Index, bib, ill, notes, p.288.non-fictionBefore the First World War most Australians shared the emotions and traditions of the British Empire. Proud of their British heritage, anxious to raise the Imperial status of Australia, they were eager to fight and, if need be, to die in defence of their race and country. But the horror and tragedy of the conflict brought fundamental changes in outlook. Many of the pre-war enthusiasms persisted, but the days of unquestioning allegiance to Empire were beginning to come to an end, to be replaced by the bittersweet tradition of Anzac. Dr Gammage shows how and why these changes took place. Using the diaries and letters of one thousand front-line soldiers of the First Australian Imperial Force, most of them now part of a unique collection housed in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, he reconstructs the motives and expectations with which these men volunteered and the experiences they encountered. He highlights and examines the new attitudes to war and to the homeland that developed and foreshadows the important effects in Australia of the changed outlook brought home by the survivors. Those who have returned from war will recognise immediately the raw realities faced by the 'diggers', the growing disillusionment, and the hopes for the future. Those with fathers, husbands, or brothers who served, and all those concerned with what happens to men at war, cannot fail to be moved by the simple dignity of the men{u2019}s accounts, or by the understated courage with which they wrote to their families of the miseries they endured. This book, written with sensitivity and scholarly care, must be read if we are to understand war and its impact on the ethos of a nation. world war 1914-1918 - personal correspondence, world war 1914-1918 - social conditions

The Albury Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen’s Club traces its origins back to the Albury and District War Services Hall Appeal Committee. This group of the World War I diggers, service groups and parents of men serving in World War II set out to raise 14,000 pounds for a Services Memorial Hall. After the war ended, the Memorial Hall Fund was far short of its target. Also, different attitudes prevailed when the boys came home. Instead of a memorial hall, the idea of a licensed club gained favour. This was to be not merely for RSL men who had served overseas, but for many ex-servicemen who had not left Australia. Using the Memorial Hall Fund, the RSL bought the old Commercial Club buildings at 611 Dean Street, which had been a Service Rest Room throughout the war and up to February 1946. The SS&A Club was formally opened in October 1946 and was registered under the Liquor Act in 1947. The foundation stone of the new building in Olive Street was laid by Lt General Sir John Northcott, May 2, 1959. The building was opened July 15,1960 by Governor of NSW, Sir Eric Woodward. It has since undergone many extensions and developments to become a modern facility but still continues to honour its origins with the inclusion of its War MemorialThis badge is representative of the role played by licensed clubs in the local community.Enamelled membership badges for the S.S & A. Club in Albury. Many people from both Albury and Wodonga hold membership the club which provides employment and social activities for people from both sides of the Murray RIver.Red Badge, around the centre image of the Albury War Memorial: "ALBURY S.S.& A CLUB LTD/ 1981-82" On reverse: "MEMBER/NOT TRANSFERABLE/2302/PERFECTION BADGES/SYDNEY/770775" Yellow Badge, around the centre image of the Albury War Memorial: "ALBURY S.S.& A CLUB LTD/ 1980-81"albury s.s & a club, social clubs, licensed clubs albury