Showing 489 items
matching first world war (ww1)
-
Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Sub Branch
Medal - Military Medal, 1914 Star with clasp, Defence Medal, Victory Medal
Group of four medals .Pte J Bishop 50/MGC on Military Medal, Not readable on 14 Star, 10983 Pte J Bishop R.W. FUS on Defence and Victory medals.world war 1, world war one, ww1, 1st aif, aif, first aif, first world war -
Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Sub Branch
Weapon - WW1 German Hebel Flare Pistol
... Dandenong melbourne WW1 WW2 German First World War Second World War ...WW1 & 2 German Hebel flare pistol. The term Hebel (German "lever") referred to the pistol's lever-action, not the manufacturer. The lever in front of the trigger guard was flipped up and forward to open the breech.BP 3926 on left and unreadable markings on the right.ww1, ww2, german, first world war, second world war, world war one, world war 2, flare pistol -
Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Sub Branch
Equipment - Part of Quick Release Harness used during WW1
... WW1 First World War WW One World War 1 World War One Horse ...Part of horse harness used during World War 1 Leather and metal harness piece consisting of a leather piece with metal chain on one end and metal bracket on the other. ww1, first world war, ww one, world war 1, world war one, horse harness ww1, quick release harness ww1 -
Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Sub Branch
Booklet, General Birdwood's Christmas Message To The ANZACS 1915
... Dandenong melbourne WW1 First World War WW One Birdwood Birdwood ...Small booklet with photo of GEN Birdwood's photo and writing on front. Messages inside covers and a colour insert of a soldier yelling "Coo-ee" to Australiaww1, first world war, ww one, birdwood, birdwood christmas message -
Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Sub Branch
Memorabilia - Webbing belt, ca. 1940's
... War. ww1 world war 1 first world war british metal badges ...Collected by a soldier during the First World War.Brown webbing belt with 14 brass shoulder badges mainly from British Territorial regiments, an Australian shoulder badge and three metal buttons pinned to itVariousww1, world war 1, first world war, british, metal badges, shoulder badges, british regimental badges, australian shoulder badges -
Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society (operating as Lakes Entrance History Centre & Museum)
Photograph, 1999
Carved by John Brady, chainsaw artist.Colour photograph of first sculpture carved from WW1 Memorial Avenue cypress trees of WW! Digger carved by John Brady , Lakes Entrance Victoriaworld war 1914-1918, memorials -
Magnet Galleries Melbourne Inc
hellfire corner, hellfire corner.tif
Hellfire Corner was a junction in the Ypres Salient in the First World War. The main supplies for the British Army in this sector passed along the road from Ypres to Menin - the famous Menin Road. A section of the road was where the Sint-Jan-Zillebeke road and the Ypres-Roulers railway line crossed the road. The German Army positions overlooked this spot and their guns were registered upon it so that movement through this junction was perilous, making it the most dangerous place in the sector.hellfire corner, ypres salient, war, road, ww1, world war 1 -
Magnet Galleries Melbourne Inc
British Lancers in France, dargo-098.tif
A group of British lancers moving through a village in France in 1917. For much of the war the British High Command kept immense reserves of cavalry behind the front line in the belief they could exploit successful thrusts by infantry into enemy lines. Pitted against the heavy artillery and the elaborately fortified trenches that typified the First World War, horses proved next to useless. On the back of the photograph its says "British Lancers in France"british, lancers, france, 1917, ww1, world war 1, war, horse, soldiers -
Magnet Galleries Melbourne Inc
exlosion in aerial photo, dargo-104.tif
The First World War saw the widespread adoption of aerial photography to record vital tactical information, such as troop movements, gun emplacements and topography. Here an exploding ammunition dump near Bray in France is sending fireworks several thousand feet into the sky.In the top right of the frame there are some coordinates.bray, france, aerial view, ww1, world war 1, 1917 -
Ringwood RSL Sub-Branch
Booklet WW1, Sites of the First World War, c2010
