The Elements of Marie Curie: how the glow of radium lit a path for women in science

As regular viewers of Pointless we often encounter questions relating to the often weird and wonderful names on  the Periodic Table. The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel explains how some of the elements came to be named and the work that went into identifying many of the elements relating to radioactivity. At school we learned a little about Marie Curie and her work. One year I was even awarded a copy of the book, Men and Women Behind the Atom by Sarah Reidman as a school prize. 

In this book, the author provides not just a biography of the life of Marie Curie and her family but also an introduction to the science that captured Marie's imagination. As well as an introduction to an aspect of science, The Elements of Marie Curie provides an important insight into the scientific community at that time which was run by men. Women were barely tolerated working in science areas except in minor roles. Marie Curie worked hard to change this philosophy, not just in the original scientific work that she undertook but also through the employment and encouragement of women in senior roles in her laboratories. 

For many years Marie Curie and her husband worked together on their scientific projects. However after Pierre's death Marie took charge of their laboratory and ensured that each year talented women worked with her investigating radioactivity and its possible uses. During the First World War Marie promoted the use of X-rays to isolate metal in the bodies of wounded soldiers.

In 1903, Pierre Curie, Marie Curie and Henri Becquerel won the Nobel Prize for Physics for their initial work with radioactivity. In 1911 Marie won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of radium and polonium. In 1935 Marie and Pierre's daughter, Irene Joliot-Curie and her husband, Frederick Joliot-Curie jointly won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

The Elements of Marie Curie will also appeal to those interested in the social history of the twentieth century. It is definitely a book worth reading. The glossary of chemical terms plus the radioactive decay series and notes at the end of the book are also useful.

The Artist

The Artist by Lucy Steeds has to be one of the best books that I have read so far this year. The novel is set in 1920 when Joseph, a young writer, has the chance to spend time with and interview the reclusive artist Edouard Tarttuffe at his studio in Provence. This is Joseph's chance to make his name as a journalist.

Joseph lives with his family in England but relishes the chance to escape from a family environment where his father constantly shows his displeasure that his son chose not to enlist to serve in the British Army during World War One. His older brother, who did serve, is still in hospital struggling to return to 'normal life'.

In Provence he meets not only Tartuffe but also Tartuffe's niece, Ettie, who lives with her uncle as his housekeeper and general dogsbody. Ettie wants to be an artist but receives no encouragement from her uncle or from his agent who appears when a painting is ready for sale. Ettie desperately wants to escape her present existence.

Joseph soon discovers many secrets concerning the artist and his chosen life in seclusion. He and Ettie also gradually share their own secrets and concerns as they plan life when Joseph has to leave Provence.

The novel is beautifully written and at times the writing flows like a poem as we gradually learn more about the three main characters, their lives and inspiration. The power of Art is constantly felt throughout the novel.

The Surgeon of Royaumont

In 2017 I researched the life of a nurse - Janet Muir Gaff - who served overseas during the First World War. This research was also part of an assignment for the Diploma of Family History, University of Tasmania. I have also read a number of novels about nurses during World War I. Consequently I was pleased when Better Reading sent me a copy of The Surgeon of Royaumont, a work of historical fiction set during the First World War, to read and review.

Clara Heywood trained as a doctor at the Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and worked, initially, in the children's ward. With the advent of war, surgeons were needed to work overseas treating wounded troops. However the Australian Army would not accept female doctors in their ranks. Also Clara's father, an army officer who had served in India, was adamant that no daughter of his would serve in Army medical units.

But Clara was determined to assist soldiers wounded during the war so when Clara heard of the Scottish Women's Hospital at Royaumont in France, which was run by women to treat wounded soldiers in France, she travelled to England and then to France to take up a position at the hospital. 

Treating severely wounded soldiers was an entirely new experience for Clara and it took some time for her to even begin to adjust to her new environment. Fortunately it would be three months before she would be expected to amputate limbs but treating other battle injuries could also be a challenge.

