Blog category - Exhibitions
Further reading: a select bibliography
12 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Literature, Research material, War records
The following is not intended to provide an exhaustive bibliography of resources on the AIF campaigns in France and Flanders during 1917. Rather, it identifies some of the more useful and readily available sources for anyone wishing to explore the topic further.
Primary source records
One of the most useful primary sources for researching the Australian Imperial Force are their unit war diaries. Each unit (usually down to battalion level or equivalent for other arms) maintained a monthly diary recording in detail its activities and events, both of a routine administrative and operational nature. The original diaries are kept at the Australian War Memorial and microfilm copies are available for the public in the Research Centre. The Memorial has commenced digitising the entire collection of First World War AIF diaries and these are progressively being made available for viewing online via the Memorial’s website. At present (Nov 2007), the Formation Headquarters (eg. corps and division), Cavalry, Light Horse and Infantry Brigade diaries have been completed. Scanning of the infantry battalion diaries is now in progress and these are being made available online as each set is completed. The home page for the diaries is http://www.awm.gov.au/diaries/ww1/index.asp.
Published books
TheOfficial History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 is the most complete and authoritative account of the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. It comprises twelve volumes, and is available to read on the Australian War Memorial’s website. Volume IV (first published in 1933), covers the AIF in France and Flanders during 1917 and was written by C. E. W. Bean.
The British History of the Great War is another very useful official account providing a broader view of the campaigns from the British perspective to complement the narrower scope of the Australian official history. France and Belgium, 1917 was compiled by Captain Cyril Falls and is a two-volume work. Official histories also exist for the New Zealand and Canadian forces.
Anzac to Amiens is a one-volume abridged version of the Official History, again by C. E. W. Bean (1946). Chapters 19-21 cover the relevant 1917 campaigns and these are also available online.
AIF published unit histories are another valuable source for understanding the experiences of individual units involved in the campaigns. Most infantry battalions published their own unit history after the war, while some left it to historians to write many decades afterwards. The example shown above of the 25th Battalion is of the latter type, being written by Bob Doneley and published in 1997.
Passchendaele: the untold story by Australian historians Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson (2003) provides a more recent account of the Flanders Campaign in 1917. One review describes this book as ‘The most wide-ranging and perceptive account of Passchendaele yet written.’ An extensive and very useful bibliography is included in the book as well.
Passchendaele: the sacrificial ground by Nigel Steel and Peter Hart uses a wealth of vivid personal accounts of the battle. These are mainly British, however there are also a few accounts by Australian, New Zealand and Canadian soldiers. An excellent read, providing first-hand details of the horrendous conditions and the horror of this battle. So many people die in this book that the reader will also start to despair. Available at the AWM Bookshop.
Massacre at Passchendaele: the New Zealand story by Glyn Harper (2000). As the title suggests, this book provides a valuable account of Passchendaele from the New Zealand Division’s perspective. This outstanding division saw action at Ypres partnered with the Australian 3rd Division during October 1917.
In Flanders Fields: Passchendaele 1917 by Leon Wolff (1959) is the classic and widely acclaimed account of the battle. Well worth reading however more recent accounts such as those shown above provide much greater detail and more insightful scholarly analysis.
Pillars of Fire: The Battle of Messines Ridge, June 1917 by Ian Passingham (2004) examines the battle for the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge from the British, Anzac and German perspectives. It reassesses the reasons for Plumer’s success, the implications of Haig’s failure to exploit that success, and finally, the legacy of the battle.
The blood tub: General Gough and the Battle of Bullecourt 1917 by Jonathan Walker (2000) is apparently the only book published dealing specifically with the battles at Bullecourt. This book is very well written and provides a balanced view of both Australian and British involvement.
Cheerful Sacrifice: the Battle of Arras 1917 by Jonathan Nicholls (2006) tells the story of this often overlooked offensive which incorporated the Australians fighting at Bullecourt. A little-known fact is that the daily British casualty rate of Arras surpassed both Passchendaele and the Somme; had it gone as long as those two epic encounters, it may well have been remembered as the big battle. Nicholls’ book contains numerous personal accounts and is well worth reading.
