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English sculptor Gladys Blaiberg (1882-1969)
30 August 2010 by Cherie Prosser.
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Of love and war, Gladys Blaiberg, Of Love and War
English sculptor Gladys Blaiberg (1882-1969) created paper sculptures of Australian troops in London during the First World War. In 1917, Blaiberg volunteered to work in the Australian Forces canteen in London where her interest in the Australian presence became a source of inspiration for her paper figures. Largely caricaturing the Australian troops, she became fascinated with their spirited sense of humour and irreverence for authority. In 1917-18, Blaiberg even exhibited the sculptures in her studio for the entertainment of the Australian troops.
In 1971, Gladys Blaiberg’s family presented to the Memorial thirty four paper sculptures depicting Australian soldiers during the First World War. They provide a rich source of historical material relating the experience of Australian troops based in London on leave and undergoing rehabilitation. This work continues in its relevance today.
Gladys Blaiberg’s sculptures will be included in the Memorial’s touring exhibition, Of love and war, which will open to the public at the State Library of Queensland on 4 November 2010.
Should you have any information regarding the copyright holder for Gladys Blaiberg, please contact the Memorial by emailing; art@awm.gov.au.
The War on Malaria
27 August 2010 by Cherie Prosser.
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Exhibitions, Malaria, Nora Heysen
There were grave fears for the strength of Australians fighting in the malaria prone regions of the Pacific during the Second World War. By June 1943, it was estimated 25,000 Australians in Papua and New Guinea had contracted malaria. Supplies of quinine, used to treat malaria since the First World War, and the synthetic drug atebrin were inadequate to meet demand. The Land Headquarters Medical Research Unit was quickly established in Cairns, Queensland where a specialist team of researchers trialled synthetic anti-malarial drugs. This exhibition of works on paper, paintings, sculpture and posters records the vital role played by the volunteers who took part in the experiments and the top secret research which assisted in combating malaria on the frontline.
See this exhibition which is currently on display in the Link Gallery at the Australian War Memorial.
Diary of HV Reynolds – Epilogue
12 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Herbert spent the next 10 days in very poor condition. He was unable to eat or drink let alone write. He was evacuated off the peninsula and spent time at Lemnos Field Hospital before being invalided back to England.
Though he returned to his unit in Egypt and continued on to serve on the Western Front until the end of the war he never fully recovered from this illness and like many ANZACs carried this experiences at Gallipoli with him for the rest of his life.
He returned to Sebastopol Victoria where he lived out the remainder of his life as a husband and a father. Private Herbert Vincent Reynolds died in 1978 at the age of 82.
Wednesday 11th August 1915- Diary of HV Reynolds
11 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Please note: Care has been taken to transcribe these entries without alteration to preserve the original language of Herbert Vincent Reynolds. Medical bag : Private H V Reynolds 1 Field Ambulance, AIF REL41493
‘Reported in sick parade this morning and was put off duty and instructed to remain in bed and take only milk diet. Things seem to have been very quiet today, though it may have been forced inactivity that gave me that impression, it has certainly been quiet for me, quite unnatural sort of experience after the past few months which have been the most exciting and strenuous in my life, perhaps that is what is telling on me. I do feel somewhat useless and worn out now though I cannot say that I noticed it or felt it till yesterday. What a day it has been, what a budget of experiences, if only I could put all my thoughts and recollections of the past four months on paper. The experiences and dangers have taken on a greater significance today, somewhat unsettling. Things not noticed when one is actively engaged in carrying out some definite duty, become rather un-conscious of the disabilities of other while he himself is not suffering any of them, and it has come home to me today, through my own experiences, that we are here facing something at the present, very much more dangerous and powerful than the enemy in his trenches opposite, that is sickness and disease, it is astounding that this situation did not give me any great concern before, as it has been very much in evidence during the past few weeks, for great numbers of our men have been drifting away to the hospitals as a result of it, and what is more concerning though is the fact that as this is going on so also is the physical endurance of those left being reduced daily though they do not seem to realize it, and there one feels rather in doubt about our own Australian losses are continually greater than the number of reinforcements who come along to replace them. One thing amounting to a positive certainty helps one to cast aside some of the uneasiness these thoughts bring when he knows and realizes that the average Australian will stand up to his job and see it through or go down in the attempt and it is humanly impossible to do more. It is an inevitable thing to be found wanting by your mates when they require your help and this unwritten law among our troops is responsible for them standing up to the job so well, it certainly inspires them to do things that nothing else could, but this sickness proves to a man his limitations and how puny his physical powers, when all things are considered.’