Trying to establish a role for herself in the medical profession, Clara constantly faced discrimination because she was not male. Overseas she also discovered, from time to time, discrimination because she was Australian. Clara soon discovered that discrimination also existed in a variety of other forms at the hospital.

Although working at Royaumont provided many challenges for the young doctor it allowed her to expand her medical knowledge and expertise. But it took time for her to accept that if a patient died it was not necessarily her fault. She still hoped to eventually work in Australian or British Army medical corps but until that became possible she would learn all that she could at Royaumont.

Although some of the staff made it clear that they did not want to work with young Australian female doctors, Clara did make good friends with many of the staff. Also, because of her previous experience with horses, she was allowed to check the condition of the working horses in the stables which provided a break from medical procedures involving men wounded in war. 

There was, however, another problem that had to be faced. Her father  now worked in England and ordered her to transfer to England or return to Australia. Her unofficial fiancé, also a doctor, had taken up a position in England and wanted her to join him. Clara had decisions to make about her future.

The Surgeon of Royaumont by Susan Neuhaus is a thought provoking novel about the challenges faced by women who wanted to serve their country overseas helping their countrymen wounded in battle. Australian women had achieved the right to vote in elections, however there was still a long way to go before equality with men would be possible. This book also provides an insight into the dedicated work of doctors, nurses and VADs in treating the injured with limited resources.

Many thanks to Better Reading and HQ Books for a preview copy of this book.

Additional information:

The Scottish Women's Hospital at Royaumont - Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Royaumont Abbey - Wikipedia 

Australian Women Doctors in World War I  - Australian Women at War

Remarkable Women - Janet Gaff

Books about Nurses during First World War in this blog.

Black Sheep

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Australian economy was dependent on the sheep industry and large pastoralists held a position of economic and social power in the country. Black Sheep by Judy Nunn is primarily set from the 1880s to 1920. 

James Wakefield is the son of a shearer and spent his early life travelling with his father around properties in Queensland. Then came the Shearers' Strike at Barcaldine in May 1891 where shearers marched through the streets of the town demanding better pay and conditions. After his father was killed, James changed his name and set off for a new life in a new state. After meeting Ben McKinnon whose family own a property near Goulburn, James has the opportunity to start his life again.

James' father had taught his son to read by reading him a book of nursery rhymes and explaining their true meaning. James' favourite rhyme was 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' and he and his father often discussed the different interpretations of a black sheep. Throughout the book the reader meets a number of characters to whom this term may apply.

Overtime James becomes an entrenched member of the McKinnon family and starts his own family. Then comes the First World War and its impact on the family, not just young men going off to serve their country but the business opportunities for pastoralists to supply the army with wool and leather for uniforms and military equipment.

Black Sheep is a family saga with episodes of Australian history as part of the back story. The novel often contains descriptions of of violence and there are also sections discussing sexual activity and attitudes. It is a story of the establishment of power within an industry as well as within a family.

The Bookbinder of Jericho

During the COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne I did a great deal of reading but the book that I enjoyed reading the most was The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. The recently published companion to this novel, the Bookbinder of Jericho, is another book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Peggy and Maude are twins who have worked in the bindery at Oxford University Press since they were twelve. Their normal role is to fold each printed page into sections and then compile all the folded sections together to form a book. After a while the job can become monotonous but Peggy has been warned that her job is to fold the books, not read them. If, however, pages or sections of a book were damaged Peggy would take the copy home to add to the library that her mother had created on the canal boat on which the girls lived. Peggy's mother wanted Peggy to stay on at school however Peggy decided that it was her responsibility to keep an eye on Maude who was special. 

The book is set in Jericho, a district of Oxford. Parts of the university were next to the entrance to the bindery. 1914 and the advent of the First World War changed the lives of the people living and working in Jericho. Many of the men and boys at the bindery left to join the army. Some of the women left the bindery to work in ammunition factories. This placed extra strain on those left behind working in the bindery. 

