The Ghost at the Wedding

Citation:  Walker, Shirley. The Ghost at the Wedding, Camberwell, Vic. : Viking, 2009.

Summary:  Northern New South Wales, the Clarence River region, 1914. In this fertile, rural environment and over the course of three generations the families of this area will be shaken by unimaginable losses. When the First World War began, four youths within the community enlisted. They were eager to do their part. Only one returned, maimed by the conflict. His name was Ted and he would become Jessie's (the author's mother in law) husband. Years later, during the Second World War, Jessie sees off her sons and younger brothers as they join the fight. This is a narrative that shifts between time periods and countries, contrasting between the peaceful nature of life at home and the chaos of the battlefield. It explores the effects that a war can have not just on those who take part but their families as well. Bolstered by amassed documentation such as letters, diaries and service records, Shirley Walker conveys her mother-in-law's perspective through a memoir format that '...convinces utterly, immerses the reader in the experience. Evocative, heartfelt.' - Lucy Sussex, Sunday Age

Time Period(s):  World War I and II.

External Links:

Goodreads page
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6559791-the-ghost-at-the-wedding

Radio interview with author Shirley Walker
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/shirley-walker-the-ghost-at-the-wedding/3126158

The enemy at home: German internees in World War I Australia

Authors:  Nadine Helmi and Gerald Fischer

Citation: Helmi, Nadine & Fischer, Gerald. The enemy at home: German internees in World War I Australia, Kensington, N.S.W. : UNSW Press, 2011.

Summary:  Media dealing with both World Wars typically concentrates on specific people such as the soldiers that participated in the battles, their families who were left behind as well as the civilian populations and governments of the nations that were involved. But what about the other segments of society? What of, for example, the people who were incarcerated by their own government during wartime? In conjunction with the Migration Heritage Centre New South Wales' online exhibition of the same name, this addresses that in its own way. At the time of the First World War close to seven thousand people of German and Austrian ancestry and varying occupations were held captive. Through a combination of extracts taken from diaries kept by the inmates and still images courtesy of the German photographer, Paul Dubotzki, the book sheds light on this situation. Through previously unreleased materials it reveals how they coped with confinement within the internment camps.

Time Period(s): World War I

External Links:

Exhibit page
http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/enemyathome/the-enemy-at-home/index.html

Goodreads page
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11534912-the-enemy-at-home

The Conscription Conflict and the Great War

 

Editors: Robin Archer, Joy Damousi, Murray Gout and Sean Scalmer

Citation: Archer, Robin (ed.), et al. The Conscription Conflict, Australia : Monash University Publishing, 2017
Monash University Publishing
Summary:  At the outbreak of the First World War, patriotic fervour was highly prevalent in Australia. Young men enthusiastically enlisted in droves out of a desire to serve their country. Others, such as conscientious objectors, refused to do so. Amidst this, the Australian government under Prime Minister William Morris Hughes made at least two attempts to pass conscription into law via referendums. Both of these attempts would end in failure. But how did this come to pass? Through nine chapters of essays (divided into four parts) that have been edited by four academics, "The Conscription Conflict and the Great War" elaborates on this. Specifically, it elaborates on how the anti-conscription movement arose in the first place, how it gradually cohered into a powerful group and how it was able to gain the momentum to succeed. It also draws comparisons with other nations where conscription was a factor. Overall, this is a book that sheds light on an aspect of Australian history that people in contemporary society may not be fully aware of.

Time Period(s): World War I

External Links:

Publisher's page
http://www.publishing.monash.edu/books/ccgw-9781925377224.html

Goodreads page
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30619301-the-conscription-conflict-and-the-great-war

Changed Forever

 

Citation: Changed Forever, Australia : Umbrella Entertainment, c2016. (1 DVD)

Summary: This dramatised miniseries covers the numerous ways in which the First World War altered Australia culturally and politically. Colin Friels serves as the narrator of the work, helping to provide further historical information to the viewer. The First World War or The Great War was a conflict that would have tremendous repercussions for decades to come. No nation that was embroiled in it remained the same in the aftermath. Australia was no exception. People from various occupations and social strata were affected by it and this is the territory that Changed Forever strives to cover. People as disparate as labourers, businessmen, the celebrities of the day, the press and members of the Australian Federal government are represented here.  The costs and changes are portrayed over the course of two parts. It is an example of visual media that is "...cinematically realised on an almost operatic scale," - Graeme Blundell, The Weekend Australian.

Time Period(s): World War I

External Links:

Promo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwt7bpKtQBU

History Channel page
https://www.historychannel.com.au/shows/changed-forever-the-making-of-australia/

IMDB page
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5817258/