What’s on at the Australian War Memorial – July 2016

The Australian War Memorial will mark the 50th anniversary of the battle of Long Tan and Vietnam Veterans’ Day in August with a number of moving tributes honouring the 60,000 Australian men and women who served our nation throughout the Vietnam War.

More information about the commemorative events around the 50th anniversary of the battle of Long Tan and Vietnam Veterans’ Day can be found on the Memorial’s website.

Western Front centenary commemorations

This year marks 100 years since Australian troops arrived in France for deployment on the Western Front. The year 1916 saw Australians participate in the devastating battle of the Somme. More Australians would die on the Western Front than in any other theatre of war in our history.

After the evacuation from Gallipoli, Australians sailed for France, where they joined troops from Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and India, as well as the French and French colonial armies in the muddy trenches of France. There they faced the horrors of modern war and death on an industrial scale.

To commemorate these significant anniveraries, the following Last Post Ceremonies will take place at the Memorial:

Battle of the Somme, Friday 1 July, 4.55 pm
Battle of Fromelles, Tuesday 19 July, 4.55 pm
Battle of Pozieres, Saturday 23 July, 4.55 pm

You can stream each of these ceremonies live online at www.awm.gov.au/live.

1916: the cost of attrition – book now 

This July, to mark the centenary of several pivotal events of the First World War, the Australian War Memorial will convene the conference 1916: the cost of attrition, bringing together internationally renowned historians from Australia and abroad. Presenting a range of perspectives on many aspects of the Great War in 1916, discussions will range from political and strategic dimensions to the command and conduct of military operations, soldiers’ experiences, and the clashes and convergences of historical interpretations.

Held in the Memorial’s BAE Systems Theatre from Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 July, 1916: the cost of attrition promises lively and engaging debate on the significant events that shaped the twentieth century and continue to influence our modern world.

Book now to attend.

National Press Club address – ‘From Fromelles to Pozieres – we remember’ 

On Wednesday 20 July, Memorial Director, Dr Brendan Nelson will deliver the National Press Club address.

In his address Dr Brendan Nelson will relate some of the individual stories coming out of one of the most tragic periods in Australia’s military history. He will share insights into the courage, mateship, and determination that underpinned the next stage of Australians at war.

The address will be broadcast live on ABC24.

Click here for more information or to book

Carnage on the Somme

Like most Australian soldiers who fought in the First World War, Private James Makin did not fight on Gallipoli. The 22-year-old bank clerk from Middle Park in Melbourne enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915 and left Australia with reinforcements to the 21st Battalion two months after the last troops were evacuated from Anzac. Makin’s war began in Egypt, where for months he tramped on pack marches and rehearsed mock attacks in the hot desert sands before sailing for France.

Continue reading article …

Friends of the Memorial

Behind the scenes in the Research Centre: Personal stories from the Western Front, First World War
Friday, 15 July 2016, 11.00am
Meet in the Orientation Gallery, free

The Research Centre at the Australian War Memorial is a key resource for those researching Australia’s involvement in the First World War. The collection includes official records, diaries and letters, manuscripts, books, serials, maps, leaflets, music and more. Catch a glimpse of the rich collection of items held in the Research Centre while hearing the story behind a few of these treasures from the Western Front.

Contact the Friends Co-ordinator to make a booking on (02)6243 4523.
Please note these tours have access limitations.

Highlight from the blog

A bush hospital in the heart of England

The Great War had already entered its third year by the time the first edition of Coo-ee!, the magazine of one of the most remarkable “Australian” military hospitals of the war, was released. Coo-ee!, first published in England on 10 November 1916, was the journal of the Bishop’s Knoll War Hospital. The inaugural edition was dedicated “to the first thousand sick and wounded Australian soldiers who were patients at Bishop’s Knoll Hospital”.

Continue reading the blog …

What’s on during winter

With school holidays just around the corner, the Memorial is preparing many exciting events for visitors. Our winter brochure contains information about what is on at the Memorial.

Click here to see the winter brochure

Highlights include:

The Gillespie bequest: Vietnamese–Australian experiences of the Vietnam War 

Artist Dacchi Dang has been commissioned by the Memorial to create works of art that tell the shared experiences of Australian and South Vietnamese veterans of the Vietnam War.

If you, or someone you know, is a Vietnam veteran interested in participating in this project, please see our website for further info.

Online shop

Recruitment posters from the Australian War Memorial: set of 16 posters

The Memorial’s world-class poster collection comprises more than 10,000 wartime propaganda posters, covering all the major conflicts Australia has been involved in. It includes significant holdings of posters from Australia, Britain, the United States, France, and Germany.

This updated set of 16 posters includes some iconic and some lesser known Australian images from both the First and Second World Wars.

Easily removable and suitable for framing, these posters would make an ideal display for classrooms or other public areas.
The posters are printed on 200 gsm matt paper and include the art caption and a coloured border.

Buy now: $19.99


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Posted by Brian Hartigan

Managing Editor Contact Publishing Pty Ltd PO Box 3091 Minnamurra NSW 2533 AUSTRALIA

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