Tilda joined the VAD and worked in hospitals initially at home and later at Étaples, the principal depôt and transit camp for the British Expeditionary Force in France and also the point to which the wounded were transported. Her letters to Peggy provide background to the horrors occuring in France and Belgium.

The war also provided additional opportunities for women to help the war effort from home. Peggy and Gwen volunteered for an hour or two several times a week at a hospital set up in Oxford where they wrote letters and read to soldiers who were far from home. Peggy later worked part-time with other women in community gardens where vegetables were grown to help feed the local community. When there was an outbreak of Spanish Flu, Peggy and Gwen joined the Red Cross to help those suffering from this disease that had crept into England with soldiers returning from France.

When a group of refugees from Belgium arrive in Jericho there is a mixed reaction from the locals as  English families lose their sons and fathers when fighting overseas. As the war continues and numbers of deaths and injured grows community attitudes to war change. The plight of the Belgians becomes one of the themes of the book.

The role and status of women in the community is another theme of the book. The suffrage movement had been growing before the war and it was hoped that women, especially as they had been so involved in helping the war effort, would achieve the right to vote. At the end of the war it was announced that some, but not all women would be able to vote if they wanted to. The fight for universal suffrage would have to continue.

Living in a university city it was obvious that the education system also favoured men. Although some women were able to study subjects at university they were not allowed to be awarded a degree. Many obstacle were also placed in the path of women wishing to enter the univerity unless they wre wealthy or knew people in high places.

The Bookbinder of Jericho provides an insight of what it was like for women and families on the homefront during the First World War. Many of the issues at the time were ones that we take for granted today, especially in Australia. The novel is also Peggy's story and how she adapted to the many changes and challenges to be faced at this time in order to decide how she really wanted to live her life. This is a book really worth reading.

The Nurses' War

In 2017 I did some research on Janet Muir Gaff, a nurse during World War I. I later used the research for an assignment for the unit, Families at War as part of the Diploma of Family History run by the University of Tasmania. Since then I have read a number of other books relating to nurses during the First World War.

The Nurses' War by Victoria Purman is a novel based the experiences of nurses at Harefield House (No. 1 Australian Auxillary Hospital) set up as a hospital for Australian soldiers. Cora, Gertie, Leonora and Fiona are four Australian nurses who arrive at Harefield as the transformation from large house to hospital begins to take place. Initially the hospital complex is established to accommodate 150 soldiers however it is not long before 1,000 soldiers are being cared for at the hospital in the temporary accommodation set up in the grounds of the house. 

The nurses have all had experience working in hospitals in Australia but they are not prepared for the horrors that they encounter as the wounded soldiers arrive. Jessie lives in the nearby village where she works with her mother as a seamstress. As the numbers of wounded rapidly increase at the hospital, Jessie offers to help and becomes a valuable member of the team. 

This is the story of how the nurses and other medical staff cope, not just with providing medical care but also in maintaining morale and hope among the wounded men and also the other staff. The novel provides an insight into the suffering and futility of war, not just on the soldiers but also on family, friends and those who care for them.

This is a moving story of friendship, dedication and heartbreak providing an understanding of the effects of war, not just on those actively involved but on the community as a whole.

Showtime!

Showtime! by Judy Nunn is a show stopper. 

Set between 1882 and 1919 it is the story of the Worthing family who left England to try their luck in the world of show business in Australia. From taking part in stage shows to running their own production company, the family grows to one of the best known names in the Australian entertainment industry. However all does not always run smoothly and antagonism between Will Worthing and Michael Carlovsky becomes a threat to their growing success.

In this novel Judy Nunn introduces the reader to a range of entertainment options at this time from involvement in boxing troops, trapese and acrobatic acts, magic and illusion, dance, singing and theatrical plays as well as the arrival of film. The effect of the opening of Luna Park in Melbourne also features.

Events occurring in Australian history are often mentioned including the coming of Federation, votes for women and visits by members of the Royal Family. The greatest outside impact is, however the First World War.

