket as Australia, England and India. And in London, the Proteas will almost certainly have more support among neutral spectators. Need to know: The 2025 world Test championship Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi The pitch: Has looked drier than what is usually prepared at Lord's and so the spin of Nathan Lyon and Keshav Maharaj is expected to play a part as the game evolves. 'It does look like quite a dry surface and I think the foot marks will definitely come into play as the game wears on,' Steve Smith said. The weather: Some London rain is forecast for day two, but otherwise the expectation is for fine and warming weather that will peak in the high 20s. But they face a formidable challenge in Australia. Rested and primed, they also now have the benefit of a rejuvenated Smith at four.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Son of American and Kiwi winners on track for Gosford breakthrough
He's bred along cross-continental staying lines, and the best is well and truly ahead for a promising four-year-old resuming at Thursday's Gosford meeting. Unusual Prospect, a very lightly raced gelding in the John O'Shea and Tom Charton stable at Randwick, is set to open his account in a moderate Super Maiden Handicap over 1600 metres. He hasn't raced since charging home from the back to be beaten under a length at Kembla over the same trip in late January on his Australian debut. Prior to that, he had opened his career with a narrow second placing in New Zealand early last spring. But Unusual Prospect was quickly on the plane across the Tasman to find his new home at Randwick, and after that eye-catching first-up run, connections are confident he can plot his way through the middle distance and staying ranks, especially on winter's often rain-affected tracks. Unusual Prospect is a son of high class American sire Unusual Suspect who was a nine-time winner in the US before heading Down Under to finish his career. And he's out of a Kiwi mare by Irish superstar Cape Cross who was unbeaten from only three starts, twice winning the Queen Anne (1600m) at Royal Ascot. Unusual Prospect will likely jump a short-priced favourite behind two progressive trials on what will be an improved surface, with predominantly fine weather forecast. If all goes to plan he could quickly be aimed at some of the better Saturday city middle distance and staying races through winter.
