A Quayside hub of luxury apartments, chic establishments and high-rise office buildings, Ocean Village is now a stark contrast to its historical past. 

As people enjoy leisurely strolls along the modern waterfront, drinks in fashionable bars or culinary delights from gourmet restaurants, it's difficult to reconcile the buzzing present with the pivotal role this port played during the First World War.

Southampton served as a major embarkation point, witnessing thousands of soldiers depart for the brutal realities of the Western Front. 

At the height of the Great War, a ceaseless procession of convoys departed from Southampton, ferrying battalions of young men across the Channel, directly into the carnage of the battlefields. Each ship carried not just soldiers, but the hopes and fears of a nation, destined for a conflict that would forever alter the course of history.

Amid modernity, a subtle yet profound link to this bygone era remains, largely unnoticed by the casual passerby. 

On the facade of a building that once housed Southern Railway's continental booking office, a modest plaque serves as a reminder to a remarkable, almost forgotten, connection between Southampton and a band of pioneering pilots from the other side of the world.

During those tumultuous times, young servicemen embarked on arduous journeys from Australia to Britain. Many of these brave souls arrived in Southampton after long, arduous sea voyages, ready to serve with the newly formed Australian Flying Corps (AFC). 

This esteemed group of aviators played a crucial role in the war effort. 

According to the plaque, the AFC maintained four training squadrons in Gloucestershire, in addition to operations in France and Palestine, preparing their pilots for the ultimate test in the skies.

These Australian pilots demonstrated extraordinary gallantry, soaring above the treacherous trenches of the Western Front. 

They faced unimaginable dangers, engaging in thrilling dogfights and coming face-to-face with legendary figures of aerial combat, including the formidable German flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen, famously known as the Red Baron. 

Their courage and skill in the air were instrumental, carving a legacy of bravery and daring in the nascent field of aerial warfare.

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A year after the cessation of hostilities, with the Great War finally concluded, the Australian Flying Corps ceased its operations in Europe. 

On May 6, 1919, these pioneering aviators gathered once more in Southampton, embarking on the P&O steamship Kaisar-I-Hind to begin their long journey home to Australia. 

This departure marked the end of an extraordinary chapter in their lives and in the history of Southampton.

In 1994, seventy-five years after this significant departure, the P&O shipping line commemorated the event with the unveiling of the very plaque we see today. 

It was placed on the building once known as the Continental Booking Office, near the original P&O berth where the company's ships first anchored in 1840, forging a deep connection between the port and the shipping line.

The building later became Canute's Pavilion and when that was bulldozed in 2008, the plaque was moved to the steps leading up to Ocean Rooms beauty salon in Ocean Village.

The ship that carried the Australian aviators home, the Kaisar-I-Hind, bore a name steeped in history. 

It was a title bestowed upon Queen Victoria as Empress of India, and its very mention evokes the Kaisar-I-Hind medal, awarded for public service during the days of the British Raj. 

The plaque at Ocean Village stands as a reminder of the transformations this area has undergone. It invites us to pause, reflect, and remember the sacrifices made and the remarkable individuals who passed through these quaysides, forever linking Southampton to a crucial period in global history.