Judy Nunn has written another memorable novel, this time about the entertainment industry and its role in major Australian cities at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. The book is also the story of multiple generations of two families determined to make an impact in the Australian entertainment industry, despite hostilities that might exist between some of the protagonists.

The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys is a collection of forty untold stories of under-age soldiers from Australia and New Zealand who fought in the First World War. The youngest boy was just thirteen years while the others were mid teens. In 1914 the legal age for enlistment was nineteen.

In 2017 Paul Byrnes discovered a list of 170 under-age soldiers recorded on the Australian War Memorial's Roll of Honour. To be included on this list the soldiers had died. It was probable that some under-age soldiers had survived the perils of war so the author began an investigation into the lives of these young men and his research resulted in this selection of the stories collected. Why did they want to go? How did they slip through the system?

Many under-age applicants were sent home before troops left Australia or New Zealand but some stilll went to war. As authorities realised that incorrect information had been provided on some of the application papers attempts were made to keep under-age soldiers away from the fighting but this was not always possible.

These stories usually have photos of the young men and attempt to provide background information of their life before they enlisted as well as information about their military experiences. The book is an important contribution for attempting to understand the impact of war on families and generally the home front.

Anzac & Aviator

Anzac & Aviator: the remarkable story of Sir Ross Smith and the 1919 England to Australia Air Race by Michael Molkentin was written to commemorate the centenary of this event.

Ross Macpherson Smith was born in South Australia on 4 December 1842 and was brought up on the family sheep station before attending Queen's School in Adelaide as a boarder. After leaving school  Ross worked in the warehouse of Harris Skarfe.

In 1910 he joined the Commonwealth Military Cadet Corps as a member of Adelaide's mounted cadet squadron. This was the year that a group of cadets, including Ross, travelled overseas to inspect military establishments and armament factories in Europe and North America. It was in England on 1 August 1910 that Ross and the other cadets watched aeroplanes taking off and landing at Brooklands aerodrome. Thus began his desire to be a pilot.

In 1914 Ross enlisted in the AIF's Light Horse Brigade as an NCO - first stop Egypt and then Gallipoli (the horses remaining in Egypt) and then back to Egypt. When the men left Australia they thought that they would be home again within a year. Ross and his fellow soldiers had not envisaged being away from home for four plus years. In 1916 Ross applied to transfer to the Australian Flying Corps as he wanted to learn to fly areoplanes. He eventually was accepted and learned initially to be a navigator before being trained as a pilot.

This book, written by Michael Molkentin, provides an interesting and detailed account of the life of a young pilot encountering the new world of flight, initially during the confines of war but then imagining the possibilities of world exploration. After the war Ross, his brother Keith plus Jim Bennett and Wally Shiers, undertook to fly from London to Darwin - a trip taking twenty-eight days. In 1922 Ross and Keith planned an even larger project - a round the world flight. Unfortunately during final testing of the plane there was an accident resulting in the death Ross and Jim Bennett. Sir Ross Macpherson Smith was twenty-nine when he died.

Molkentin has written not only of the life of this pioneer of Australian (and world) aviation but has provided the reader with an understanding of the the exciting and dangerous times when young pilots and their crews set out to test the possibilities of flight as a form of transport for the future. When you look at photos of the plane in which Ross and his team flew from London to Darwin you become aware of the the challenge of the undertaking that they undertook.

The author includes information about the available resources he had access to for this book as well as suggestions for further research.

Ireland and the First World War

A photographic history compiled by Cormac O Comhrai. The experience of Irish involvement in World War I was further complicated by the increased drive for the country to become a republic, particularly the Easter Rising of 1916. The photographs and pictorial newspaper items and posters are used to portray this conflicted period of Irish history. Many joined the British Army while others took the opportunity to fight for their cause at home. Sections of the book include Ireland before the war, the outbreak of war, a soldier's life, impact of the war domestically, towards victory and aftermath.

Many books have been written about this period of Irish history and in 2016 I listed some of these books in another post, Ireland - Easter Rising 1916. For anyone interested in reading more about this topic, Ireland and the First World War, would be a good book to provide an introduction to the subject.

