Stories 81 - 90
A vacant look in his eyes
Alfred Atkins
When Alfred Atkins enlisted he claimed he was forty-five, but in truth, he was closer to sixty. We don't know why Alfred Atkins went to war, nor do we know why he took his own life. An inquest into... » read more
The land held a secret
Berrol Mendelsohn
A few years before the people of Fromelles returned to their homes, Mrs Mendelsohn wrote the first of many letters to the authorities. Her son Berrol had been killed in a ‘terrible battle’ not far... » read more
The mystery of the Water Diviner
Thomas Murray
In 1914 Tom Murray mounted his horse and rode to the recruiting station at Meeniyan in south-east Gippsland. By March the following year, he was in Egypt, by May he was in the Dardanelles, by August... » read more
Friendship knows no boundaries
Margaret Thorp
In July 1917, the newly formed Women’s Compulsory Service Petition League met in Brisbane’s School of Arts Hall. Around three hundred women had crammed into the building. The League called for the... » read more
The first to arrive, the last to leave
Rose Venn Brown
Rose Venn Brown was the first Australian woman to sign on for war work in France. She would also be the last to leave. When war broke out, Rose was working as the Assistant Registrar at Sydney... » read more
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 schools, and he gave... » read more
The last wattle you sent
Evelyn (Tev) Davies
Evelyn (Tev) Davies arrived on the island of Lemnos just as the August Offensive began on Gallipoli. She was part of the first contingent of nurses sent to staff No. 3 Australian General Hospital.... » read more
The name he helped to make
Robert Pennington
Robert Pennington was one of the first men from Western Australia to enlist. At 26, with a black swan tattooed on his upper arm, he farewelled his mother and sailed off to war. Driver Robert... » read more
Denouncing a gruesome trade in the dead
W.A. Windeyer
William Archibald Windeyer came from a privileged family. But with that privilege came responsibility. Civic-minded to the core, Windeyer worked as an alderman of Hunter’s Hill municipal council for... » read more
A vast tide of grief
Frank Roberts
Garry Roberts’ son was killed at Mont St Quentin in September 1918. His first response was confusion, disbelief, and denial. And compounding the tragedy was that the war itself was so close to ending... » read more