Tuesday 10th August 1915- Diary of HV Reynolds
10 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Please note: Care has been taken to transcribe these entries without alteration to preserve the original language of Herbert Vincent Reynolds. Members of a fatigue party resting on Anzac Beach. P02647.044
‘Early this morning the war boats and field guns heavily bombarded the enemy positions. Our aircraft have been extremely active today. At about 7pm an enemy plane attempted to destroy the captive balloon on the balloon ship, but one of our planes drove him off and he was forced to return back over his own lines. I have been rather unwell for the past week but went down to it today while on ration fatigue and was unable to go with my mates into the line tonight at 7pm.’
Monday 9th August 1915- Diary of HV Rynolds
09 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Please note: Care has been taken to transcribe these entries without alteration to preserve the original language of Herbert Vincent Reynolds. Portrait of 2155, Corporal John Grieve Limerock, 7th Battalion, killed in action at Lone Pine on 8th August 1915. H06441
‘The terrific noise of a bombardment of the enemy positions by our warships and the howitzers and field guns on shore woke me early about 5am when some ver severe fighting took place and continued practically all day, great numbers of wounded came down and we had the greatest difficulty to handle the and when relief came about 1pm we were well done up. The 7th Btn, suffered very heavily during the morning when the enemy counter attack their positions and very heavily combed their trenches but failed to capture any. Very heavy fighting has been in progress during the day on the left flank at Suvla and this afternoon a fire started in the scrub and burned for hours. About 4pm Beachy Bill landed several destructive shells on Dawkins Point where the Indian mule transport column suffered a number of casualties and lost 9 mules. A number of infantry and artillery reinforcements arrived this morning.’
Sunday 8th August 1915- Diary of HV Reynolds
08 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Please note: Care has been taken to transcribe these entries without alteration to preserve the original language of Herbert Vincent Reynolds. A group of Gurkhas resting after their participation in the attack by the 4th Australian Brigade on Hill 971. P01116.068
(Battle for Hill 971)- ‘Some extremely severe fighting has taken place today all along our front, and a desperate struggle is going on for the heights of Sari Bair, Hill 971 and the heights beyond Suvla Plain. The advance into the enemy territory has not been a complete success. We have captured enemy positions, but the objectives have not been taken, the heights of Sari Bair are still in the enemy hands and it seems to e a hopeless task not to capture this key position. The unexplained delay by the new troops in attacking from the new landing at Suvla seems to have settled our chance of capturing the Sari Bair heights, though the advantage of a surprise attach upon the enemy from that direction being completely lost. Our infantry are consolidating their captured positions at Lone Pine and up to the present have beaten off successfully all enemy counter attacks, which have been made with great violence. Our aircraft have been exploding on the gun ridge all day.’
Saturday 7th August 1915- Diary of HV Reynolds
07 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Please note: Care has been taken to transcribe these entries without alteration to preserve the original language of Herbert Vincent Reynolds. 'The charge of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade at the Nek, 7 August 1915' By George Lambert ART07965
(Battle of the Nek)-‘All communications with the line seems to have ceased along this track altogether, we has nothing whatever to do during the night and managed to get a few minutes sleep at intervals. At about 6am one of our large biplanes forced an enemy machine to descend in his own territory. After spending the morning waiting for orders we were much relieved when orders at 3pm gave us instructions to proceed to the New Zealand dressing station in Monash Gully from which we assisted to clear the wounded. We received a surprise upon reaching the cove for anchored off Suvla were a dozen or more transports and numbers of other smaller vessels along with several light cruisers and a number of T.B.D’s which were continually on the move. The scene reminded one of the landing here in April. British troops made a new landing on Cape Suvla during the night and they are fighting to join up without our left flank and force their way inland, while our troops are attacking from their positions the commanding points of the plateau of Sari Bahr. The principle objective being hill 971, which the New Zealanders are fighting desperately to capture. Our own infantry have captured the enemy positions on Lone Pine after a terrible struggle and are making a wonderful stand against the repeated counter attacks of the enemy to up hold the Lone Pine plateau. Just before dusk we received orders to return to our camp, where we obtained a very welcome hot drink and had a meal, after which we relieved 2 other squads and relayed the wounded from our camp to the C.C.S. About 8pm a batch of a dozen Turks were brought down from the trenches, there appears to have been a fair number of prisoners taken. All the wounded we should have handled during the night were brought down through Victoria and Clarkes Gullies. The enemy artillery has been rather quiet all day but ours has been very active and since the enemy plane was forced down this morning no enemy planes have shown up. The 1st Light Horse Regiment suffered very heavy losses today when charging the enemy positions.’
