Blog
Dr Phoebe Chapple: The first woman doctor to win the Military Medal
30 June 2009 by Craig Blanch.
15 Comments
Collection,Collection Highlights,From the collection,News,Personal Stories, First World War, Heraldry, military medal, People, Western Front, women in war
Phoebe Chapple was always going to be someone special. She grew up in a family of high achievers. Apart from her father, Frederic Chapple, who was headmaster at Prince Alfred College Adelaide, five of her seven siblings held university degrees: Alfred a lecturer in engineering at St John’s University Cambridge; Ernest, another Cambridge graduate at Jesus University and president of the Fresher Debating Society before taking up a position in Rangoon, Burma; Harold a surgeon at Guy’s Hospital in London; Marian an arts graduate from the University of Adelaide; and Fred, another doctor. However, Phoebe stood apart even in such accomplished company.
First World War diary record series passes 400,000 images.
29 June 2009 by Sue Ducker.
5 Comments
Aircraft 1914 - 1918,Collection,News
The digitisation of the whole series of Australian Imperial Force (AIF) war diaries from the First World War, (Official Records series AWM4), recently passed the 400,000 image mark. Included in the 400,000 images are all the available diaries for the Australian Flying Corps, (AFC) . Digitised versions of the diaries are being regularly uploaded to the Memorial’s website as they are completed.
The AIF war diaries are an invaluable resource for anyone researching a particular unit and sometimes contain unexpected windows into the daily experience of war. A revealing example of this is contained in the appendices to the AFC diaries titled ‘Combats in the Air’. These documents detail personal accounts of aerial combat recorded in the immediate aftermath by the participants.
Valour
09 June 2009 by Peter Burness.
1 Comment
Opinion, views and commentary, bravery, valour
Valour is a special human quality, usually demonstrated in the performance of extraordinary and unselfish deeds in the face of great peril. It is represented in a variety of words: bravery, boldness, courage, gallantry, and heroism. It can be observed in both peace and war. However, valour is particularly evident in wartime, where the risk to one’s life in the service of others is more likely to be observed.
The story is told that when Queen Victoria visited wounded soldiers from the Crimea she was so moved by accounts of great courage that she instituted the Victoria Cross. Embossed on this highest award for bravery are the words “for valour”. Inspiration at all levels can be derived from tales of great courage. read on
The girl on the badge
03 June 2009 by Paul Taylor.
9 Comments
Collection,Family history,From the collection,New acquisitions,Personal Stories
A donation came to my desk in the days following Anzac Day that caught my attention. It was a maroon and white identification badge that featured the image of a young girl, her name, an I.D. number and the words, ‘C.S.I.R. Radiophysics Division’
Fortunately the depositor of the badge provided details of the original owner and I was soon speaking to Valerie Briggs who at 79 years of age still possessed all of the enthusiasm and intelligence that I saw in the eyes of the girl on the badge.
Valerie Briggs' identification badge. REL40008