The German Army at Passchendaele by Jack Sheldon (2007) is an excellent source of knowledge on the German experience at Passchendaele during 1917. It comprises over 300 pages of personal accounts of soldiers translated into English. Most of the writings are by front line troops, from the lowliest ranks, NCOs and junior officers, plus a good sprinkling of the more senior commanders’ thoughts as well. Covers the whole campaign in the salient between July and December 1917.
Der Weltkrieg 1914-1918 is the German official history. Volume 13 (published 1942) covers in detail the campaigns in France and Flanders during 1917. German language.
Flandern, 1917 by Werner Beumelburg (1928) is a much more concise official German account of the campaign in Flanders. German language.
Ypres and the Battles of Ypres was published in 1919 as one of a series of Michelin Illustrated Guides to the Battle-Fields 1914-1918. This little book provides a brief account of the three battles, and some very useful advice for the those visiting the battlefield, including numerous photographs and maps.
Ypres: the Holy Ground of British Arms by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel Henry Beckles Willson was published in 1920 and includes a brief history of the town and the three battles during the First World War. As the title suggests, it was not long after the war that Ypres came to be regarded as a significant centre for commemoration for the British and Commonwealth nations. As the booklet concludes, ‘The Ypres Salient … belongs henceforward to history and will for evermore be a sacred place for pilgrims to the graves of the heroic dead.’
Menin Gate and Last Post by Dominiek Dendooven. ‘Few know the real background to the Menin Gate Memorial and many leave with questions unanswered. This book is for them, sketching as it does the fascinating history and significance of the Menin Gate and the Last Post.’ (from www.klaproos.be/MENING.htm – includes ordering information)
Roll of Honour
12 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Cemeteries, Commemoration, Memorials, Roll of Honour
Roll of Honour bronze panel at the Australian War MemorialTens of thousands of British and Empire troops remain ‘missing’ in France and Belgium. The bodies of many of them were located after the war and placed in war cemeteries where they lie in nameless graves. The remains of others have never been found. The Menin Gate at Ypres records the names of 55,000 of those killed in Belgium who have no known grave and a similar number are recorded elsewhere; for example an additional 35,000 of the names are on the Tyne Cot Memorial, which forms the northeastern boundary wall surrounding the Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Australia’s 6,000 missing in Belgium are recorded on the Menin Gate.
Australia’s war dead from all conflicts are recorded on the Australian War Memorial’s Roll of Honour. This takes the form of bronze panels in the cloisters surrounding the Memorial’s Commemorative Area and the online Roll of Honour database, which is accessible via the Memorial’s website.
Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres)
11 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Battles, Passchendaele (Ypres)
Overview
After mid-1917, and following mutinies in the over-strained French Army, the British Forces had to assume an even greater role in the war on the Western Front. For Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, the British commander-in-chief, this provided an opportunity to launch an offensive that he had long wanted. Attacking from Ypres in Belgium, he planned to drive the Germans from the surrounding dominant ridges and even hoped to reach the Belgian coast. Following on the success at Messines in June, he unleashed his great attack on 31 July 1917. Fighting went on, often in appalling weather and despite crippling losses, until November. Finally, with the army stuck in muddy fields churned up by the artillery fire, the bloody offensive came to an untidy close. Many would afterwards call this offensive, actually a series of battles, after the name of the village that had become the last objective – ‘Passchendaele’.
Basic Map: Ypres to Passchendaele
Menin Road and Polygon Wood
The Australian infantry divisions joined the Third Battle of Ypres which had been going on since 31 July when they took part in the battle of Menin Road on 20 September 1917. Fortunately a change in the weather brought for them better fighting conditions. The side-by-side advance of the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions took them up to the splintered remnants of Polygon Wood not far from Zonnebeke. The 4th and 5th Divisions then took over and, as part of the wider effort, they attacked on 26 September. In both cases the fighting was bloody. German concrete pillboxes often blocked the Australians’ progress, and many men fell under shell and machine-gun fire. However with heavy artillery support the objectives were taken and enemy counter-attacks held off. These systematic step-by-step advances, staying within range of the supporting artillery, pushed the line forward by a few kilometres, but they were made at a heavy cost; in just over a week there were almost 11,000 Australian casualties.