Friday 6th August 1915- Diary of HV Reynolds
06 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Please note: Care has been taken to transcribe these entries without alteration to preserve the original language of Herbert Vincent Reynolds. 'The taking of Lone Pine' By Fred Leist ART02931
(Battle of Lone Pine)-‘The noise of very heavy rifle fire and machine gun fire disturbed us about 5.30am followed but the sharp reports of our field guns, we soon realized that the enemy was attacking in force the system of trenches captured from them last Sunday morning in front of Tasmania Post, their attack failed altogether in the first instance, and they never made any very determined effort afterwards. Our own casualties were very light but the enemy seems to have suffered rather heavily. Thousands of fresh troops are camped in all the gullies that offer any shelter, they have been lading during the dark hours of the night for the past week and the small area in our possession seems unduly crowded at present. At midday B section had orders to be prepared to move at 3.30pm, that involved each man sewing a white band 4 inches deep on each arm above the elbow and a patch 6 inches square on the back of the tunic. These are intended as identification marks for our artillery observers and a precaution against our own troops being fired upon by our artillery when the advance is in progress. At 3.30pm with 48 hours iron rations and a full water bottle each we proceeded to a point in Shrapnel Gully at the old 4th Btn aid post where we had orders to wait for further instructions. A little after 4.30pm the7th Btn who has been in support passed us and went on into the trenches. At 5pm various warships that had suddenly come on the scene along with every gun of our field artillery commenced to bombard the enemy positions. The enemy artillery immediately retaliated, the incessant crackle of rifle and machine gun fire commences and the whole atmosphere in a few minutes seemed to be in a regular mad uproar, shells were screaming and whining through the air, exploding everywhere with a tearing crash only exceeded by the deafening report of the big guns on the warships. Shrapnel shells began to explode in large numbers lower down the gully over the hundreds of troops sheltering there in reserve and casualties were fairly numerous. We expected to receive orders any minute to proceed to some part of the line where our services were required, but hours passed and none came, we began to get anxious, particularly over the inactivity of the situation, there was little shelter and every minute large howitzer shells were exploding in our vicinity showering masses of earth over us as they crashed and exploded in the ground at times only a few yards away, one actually crashed among a dozen or more of us, the explosion tossing us in all directions, but fate was kinds and only one chap was slightly wounded but the concussion gave everyone a thorough shaking up. Anything in the way of activity would have been a relief, it was impossible to believe we were not required somewhere, taking risks in performing a dangerous duty is passed by without further notice, but inaction under these circumstances is terribly trying on the nerves. It was a welcome relief when we received orders at about 7pm for 7 squads to report back to our camp and two to remain at the post, it fell to my lot to remain at the post, but for what purpose none of us knew, as there was nothing for us to do, it was evident that the communications above us were blocked and the casualties we were expected to handle were being diverted into other communications. What casualties we did handle had occurred on the communication in our immediate vicinity and none were from the trenches themselves. This state of affairs lasted through the day and we welcomed the opportunity of taking an occasional casualty down to the C.C.Sation just to relieve the effect of this forced inactivity a little. After about 8pm the noise of the continual artillery action abated considerably but it went on spasmodically throughout the night.’
Thursday 5th August 1915- Diary of HV Reynolds
05 August 2010 by Janice Farrer.
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Diary of an ANZAC
Please note: Care has been taken to transcribe these entries without alteration to preserve the original language of Herbert Vincent Reynolds. A trawler packed with British troops on their way to the British landing at Cape Helles, on the southern tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. G00205
‘Another large batch of British troops landed here during the night, extensive preparations are being made for some big movement. During the day the enemy shelled our stores in ANZAC Cove very heavily and two naval pinances and sever barges were sunk in the vicinity of Watsons pier.’