Nursing in World War I

While writing an assignment on a World War I nurse I borrowed a number of books from the public library relating to this topic.

More than bombs and bandages: Australian Army Nurses in World War I by Kirsty Harris (published in 2011) provides a detailed and readable study of this topic. The book looks at the roles of nurses in the AANS particularly as to how the work in a military environment different from the work in a civilian hospital. The detailed appendices provide additional information.

Guns and brooches: Australian Army Nursing Nursing from the Boer War to the Gulf War by Jan Bassett (published 1992) provides a great introduction to the history of Australian military nursing. Three of the chapters over the challengers faced by World War I nurses and often contain quotations taken from interviews or written papers. A good starting point.

 Australian heroines of World War One: Gallipoli, Lemos and the Western Front by Susanna De Vries (published 2013) provides a history of the First World War through the diaries and writings of a selection of nurses who served overseas.

The other Anzacs: Nurses at war, 1914-1918 by Peter Rees (published 2008) tells the stories of a group of nurses who served overseas during World War I. This book was later the basis of the television mini-series The Anzac Girls (2014).

Stories of devotion: stories of Australia's wartime nurses by Robyn Siers (2013) is based on an exhibition at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. It is therefore a pictorial account of the history of Australian military nursing that provides a brief overview of the topic. 

Veiled warriors: Allied nurses of the First World War by Christine Hallett (published 2014) examines the contribution of allied nurses to the war effort in World War I.The author writes about the work of the nurses close to the major battlefields providing the history of the war with the emphasis on nursing.

Another book often referred to is Scarlet Poppies: the army experiences of Australian nurses during World War One by Ruth Rae (available in the State Library of Victoria).This book includes a chapter on 'Transport Nursing'.

In November 2012 the Victorian Historical Journal (volume 83 no. 2) published an article by Kirsty Harris entitled 'Two heads are better than one' Melbourne as the hub of Australian Army Administration in World War I. The article discussed the role of the Australian Army Nursing Service largely based in Melbourne and the two women responsible for the operation of this organisation during the war.

There is also lots of useful material online.

Official history of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914-1918 was written by A G Butler and is available online on the Australian War Memorial website. This work was published in three volumes. Volume 3 was published in 1943 and chapter 11 is on the Australian Army Nursing Service. Chapter XIII is the The Australian Invalid in England while chapter XIV is Sea Transport of Australian Soldiers. This title is also available in the State Library of Victoria collection.

The research that I am currently doing is about the experiences of a nurse who served in the Sea Transport Service. The Australian National Maritime Museum provides the book, Sea Transport of the AIF by Greville Tregarthen online which has useful information.

The Looking for Evidence website includes a section on the Sea Transport Service listing the Australian women who served.

This website also has a section on AANS uniforms.

The Australian War Memorial website includes an information sheet on researching Australian First World War troop ships.

Desert Column website includes a section with information and images of Australian First World War troop ships.

There are also booklets online about the various hospitals where the nurse worked.

Three copies of No 5 AGH magazine (published 1918) are available on the National Library of Australia website. The first issue produced by staff and patients includes a history of the hospital.

No 2 Australian Auxiliary Hospital Southall Middlesex is a booklet available on the National Library website. This hospital specialised in treating amputees.

No 2 Australian Auxiliary Hospital Southall war diaries from August 1917 to April 1919 are available one on the Australian War Memorial website.

No 3 Australian War Memorial Hospital Dartford war diaries are also available online on the Australian War Memorial website. The diaries cover the period June 1917 to September 1919.
A description of the hospital at Dartford was provided in the war diary for February 1918.

Other websites relating to Dartford include:
Dartford Hospital Histories

Dartford Hospital - Kent history

The diary of Mary Ann Pocock who was matron at Dartford during 1917 is also available online on the National Library website.

