This ANZAC Day, we present a collection of remembrance memorabilia at Whittlesea Library to commemorate and honour the Australians and New Zealanders that served and died in World War 1.
To remember them, we have on display a handmade quilt by Lisa Whitehead and her mother Margaret Thompson, which was created to preserve, respect and remember the fallen soldiers of Whittlesea. The piece, now held by the council, includes photographs and names of those from our community who passed away in WW1. In addition to the quilt, we have a display of plaques to remember the fallen soldiers, kindly donated to us by a member of the Whittlesea Historical Society, Tanya Gook.
Alongside our display, the staff at Whittlesea Library have presented a collection of books that reflect on the heartbreaking stories of conflict soldiers endured. Additionally, many Honour Rolls are held by our Community Activity Centre for our local soldiers, and you can visit the trees of remembrance nearby Whittlesea Library on Church Street to pay your respects.
We will remember them.
YPRL thanks the members of the community who have made this commemorative display possible.
The ANZAC Stories display will be exhibited at Whittlesea until 30 April 2021. Bookings not essential, visit the library during our opening hours.
Further information
National Archive of Australia [online resource]
Do you have a loved one, family member or ancestor who served in the armed forces for Australia? What better place to start than the National Archives of Australia. In their own words: “The National Archives' extraordinary collection of records about Australia's defence and war efforts will help you learn more about your family's war history, support your academic research, or commemorate ex-service members.”
With over 40 million (wow!) records available, you might need a little help to avoid getting stuck in the NAA collection. Luckily the NAA website features a step-by-step guide, and offers an “ask us a question” service, along with a guide on what you can access and order through their Record Search service.
The service contains information on every conflict Australia has been involved in from 1899 to 1975.
For more information, visit the NAA website.
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia [electronic resource]
Looking for something more visual? Well, perhaps you might like to head over to the National Film and Sound Archive and check out their rather enormous collection of filmed material free and publicly accessible online. The NFSA collection is huge and easily accessible; radio, film, television, you name it – there’s a good chance you’ll find something interesting in the NFSA’s extensive collection. Click the link above to go right to their ANZAC related collection.
ANZAC Cove to Afghanistan by Glenn Wahlert, 2015
Want to go a little deeper into Australian military history? Perhaps have a look at ANZAC Cove to Afghanistan: a title on the Australian Army’s 3rd brigade; one of the first forces to land on ANZAC Cove in Gallipoli and one of the last to leave Afghanistan around 100 years later, and who were involved in many Australian actions overseas in the years between. The author has written several books on Australian military history, with this being the most recent.
ANZAC Sniper by Roland Perry, 2018
Many people might have heard of the book or film called American Sniper, well let’s take a look at the story of the Australian sniper Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, who after serving Australia went on to set up the veteran’s charity Legacy. Borrow this book to find out more about a man “whose record is second to none in Australian military history, in the scope of his combat over two world wars”.