... , the Somme Sites of the First World War Booklet WW1 ...Guide books for the sites of the first would war, the Somme -
Kyneton RSL Sub Branch
WW1 Medals
Pte Simmons was born in Kyneton. Died at the battle of Fromelles, July 1916.Fromelles. The battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916 was a bloody initiation for Australian soldiers to warfare on the Western Front. Soldiers of the newly arrived 5th Australian Division, together with the British 61st Division, were ordered to attack strongly fortified German front line positions near the Aubers Ridge in French Flanders. The attack was intended as a feint to hold German reserves from moving south to the Somme where a large Allied offensive had begun on 1 July. The feint was a disastrous failure. Australian and British soldiers assaulted over open ground in broad daylight and under direct observation and heavy fire from the German lines. Over 5,500 Australians became casualties. Almost 2,000 of them were killed in action or died of wounds and some 400 were captured. This is believed to be the greatest loss by a single division in 24 hours during the entire First World War. Some consider Fromelles the most tragic event in Australia’s history. www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/fromelles Two WW1 War service medals with ribbons in a white presentation case. With black clothe lining. On the rim of each medal is: 4899Pte N T Simmons 59 Bn AIF The medals are labelled British War Medal and Allied Victory Medal 1914- 1918. On the inside of the lid is card inscribed: Posthumus award to 4899 Pte N T Simmons 59 Bn AIF. ww1 medals, british war medal, allied victory medal 1914- 1918, n t simmons, fromelles -
Kyneton RSL Sub Branch
Remembrance Pocket Watch
... of watch that was fashionable at the time of the First World War ...The item is a replica of the style of watch that was fashionable at the time of the First World War.Pocket watch with chain attached to black leather case. The watch- face has Roman numerals , hour, minute and seconds hands. Not currently working. The watch and case are in a wooden hinged presentation case.Cover of watch face has a slouch hat motif, laurel wreath and words LEST WE FORGET. On face of watch is Australian flag and silhouette of digger with bugle. On lid of presentation case is embossed the words: Lest We Forget.ww1, replica watch -
Arapiles Historical Society
Drawing - Portrait, framed, c. 1915
Friedrich William Kroschel (Fritz) was born 3rd March 1896(?) in Natimuk, Victoria. His parents were Friedrich August and Dorothea Martha Kroschel. After passing the medical examinations and the loyalty test applied to all German descendants, he went to Melbourne as Private F.W. Kroschel, Regimental No 6351. 1 Company 18th Re-enforcements, 23rd Battalion. 6th Infantry Brigade. He left Australia in November 1916 on a ship and went through Durban, Sth Africa. He was wounded during the battle of Ypres, Belgium and succumbed to his wounds (fractured skull) on the 25th September 1917. He is buried in Mont Huon Cemetery, near Le Treport, Seine-Maritime, France. On his grave is inscribed: "BE THOU FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH AND I WILL GIVE THEE A CROWN OF LIFE". The portrait was presumably completed from a photo taken in Mendelssohn photographic studio in Melbourne before he left for the war. His fiancé was named Dora. AHS has a significant collection of items from this soldier. He was a local man who lost his life in WW1. He died of his wounds in 2nd Can: Cas: Hospital, Le Treport and is buried in Mont Huon Cemetery, near Le Treport, France. There are a number of items of correspondence to Fred/Fritz from residents in Natimuk, now in the collection of AHS. Black and white portrait drawing of a young Australian soldier in military attire framed in black and golden wooden frame.'Mendelssohn' on picture and on back 'Kroschel?'frederick william kroschel 1896, natimuk, 1st world war, no 6351, wwi, first world war, great war, friedrich august kroschel, dorothea martha kroschel, loyalty test, german, victoria, horsham, wimmera -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Archive (collection) - Personal papers, Leonard James Baker Collection, 1918-1971
