Historical information
A booklet written by Herbert Scanlon (late of the A.I.F.). It's a book of short stories and verse. The author Herbert Scanlon appears to have enlisted at 17 and returned from WW1 in 1916 due to his health. "After the war Scanlon embarked on a career as a writer, eventually publishing some 17 short collections of short stories, poems and the occasional humorous episode. While many of the stories are standard trench experience accounts, a number are written with sensitivity and passion. The booklets were sold for one shilling by door-to-door salesmen," mostly ex-servicemen (Copied from National Australian Archives record for him).
Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F.
J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving in Portsea in 1920.
Significance
A record of publications made for the troops in World War 1 or made of material that came from soldiers.
Physical description
Booklet x 32 pages of poems and short stories for soldiers in World War 1.