There were also hospitals or convalescent homes specifically for Australian nurses.
One of these was Southwell Gardens

There is also material online specifically about Australian Nurses in World War Iincluding:
Great War Nurses - Australian War Memorial website
Researching Australian Military Nurses - Australian War Memorial information sheet 
Australian Nurses in World War I - website
Researching Australian Nurses - State Library of Victoria - guide

Ireland - Easter Rising 1916

2016 marks the centenary of the Easter Rising in parts of Dublin and other areas in Ireland.

There had been a move for the establishment of an Ireland free from English rule for many years and political negotiations were under way, however these had been hampered and slowed down by the events of World War I. Some groups were not happy with the progress of negotiations so there were also plans for militant action by groups such as the Irish Republican Brotherhood. It had been hoped that there might be some assistance from Germany in this operation but when these plans fell through a section of the IRB decided to still go ahead with the planned insurrection. On 24 April key buildings in Dublin and other locations were seized by small groups of the IRB and members of other nationalist groups.Two of these locations were the General Post Office and the Four Courts. The rebellion lasted for a week and during that time 450 people died and approximately 2000, often civilians, were injured. The rebels had hoped that the general populace would rise and support them but this did not happen. Reprisals from the English were swift and severe which contributed to simmering antagonism against English rule. This all came to a head in the Irish Civil War from 28 June 1922 to 24 May 1923.

A quick look in the library catalogue located a number of books on this period of Irish history. They are just a few of the many publications available on this topic.

General books on the history of Ireland
Understanding Irish History by F J M Maden (Teach yourself series) (2010)
Although this work concentrates on the history of Ireland from 1500, most of the book deals with the political development of the country from the nineteenth century onwards. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of the main points covered in the chapter which is useful for quick reference.
 
A Brief History of Ireland by Paul F State (2009)
A general history of Ireland is provided in this book with the last five chapters covering the period from the beginning of the nineteenth century onwards. The book is well set out with maps, illustrations and separate biographies of prominent participants in Irish history. Good for an overview of the topic.

The Easter Rising and the Irish Civil War
The War for Ireland 1913-1923 edited by Peter Cottrell (2009)
As the title suggests this book covers events between 1913 and 1923 leading to the establishment of Eire at the end of the Irish Civil War. A detailed, illustrated, approachable account of this period of Irish history. At the front of the book is a detailed chronology. A clear overview of this period of Irish history.

A Nation and Not a Rabble: the Irish Revolution 1913-1923 by Diarmaid Ferriter (2015)
This book also covers the period 1913 to 1923 providing a detailed study of the period.

1916 the Morning After - From the Courts Martial to the Tribunals by Tim Pat Coogan (2015)
A detailed study of the Easter Rising and its aftermath. Although the initial focus is on the Easter Rising the author investigates the issues affecting the history of Ireland over the following one hundred years, including corruption and institutional and clerical abuse.

Cumann Na MBan and the Irish Revolution by Cal McCarthy (2014)
Women were also involved in the struggle for independence and many belonged to the organisation Cumann Na MBan established in 1914 to support the Irish Volunteers. The role of this group in opposing English rule in Ireland, providing arms for Irishmen wanting to fight and later assisting with intelligence, nursing the wounded and providing safe houses is discussed in this book. Members of the group proved that women could also be politically active.

A small selection of websites providing an overview of the topic
Easter Rising - British History
Ireland Easter Rising 1916
Why there was a civil war in Ireland - 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour
Irish Civil War - a brief overview - The Irish Story

World War I a history in 100 stories

In April / May this year Monash University ran an online course via FutureLearn. The course was World War I a history in 100 stories and it was also repeated later in the year. During the course we looked at stories illustrating the effects of war on participants and their families. The stories studied were short versions taken from a selection of 100 stories, researched by Bruce Scates, Rebecca Wheatley and Laura James, which have now been published in one volume.

Collectively the chosen stories portray the effects of war. However, as noted in the introduction, the collection is not truly representative, in a statistical sense, of the possible stories that could be told. The authors have perhaps over represented the stories of nurses and Indigenous Australians as these stories have often previously been under represented in other collections.