Susan BakerReference, Research, InformationProvenance Order1. Photograph of Len Baker in WWI British Army uniform; 2. Certificate of Transfer to Reserve 1918; 3. Photograph of Len and Edie Baker's wedding in 1932; 4. Letter from St Paul's Church of England, East Kew vicarage 1940; 5. Letter from City of Kew 1941; 6. Wallet from City of Kew given in WWII; 7. 2nd Australian Imperial Force Certificate of Discharge, dated 7 May 1941; 8. Australian Military Forces Volunteer Defence Corps Certificate of Discharge dated 15/3/42 - 9/10/45; 9. British Passport issued 20 April 1971 from British High Commission Canberra The items were donated by the great-niece of Len Baker. Each item can be viewed in the image carousel above.ww1 (1914-1918), second world war (1939-1945), first world war (1914-1918), ww2 (1939-1945), wwii (1939-1945), wwi (1914-1918), len baker, city of kewww1 (1914-1918), second world war (1939-1945), first world war (1914-1918), ww2 (1939-1945), wwii (1939-1945), wwi (1914-1918), len baker, city of kew -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Book, Rosalie Triolo, Our Schools and the War, 2012
... First World War Schools Education wwi "The Great War profoundly ..."The Great War profoundly touched the lives of Australian teachers, school children and local communities, and with lasting consequences. Every teacher had the task of explaining the war to their students. Many teachers, a disproportionately large number, fought and died, and were joined by their older students. For years after, the names of those who fell were respectfully displayed on school honor boards, in honor books and remembered by other commemorative means, including through the introduction of Anzac Day. How teachers and school communities were affected by patriotic appeals and activities, and how they responded to the long years of grim news from Gallipoli, the Western Front and other sites of training, fighting and convalescence, is revealed in an account that historians, general readers and today's students will find illuminating and deeply moving." --Back cover.North Melbourne, Vic. : Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2012 : xvii, 364 pages : illustrations, facsimiles, portraits ; 25 cm non-fiction"The Great War profoundly touched the lives of Australian teachers, school children and local communities, and with lasting consequences. Every teacher had the task of explaining the war to their students. Many teachers, a disproportionately large number, fought and died, and were joined by their older students. For years after, the names of those who fell were respectfully displayed on school honor boards, in honor books and remembered by other commemorative means, including through the introduction of Anzac Day. How teachers and school communities were affected by patriotic appeals and activities, and how they responded to the long years of grim news from Gallipoli, the Western Front and other sites of training, fighting and convalescence, is revealed in an account that historians, general readers and today's students will find illuminating and deeply moving." --Back cover.ww1, first world war, schools, education, wwi -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Badge, Stokes & Sons, Our Heroes Carnival, Kew, 1918
There were numerous events in Kew, held during World War I, to support the War Effort. The 'Our Heroes' Carnival was held in the Kew Recreation Hall [dem. 1960], Wellington Street on the weekend of 9 and 10 August 1918. The event was held to gain financial support for the Lady Mayoresses' Patriotic League. Three press reports [see references] describe or illustrate the event. Organisation of the event was led by the Mayoress, Mrs Wynne, with the assistance of Mrs. H. Dodd and Mr. Hamilton Wilson. Stalls were operated by women selling items donated or created by individuals, organisations or institutions. While the badge is not mentioned in the references, it was clearly able to be purchased as a symbol of support for the event and for the cause for which it raised funds.The badge appropriates cultural symbols for political purposes. It is a rare example of a three-dimensional badge created to support Australian soldiers abroad during WW1. It is unusual in that the inscription is localised to the municipality rather than using a generic label. Badge - Small silvered metal kookaburra standing on a boomerang inscribed in capital letters with the words "Our Heroes Carnival, Kew". The badge has a pin on the reverse."Our Heroes Carnival, Kew"patriotic badges, world war 1, national symbols, cultural appropriation, badges, first world war -- fundraising, kew recreation hall -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Album - WW1 Picture Collection, Singer Sewing Machine Co Ltd, The "Singer" Collection of War Celebrities, 1914-1918
