Just as the war ended, the world faced a new threat. Spanish Influenza would kill more people than had died in the war. Spanish Influenza was first observed in the United States in January 1918. It spread quickly across the world, aided by modern transportation and the huge numbers of soldiers and others trying to …
Many small regional towns were heavily dependent on the railways for their economic prosperity and growth. From the mid-1850s, the railway system expanded at a rapid rate within Australia, particularly in the colonies of New South Wales and Victoria. The railways linked the separate colonies and had a direct impact on the phenomenal growth of …
Australia’s railwaymen played an important role in operating railway lines for the Allied war effort in Europe, as well as in fighting on the front line. The outbreak of the First World War saw large numbers of Australian men rushing to enlist in the war effort. At that time the NSW Railways and Tramways Department …
Despite the blatant discrimination they faced at home, around a thousand Aboriginal volunteers joined with European Australians in fighting in support of the British Empire during the First World War. They served in a range of capacities, mostly in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), where they were treated equally to their fellow soldiers. Marion Leane …
The end of war does not mean peace. It is simply the end of the destruction of the battle. Every story of war includes a chapter that almost always goes untold – the story of the AFTERMATH, which day by day becomes the prologue of the future. The war changes people. A soldier would certainly …
Military nurses were an essential part of the war effort, and their wartime experiences continued to impact them emotionally and professionally throughout the remainder of their lives. While Australian women supported the war effort in many capacities (including as farm workers, drivers, interpreters, civilian doctors, and cooks) and in any number of volunteer roles (knitting, …
A local Henty farmer’s invention revolutionised the world’s grain industry. After the First World War, the second Industrial Revolution was in full swing. Advancements in technology enabled the widespread adoption of systems such as the telegraph and the construction of rail networks. This period also saw many innovations in manufacturing and the establishment of the …
Certificate 1919 Arthur Edward Stevenson enlisted on 17 September 1914 and served with the 14th Battalion of the AIF. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 20 August 1915 at age 28. His personal effects of a belt, hairbrush, knife, postcards and photos were returned to his brother John in June 1916. Later that …
The Royal Australian Navy’s Submarine Squadron was honoured in 1986, and again in 1992, with a formal ceremony awarding the unit Freedom of Entry to the town of Holbrook. The unique connection between the inland farming town of Holbrook and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Submarine Squadron was further cemented in 1986, and again in …
The end of the First World War signalled the beginning of a new series of challenges. But first, there was celebration. At 11 am (European time) on 11 November 1918, the Armistice with Germany formally came into effect. After more than four years of fighting, it signalled the end of a war that many had …
