A labour of love
William Knox
The son of a successful businessman, William Knox was raised at ‘Ranfurlie’, a stately home in East Malvern. Knox was educated at Scotch College, one of Melbourne’s most elite… » read more
But for the grace of God
Joseph Bolton
Private Joseph Bolton fought in the Second Battle of Bullecourt, the AIF’s second attempt to break the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line. On the first day he was struck by a shell… » read more
Captain Charlie’s boozer
Allen Charlie Kingston
Allen Charlie Kingston commanded the Australian War Graves Detachment at Villers-Bretonneux. A Gallipoli veteran, Kingston had seen four years of war and supervised the recovery… » read more
Gone to pieces
William Brown
William Brown enlisted when he was forty-three. Sent into the line, he suffered what they called ‘shell concussion’. Brown was trapped in the trenches for days on end, forced to… » read more
Like a broken doll
Margaret Broadhurst
In the years before war took hold of the world, Margaret and Tom fell in love. On the eve of his enlistment, Tom proposed to Margaret with a diamond ring and their engagement was… » read more
Such a small favour
Emily Luttrell
Emily Luttrell first approached the Minister of Defence in June 1922. ‘Please pardon me for taking the liberty of writing,’ she began, ‘if you could see your way to help me ... I… » read more
Thank God you are found
George McQuay
In 1916, an unknown patient was admitted to Broughton Hall, a ‘mental facility’ for returned soldiers in Sydney. Some said he’d been found behind the lines in France—wandering… » read more
The stone carver
Daphne Mayo
In 1929 Australian artist Daphne Mayo set to work on Queensland’s state memorial. The monument took the shape of a circular colonnade, a ring of Doric columns modelled on an… » read more
War has made me a pacifist
Hugo Throssell
The funeral of Captain Hugo Throssell VC took place not long after Remembrance Day in 1933. He was buried in Perth’s Karrakatta cemetery with full military honours. Throssells’s… » read more
With due care
Alexander McKinnon
Alexander McKinnon was born in Charters Waters in the Northern Territory. He worked as a station hand before enlisting for war in 1916. Alex was one of thousands of servicemen of… » read more