Kew Historical Society, founded in 1958, has an extensive reference library, of which this album is a part. Volumes in the library are used by members for research into aspects of local history and/or to support the Society's collections of pictures, maps, fashion and artefacts. Reference books have entered the collection through donation, presentation, collection and purchase.The "Singer" Collection of War Celebrities: 10 beautiful photogravures size 11 x 8 1/4. With book containing biographies. 9d net. Published by Singer Sewing Machine Co. Ld. 16 p. : ports. ; 29 cm.first world war (1914-18), singer sewing machines pty ld. -
8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Regimental Collection
Photograph - 8 LH, The Famous 8th Light Horse, 1920 circa
The 8th Light Horse was raised at Broadmeadows Victoria in September 1914 and sailed for overseas in December 1914 so this trial must have taken place during that period. The Wiles mobile cooker was developed by a Ballarat engineer, James Fletcher Wiles, on the advice of Sir Stanton Hicks, first Director of Catering for the Australian Army. The horse drawn cooker was operated by steam, raised by burning oil, to cook food and heat a baking oven. About 300 units were produced during WW1 (1914-18) and were in service in Egypt, France, and Australia. They could be operational in 20 minutes, and cooking could take place while being towed up to 50 kph..The first trial of this major innovation in military cooking together with this fine study of a light horse regiment on the march makes this object a significant one to the Australian Army and Victoria.Large framed photograph of a regiment of mounted horsemen on the march. Frame is of stained molded wood with glass front. Name panel at lower centre."The famous 8th Light Horse / returning from Greensborough Camp / After the first trial of the Wiles Cooker / Victoria 1914-1918"wiles cooker, greensborough, world war one, wwi, light horse -
Clayton RSL Sub Branch
Medal, cc 1920's
... . british war medal medal first world war world war one ww1 GEORGIVS ...Instituted by King George V in 1919 to mark the end of World War I and record the service given. The British War Medal 1914-20 was awarded as follows: Navy: 28 days mobilised service in Australia, at sea or overseas during prescribed periods. Army: Entered theatres of war during specified periods or left places of residence and rendered approved service overseas. Mercantile Marine: Awarded to the men and women of the Mercantile Marine who served at least six months at sea between 4th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. Licensed Pilots, Fishermen and crews of Pilotage and Lighthouse Authorities' Vessels, and of Post Office Cable Ships were also eligible. Those eligible also included members of women's organisations; persons on the staffs of military hospitals and members of recognised organisations who handled sick and wounded; and members of other duly recognised or other authorised organisations as specified in medal regulations. The qualification period of service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918 was later extended to cover post-war mine clearance and service in Russia during 1919 and 1920. The ribbon has a wide central watered stripe of orange, flanked by two narrow white stripes, which are in turn flanked by two black pin-stripes, further flanked by two outer stripes of blue. The colours have no particular significance. The medal is cupro-nickel with the effigy of George V on the obverse. The reverse has an image of St George on horseback trampling underfoot the eagle shield of the Central Powers, and a skull and cross-bones, the emblems of death. Above this is the risen sun of victory. The years 1914 and 1918 are contained on the outside edge medal.GEORGIVS V BRITT OMN:REX ET IND:IMP: 2186 FRASER, Thomasbritish war medal, medal, first world war, world war one, ww1 -
Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Photograph, Nancy and Hattie Steele
