 Memorial, Crows Nest, Queensland. Several years ago, I started researching three Brisbane men who had different experiences of World War I. One served in an Engineers Corps – earning a Military Medal; another served as a motor cycle messenger in the Motor Transport Corps and was ‘Mentioned in Despatches’ in 1918; while the third was an ambulance driver in the Balkans – a theatre of the war about which we rarely hear. They also all served on the Australian home front during WWII.
Researching these men was made easier by the wonderful resources provided by the National Archives of Australia. Digitised copies of the service records for Australian WWI servicemen are available online – free - making researching your ancestor, or person of interest, simple. These can be found here: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/army-wwi.aspx World War II records are similarly available online, if someone has paid for the initial digitisation. If the record is not yet digitised, getting them done costs a nominal fee. Once you know the division and unit in which the soldier served, it is then possible to find the battalion's history and/or diary which tell where the unit was located at various times. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I later this year, the Imperial War Museum has online exhibitions and projects underway. Go to: http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/first-world-war. Similarly, the Australian War Museum has new exhibitions to commemorate the centenary - see them at http://www.awm.gov.au/1914-1918/. Inspired by reading autobiographies and diaries of Australian soldiers who served in World War I, my novella All Quiet on the Western Plains explores the aftermath of that conflict for an Australian soldier and an English nurse who move to the western plains of Queensland to escape their experiences. Instead, they find each other and hope for the future. Available 1 May 2014 from Amazon and other good book sellers. Have you researched an ancestor who served in World War I? I would love to hear about him or her.
4 Comments
23/4/2014 11:41:03 am
Lovely post, Isabella, and very helpful. My dad fought in WW2 in Iryan Jaya (although in those days it was called Dutch New Guinea). Can't believe it's almost 100 years since the first WW. I'm very interested in this period of time, and can't wait for your new book to be released. Thanks. 23/4/2014 12:44:27 pm
Thanks Noelle. Yes, 100 years this August. Do you remember Anzac Day in the '60 when there were still WWI veterans still alive and we wore rectangular, purple cloth badges pinned to our school uniforms? It seemed to have a different atmosphere in those days. Do you have your Dad's service record? They make interesting reading. 25/4/2014 02:55:12 am
Yes, I remember. In fact, I buy one of those little cloth badges every year, but these days they are blue, not purple. I do have my dad's service records, and my brother is the keeper of Dad's medals which alas, we didn't get until after he died - he always said he meant to get them, but never did. He never saw them. :-( 11/10/2019 09:46:20 pm
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