ANZAC Day titles for the historian in us all
ANZAC Day is a solemn reminder to generations young and old of the pain and loss of war. But with the number of surviving veterans declining, it's important for younger generations to keep their memory alive. With that in mind, here are five historical titles to read this ANZAC Day.
Don Longo, Pens and Bayonets: Letters from the Front by soldiers of Yorke Peninsula during the Great War
Pens and Bayonets gives voice to the young Australia soldiers who volunteered to fight for our freedom in the Great War. They answered the call willingly, with many thinking it may be all over before they got there. How wrong they were. Author Don Longo gathered many of the moving letters sent to the fronts, and set them in their historical context, to bring these soldiers back to life.
Allison Reynolds, Anzac Biscuits: The power and spirit of an everyday national icon
Anzac biscuits, baked in Australia and New Zealand for over a century, have a powerful connection to the national identity and culture of both countries. But what is the story of this national icon? Were they eaten by troops during the First World War? When did coconut make an appearance?
Author Allison Reynolds traces the origins of the humble Anzac Biscuit, delving into war files and family cookbooks to investigate the provenance of this extraordinary everyday biscuit.
Cheryl Williss, Miss Marryat's Circle: A not so distant past
In 1915, the second year of the Great War, Mabel Marryat joined the newly-formed League of Loyal Women. Mabel was active in the League's emergency corps, 'women who are prepared to give their service in any need that may arise'.
This book gives voice to the women of South Australia's first 110 years of European settlement and opportunity to reflect on the changing position of women in society. But the spotlight shines on Mabel. Her long and devoted community service - particularly to her 'Diggers' - was extraordinary.
Sharon Cleary and Robert Kearney, Valour and Violets: South Australia in the Great War
Close to 35,000 South Australians enlisted for service overseas during the Great War. Around 5500 never came back. Countless more returned with physical and psychological injuries that would affect them for the rest of their lives.
Drawing on the work of the many who have written on the subject previously, Valour and Violets provides a wholly South Australian perspective on the impact of the Great War on individuals, on families and on our state's coastal, regional, and outback communities.
Melanie Oppenheimer, Margaret Anderson, and Mandy Paul, South Australia on the Eve of War
In August 1914 South Australians - much like their fellow Australians around the country - enthusiastically displayed their patriotism when war was announced. It's a story we know well, but what do we know of South Australia in the lead up to the First World War? What was it like to live there at the time? What were South Australians talking about?
South Australia on the Eve of War considers unique aspects of the state in this pre-war period, including the political reverberations of Federation, the town planning of what was then Australia's third-largest capital, Adelaide, and the shifting social positions of women, Indigenous Australians and minority groups.
lest we forget