Nancy (Margaret Dillon) Steele born 1906 and Hattie ( Harriette Vevers) Steele were daughters of Charles Henri Dillon Steele (1869-1935) and Sarah Margaret Russell (1873-1944),he was a pioneer of dentistry in Victoria who was in practice in 1890 and later in Collins Street for 40 years. The family lived at ‘Dalriada’ (dem.) on the corner of Bona Vista Avenue and Union Road. Sarah Margaret Steele was President of the local Patriotic League during WW1 and is credited with starting the move to raise funds for the WW1 memorial in the Surrey Gardens. Nancy and Hattie were graduates at Melbourne University in Dentistry and Agricultural Science respectively. They continued their studies in Toronto and obtained their Doctorates. In 1923 Nancy and Hattie started the first girl guide group in Surrey Hills at Holy Trinity Church. Both married and had families. Nancy married Dr William Brayshaw Woodhouse and, while he took up army duties during World War II, Nancy continued his practice. Their son Anthony became a dentist, while Peter was known locally when he became a councillor and Mayor of Camberwell. Their daughter Margaret married Herbert Andrewartha and lived in NSW.A black and white photograph of two portraits of two young ladies. Their dress and hair styles are suggestive of a 1920's date..(miss) nancy (margaret) steele, (miss) hattie vevers steele, dalriada, house names, bona vista avenue, union road, surrey hills, dentists, first girl guide group, 1923, holy trinity church, world war, 1939-1945, mayors, councillors, (miss) margaret brayshaw-woodhouse, dr william brayshaw woodhouse, peter brayshaw woohdhouse, dr charles henri dillon steele, dr anthony brayshaw woodhouse, (miss) nancy steele, (mrs) nancy andrewartha, (miss) hattie steele, (miss) harriette vevers steele, (mrs) margaret brayshaw woodhouse, (miss) margaret dillon steele, (miss) sarah margaet russell, (mes) sarah margaret steele -
Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Book, A Soldier's Privilege: WW1 Diary of Frederick William Mawson, 2017
This is a transcription diary written by Frederick William Mawson about the day to day activities he got up to during his journey of the first world war. There are a number of photographs throughout the book. His diary entries include references to other soldiers and these have been footnoted and listed in Appendix 2.This is a transcription diary written by Frederick William Mawson about the day to day activities he got up to during his journey of the first world war. There are a number of photographs throughout the book. His diary entries include references to other soldiers and these have been footnoted and listed in Appendix 2.(mr) frederick william mawson, (mr) w. a. j. buckland, (miss) winifred mawson, world war, 1914-1918, (mr) harold black, (miss) beatrice mawson, (mr) william victor bailey wyatt, (mr) aaron wyatt, (mrs amelia dodgshun, (mr) thomas julius atkinson -
National Communication Museum
Memorabilia - Honour board, Roll of Honour 1914 - 1918, 1920
This honour board commemorates Victorian Postmaster General's Department workers who served in the First World War. A total of 3,726 employees of the Postmaster General's Department enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. This represented about one in every five of the total number of men employed by the Department. Many other employees volunteered, but were rejected for health or other reasons, whilst men in key positions could not be spared. This board was displayed at the Spirit of ANZAC Centenary Experience, Melbourne, in February 2016.This honour board was produced by the Postmaster-General's Department and passed through its successor entities until donation to the National Communications Museum in 2018. Its provenance is further supported by the supplementary photograph (VH256) held by the Museum which shows the board in production. The board provides a comprehensive list of the names of Postmaster-General staff across various departments, constituting an important resource for genealogical or social history researchers and a focal point for remembrance by fellow communications workers. The style of the board itself is rare, as it was an unusual practice for honour boards to be hand-lettered on paper.Handpainted paper on linen honour board, perspex glazed with a wooden frame."POSTMASTER GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT / VICTORIA" "ROLL OF HONOR / 1914 1918" "FOR / GOD / KING / AND / EMPIRE"|Headings that precede list of names: "CORRESPONDENCE / BRANCH" "CENTRAL EXCHE" "SUBURBAN AND COUNTRY / POST OFFICES" "TELEGRAPH / BRANCH" "ELECTRICAL ENGINEER'S BCH" "MAIL / BRANCH"pmg, postmaster general's department (pmg), world war 1, ww1, postal workers, honour boards, first world war -
Bendigo Trades Hall Council & Literary Institute Inc.