As well as looking at the direct effects of war, including death or being wounded, the stories look at lasting effects of war, both physically and mentally, as those returning from war tried to readjust to civilian life. Some did not succeed. Mourning and commemoration are themes examined in some of the stories.The work of women as nurses and in other support roles are also recorded in the book.

The book is illustrated and at the end of each section there is a section: Sources and Further Reading. These are only some of the stories that could be told about the effects of war on Australian and New Zealand families. The stories have been compiled from official records, other material in archives, newspapers and, in some cases, information from family members. The book is a welcome addition to the growing collection of material on Australia and World War I.

Return to Gallipoli: walking the battlefields of the Great War

This study by Bruce Scates investigates why so many Australians make the pilgrimage to Gallipoli and the Western Front and what the experience of the journey means to them. From the 1920s and 1930s Australians and New Zealanders have made the pilgrimage to war cemeteries and battlefields. In some cases it is family members who want to see where their loved ones fought and possibly died. In some cases it was former soldiers who felt the need to return. The thoughts of these people about the long journey can only be gleaned from newspaper accounts or possibly diaries. As more people, especially young people, make the trip to these sites it was decided to survey a selection of these travellers about their experiences. Seven hundred surveys were collected to provide some of the responses for this book.

The book therefore is an investigation of the idea of commemoration, memorials, of mourning and of grief.  The first chapter also looks at the creation of the large cemeteries and memorials to the war dead. The other three chapters investigate family pilgrimages since the war, the return of service people to these sites and finally why so many young people today make the journey especially to attend the Dawn Service at Gallipoli on Anzac Day. To some these journeys are almost a right of passage. To others they are an exploration of the making of Australia and New Zealand as individual countries, weakening their dependency on Britain.

The conclusion with the subtitle Journey's end begins with the search by parents for information about the death of their son, George Roy Irwin. Twelve years after George was reported missing in 1915 his parents made the journey to the Lone Pine Cemetery where they had a brass rubbing taken of their missing son's  memorial plaque. The basis of this story (with a number of changes) was used by Bruce Scates as one of the threads in his novel, On dangerous ground.

Walking with the Anzacs: a guide to Australian battlefields of the Western Front

In this book Mat McLachlan looks at fourteen of the battlefields of the Western Front during World War I. These include Belgium (Ypres, Battle of Messines, Battle of Polygon Wood, Battle of Broodseide Ridge and Battle of Passchendale), French Flanders (Battle of Fromelles), The Somme (Battle of Pozieres, Villers-Bretonneux and Hamel, Village Battles of 1918, Battle of Mont St Quentin), Hindenburg Line (outpost villages, Battles of Bullecourt) and The Aisne (Battle of Montbrehain). The introduction provides an overview for planning a trip to this area including information about cemeteries and researching specific soldiers. There is also a map and time-line of the battles. An outline of the significance of the location during the war is provided, reconstruction undertaken and places of interest that you might investigate on a tour of the area. A good guide for anyone planning to tour the World War I battlefields of northern France and Belgium.

And the band played on: how music lifted the Anzac spirit in the battlefields of the First World War

Prior to the First World War making your own entertainment -singing, playing musical instruments, recitations, story telling - was an important part of home and community life which accompanied the Australian soldiers to the battle fields. Robert Holden looks at how many of the units established bands or had impromptu concerts, perhaps around a camp fire, to entertain fellow soldiers. Although there was no chance for the relief of music on the battlefield, there was plenty of opportunity for musical and general entertainment interludes in the camps in Egypt, for example. Recreation areas behind the lines in France, such as those run by the YMCA, also provided the opportunity for soldiers to relax and listen to music and / or poetry as a relief from the horrors of battle. Those who had the opportunity to go to London on leave also had the opportunity to attend concerts and dances.

In this book Robert Holden describes the opportunities for making music and other entertainments for the troops as well as looking at a selection of the songs and poems popular with the Anzacs at the time.