Memorabilia - FMEA WW1 Honor Roll
... View Street BENDIGO goldfields remember world war one first ...WW1 Honor Roll for the Federated Mining Employees Association. Artist Berne Marcollo remember, world war one, first world war, flags, illustration, commemeration -
Beechworth RSL Sub-Branch
Legging
This legging is part of a pair of leggings which presumably would have been worn by a cavalry soldier in the Royal Australian Army to protect the lower legs when riding in armed conflict. This item most likely dates to the World War One era.As an article of WWI protective clothing for use in armed conflict by a cavalry soldier, this item is of historic value. Brown leather cylindrical shaped legging with two leather straps for fastening. One strap is attached to the lower edge of the interior. This crosses over the lower exterior and passes through a leather loop at the front, which is attached by four metallic nails. The strap then wraps around the gaiter and passes through a second leather loop at the front, which is also attached by four corroded metallic nails. This strap (along with a shorter strap that is sewn and nailed into the top of the legging) pass through two buckles. The upper buckle is made of brass and the lower is made of steel. The straps then tuck under three final leather loops, two of which are bolted to the legging with three corroded nails. There should be a third loop here that is missing. Top corner of legging also carries a small corroded metal hook, presumably to hold layers together firmly.legging, gaiter, first world war, world war one, world war 1, wwi, ww1, war, army, uniform, royal australian army, the great war -
Beechworth RSL Sub-Branch
Legging
This legging is part of a pair of leggings which presumably would have been worn by a cavalry soldier in the Royal Australian Army to protect the lower legs when riding in armed conflict. This item most likely dates to the World War One era.As an article of WWI protective clothing for use in armed conflict by a cavalry soldier, this item is of historic value. Brown leather cylindrical shaped legging with two leather straps for fastening. One strap is attached to the lower edge of the interior. This crosses over the lower exterior and passes through a leather loop at the front, which is attached by four metallic nails. The strap then wraps around the gaiter and passes through a second leather loop at the front, which is also attached by four corroded metallic nails. This strap (along with a shorter strap that is sewn and nailed into the top of the legging) pass through two buckles at the top. Both buckles are made of brass. The straps then tuck under four final leather loops, two of which are bolted to the legging with three corroded nails. Top of legging also carries a small brass hook.legging, gaiter, first world war, world war one, world war 1, wwi, ww1, war, army, uniform, royal australian army, the great war -
Beechworth RSL Sub-Branch
Gas mask
... , this item holds historic value. gas mask mask world war one first ...This mask would have presumably been manufactred and used as a gas mask during World War One conflicts. It is presumably British made. It could also possibly date to the World War Two era.This item is a piece of protective equipment which presumably dates to the World War One era. As a surviving artefact from the Great War, this item holds historic value.Gas mask with rubberised light brown fabric face cover, plastic goggles for seeing, straps for fastening and a nozzle to attach to a canister. The canister is now missing. The goggles have corroded steel rings around themwhich protrude sloghtly from the mask. The light brown fabric covered rubber nozzle is attached to a black metallic component, which is attached to the mask with a circle of black rubber in between the metal and the mask. There is also another short piece of rubber attached to this black metallic component which is folded and positined between the nozzle and the mask. There is an inscription On the exterior of the mask, where the nose would ordinarilly be positioned. There is also an inscription in the interior on an almost full circular piece of fabric which is stitched into the same posion. This has a circle of metal stitched beneath it, which protrudes in two sections towards the wearers face. On the ends of the protruded sections are square pads of fabric, which are presumably there to position on either side of the wearers nose. The mask has a reinforces rubberised fabric rim where it would be incontact with the face. The main rubber nozzle protrudes through the inside of the mask, forming a mouth piece. There are four black straps and one light brown colour strap stitched to the exterior rim of the mask. Two of the black straps are severed.On the exterior at the nose: 3 On the interior at the nose: 22 109gas mask, mask, world war one, first world war, world war 1, ww1, wwi, the great war -
The 5th/6th Battalion Royal Victoria Regiment Historical Collection
Print - Reproduction, framed, General Sir John Monash
... longstaff 1919 ww1 first world war great war General Sir John Monash ...Framed print of General Sir John Monash standing with hands held to his front in uniform against a dark background. Encased in a moulded timber frame and behind an off white backing board with fade red borders General Sir John Monash G.C.M.G, K.C.B, V.D, B.A, D.C.L, LL.D., D. Eng., M. Inst.C.E Grande Officier de l' Ordre de la Couronne and de Croix de Guerre(Belguim); Grande Officier de la Legion d'Honneur and de Croix de Guerre avec Palme ( France); Distinguished Service Medal ( USA) commanded 4th. Aust. Inf.Bde (15 Sept., '14- 9 July, '16), 3rd Aust Div (10 July, '16-31 May,'18) and Australian Army Corps (1 June-30 Nov.,'18); Director General Repatriation and Demobilisation ( 1 Dec.,'18-15 Nov., Nov.,'19). Laanding at Anzac - Sari Bair - Messines- Broodseinde - Passchendaele - Villers-Bretonneux -Hamel - Amiens - Mont St Quentin - Hargicourt - Hindenburg Line - Beaurevoir Line Chairman of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria 1921/1931 Member of Council of Defence , 1921/1931 1865-1931 sir john monash, john longstaff, 1919, ww1, first world war, great war -
The 5th/6th Battalion Royal Victoria Regiment Historical Collection
Souvenir - Photographs and Post Cards, 1916-1918
cameras were not common during the first world war. as such post cards of portraits and the damage of the battlefield were common.Collection of black and white post cards and photographs. 20 post cards are of the township of Villers Brettoneux after the German shelling. 2 are of Australian Soldiers. One of the photos is written on, otherwise the post cards are unmarked and in good condition." Stanley and I taken in London August 1916.ww1, souvineer, post card, wark vc club -
The 5th/6th Battalion Royal Victoria Regiment Historical Collection
Print - Reproduction, framed, The Menin Gate at Midnight
'Menin Gate at midnight' was painted by Will Longstaff to commemorate those soldiers with no marked graves on the Western Front during the First World War; also known as 'Ghosts of Menin Gate'. Longstaff attended a ceremony dedicating the Menin Gate memorial to the soldiers of the British empire forces, just outside the town of Ypres, Belgium, on 24 July 1927. The memorial was dedicated to the 350,000 men of the British and Empire forces who had died in battles around Ypres, and bears the names of 55,000 men with no known grave, over 6,000 of whom were Australians. Longstaff was profoundly moved by what he witnessed and that night, unable to sleep, Longstaff returned to Menin Road and later claimed to have had a vision of spirits of the dead rising out of the soil around him. On returning to his studio in London he painted 'Menin Gate at midnight' in a single session. Today 'Menin Gate at midnight' has achieved the status of a national icon. The painting retains its ability to provoke an emotional response and to communicate the scale of the loss of life and the devastation of war. However as people now have a very different understanding of war, the painting serves a slightly different function. Whereas in the past people responded to the painting as it related to the loss of a loved one and their own personal grief, now the painting communicates the loss experienced by a whole generation. The vast number of those who were killed, and the immensity of the damage wrought during the First World War, requires that those who sacrificed their lives should not be forgotten. Longstaff used well-known motifs to trigger emotion. His scarlet poppies are flowers that could be found in the Flanders fields, but they also carry the traditional connotations of shed blood and remembrance; they represent a floral blanket covering the bloodied bodies of unknown soldiers; at the same time, like the paper poppies worn on Remembrance Day, they are a tribute from the living to the dead. The portrayal of the steel-helmeted soldiers rising from the cornfields extends the range of visual emblems used by Longstaff: the plentiful harvest; the harvest of men; the steel-helmeted crosses covering the graves of many soldiers; and the helmeted bayonets raised in cheer and victory.ww1, menin gate, wark vc club -
The 5th/6th Battalion Royal Victoria Regiment Historical Collection
Equipment - Field Equipment, German WW1 Gas mask in tin, 1918
Late WW1 gas maskThis item was worn by German soldiers to protect them against chemical weapons during WW1Late first world war gas mask complete with field grey carry tin and replacement lenses in original paper Tin has a short, tan cotton strap for wearing over the wearers shoulder. replacement lenses are packed in celephane with "klarscheiben vor feuchtigkeit schutzen nicht wischen, nur am rande anfassen so einlegen" which translates to "Do not wipe clear discs from moisture protection, just touch at the edge so insert " 27.Mal1918 on base of tin "klarscheiben vor feuchtigkeit schutzen nicht wischen, nur am rande anfassen so einlegen" on replacemet lenses ww1, german, gas mask, wark vc club