Anzac Treasures: the Gallipoli collection of the Australian War Memorial

The story of Gallipoli is shown using photographs, documents and artefacts from the collection of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. The material is divided into the following chapters: Collecting the record, Off to war, Plans, The landing, Holding on, Krithia, Life at Anzac, The August offensive, At home, Evacuation and Aftermath.  Dr Peter Pederson tells the Anzac story in his substantial volume (421 pages), often referring to the diaries of the official historian of the war, Charles Bean, as well as other diaries and correspondence. Photographs are a amjor feature but there are also paintings by artists including George Lambert, Charles Wheeler and Sidney Nolan. This work is an accessible introduction to Australia's role in the Gallipoli story.

On dangerous ground: a Gallipoli story

Gallipoli 1915 at Lone Pine Lieutenant Roy Irwin disappears and Elsie, the nurse who loves him, is determined to discover his fate. This is just one of three threads used by historian, Bruce Scates, to tell the story of Anzac and its affect on Australians.The novel begins when Charles Bean and George Lambert with soldier, Harry Vickers, return to the Dardenelles in 1919 to ascertain what has happened to the graves of Australian and New Zealand soldiers who died at Gallipoli. The third thread of the story takes place early in 2015 when two historians are invited to submit information to a government enquiry on whether a proposed new road would impact on possible bodies remaining at battle sites.

Each chapter of the novel contains sections that further develop each of the story threads. The novel also reveals issues affecting the interpretation of events that occur in the different time frames. Bruce Scates combines fiction and fictional characters with historical events and people to tell the story. In the Reflections section at the end of the book he describes where he altered historical events to tell his story. Scates is particularly interested in memory of historical events and also in mourning and grief and these themes reoccur throughout the novel.  These were themes that made up part of the online course, One Hundred Stories project. The individual stories can be viewed online. Another theme explored in the book is the Turkish viewpoint of the battles at Gallipoli and the aftermath of these battles in the creation of a place of commemoration, not only for Australians and New Zealanders but also British, Canadian and Indian families as well as the families of Turkish forces who fought and died in this region.

For those interested in this period of history, On dangerous ground, challenges the way we we look at the Anzac story.
Book Club notes

The Sweetland Project: remembering Gallipoli in the Shire of Nunawading

Twenty-seven men from the Shire of Nunawading died at Gallipoli in 1915. Although this book by Steven Cooke records information about what is known of the military experience of these men, the book is largely about the effect of the war on the Shire of Nunawading. The book also looks at the way memorials have been used in the region to remember those who served, and sometimes died, not only in the First and Second World Wars but also in other military operations. Along with Shirley Devery's book, For God, King and Country, this is a useful contribution to the history of the former Shire of Nunawading as well as being another chapter in the history of World War I.

The roses of no man's land

One of the books that was frequently mentioned in the forum of the online course - World War I: a history in 100 stories - was the book by Lyn Macdonald, The roses of no man's land.  Lyn is a British author who has written a series of books on World War I based on first hand accounts of those who were involved. In The roses of no man's land she focuses on the stories of the medical personnel, particularly the VADs and nurses, as well as some of those injured providing another viewpoint of the events and effects of the war.

The book is divided into three sections - 1914-1915, 1915-1917 and 1918. Part of the first section tells the story of the unofficial teams of women, led by a woman of society, who took it upon themselves to establish hospitals and ambulance services for the injured. The book then looks at the development of the VADs - members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment - who initially assisted in hospitals in England but as the war wore on were used in medical units at the front, some undertaking nursing duties. The book looks at the development of the war through the experiences of these medical workers and their patients. One of the issues looked at is the reaction of trained nurses to the VADs. This experience parallels the accounts written of the experiences of Australian nurses working with British medical teams.

This book is another valuable contribution to the history of the First World War. Other books by Lyn Macdonald include They called it Passchendaele, Somme, 1914-the days of hope, 1914-1918-voices of the Great War, 1915 - death of innocence, To the last man: Spring 1918 and At the going down of the sun (co-author).