Download Menin Road battle 1 map (PDF file)
Download Menin Road battle 1 map (PDF file)
Aerial and ground-level photographs taken of the Polygon Wood area. Note the difference in destruction between the first aerial photo (July) and the next two (September) when virtually every inch of the ground had been destroyed and badly cratered. The misery only increased as the landscape filled with water.
It was on the Menin Road that I first noticed the condition (of) our men coming back. A couple passed us, going very slow. They were white and drawn. C.E.W. Bean.
Broodseinde and Passchendaele
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian Divisions captured Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October 1917. It was a vital victory. But, then it began to rain. Five days later the 2nd Australian Division suffered heavily in a further attack in the mud. Finally, on 12 October, another attack, involving the 3rd Division assisted by the 4th, was made against the village of Passchendaele atop the main ridge. In the face of heavy fire, the men fought in the mire while struggling to keep up with their artillery barrages. Ground was taken but it could not be held. In wretched conditions, with casualties mounting at an appalling rate, the Australians had to fall back. The troops were finally exhausted and could do no more; by 15 November they handed over to the Canadians.
I have often thought that many a youngster when he was hit out there on the Passchendaele heights … and he knew that the end had come – must have thought to himself: “well at least they’ll remember me in Australia”. C.E.W. Bean
Detailed original map of Battle of Broodseinde, 4 October 1917, situation 6 pm.
Download Battle of Broodseinde map (PDF file)
Detailed original barrage map Passchendaele II battle on 12 Oct 1917
Download Passchendaele II battle map (PDF file)
Detailed original map of ground gained during entire Third Ypres Offensive
Download Third Ypres Offensive map (PDF file)
Read more about the Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres)
Anzac to Amiens by C. E. W. Bean, Chapter XXI (20 pages)
Official History by C. E. W. Bean, Vol. IV, Chapters XVII – XXII (270 pages)
Battle of Messines
11 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Battles, Messines
The battle of Messines fought on 7 June 1917 was the first large-scale action involving Australian troops in Belgium and it also marked the entry of the 3rd Division into a major battle. Messines was an important success for the British Army leading up to the beginning of the Third Battle of Ypres several weeks later.
At 3.10 am on 7 June 1917 nineteen powerful mines exploded under the German trenches along the Wytschaete – Messines ridge. Heavily supported by great volumes of artillery fire the British troops, commanded by General Sir Herbert Plumer, surged forward to capture the enemy positions. The 3rd Australian Division under Major-General John Monash, entering battle for the first time, was anxious to prove itself worthy of the reputation of the other veteran Australian divisions. It made a very successful attack alongside the New Zealand Division just south of the Messines village. The other Australian division involved, the 4th, under Major-General William Holmes, made a follow-up attack later in the day. Although some fighting continued, the result was virtually decided by the end of the first evening with the ridge being taken and enemy counter-attacks repulsed.
Read more on Messines (48 pages) – The Official History
Basic Map: Messines from the Official History Vol IV, p 610
Detailed original map of Messines battlefield
Download planned objectives for Messines battlefield map (PDF file)
The Battle of Messines / Charles Wheeler (1923).
Exhibition tour
09 April 2007 by Janda Gooding.
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George Lambert: Gallipoli and Palestine Landscapes, Exhibition Tour
The itinerary for the exhibition tour is developing and the following venues have been confirmed:
Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne, VIC 12 August – 28 October 2007
Gosford Regional Art Gallery, Gosford, NSW 9 February – 30 March 2008
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba, QLD 12 April – 25 May 2008
Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, VIC 27 July – 31 August 2008
Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, Gymea, NSW 12 October – 30 November 2008
LaTrobe Regional Gallery, Morwell, VIC 12 December 2008 – 15 February 2009
Port Macquarie Hasting Regional Gallery, NSW 27 February – 26 April 2009
The Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, S.A. 9 October – 6 December 2009
For any further information about the tour, contact the Memorial’s Travelling Exhibition Section, 02 6243 4574.
Private Walter Henry Chibnall
04 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Frontline troops, People
Studio portrait of Private Walter Henry Chibnall, No. 1626 of 10th Light Trench Mortar Battery, with his son Billy. A miner of Beaufort Victoria, Chibnall enlisted on 15 March 1916 and embarked on HMAT Ascanius with the 1st Reinforcements on 27 May 1916. He was transferred to the 10th Light Trench Mortar Battery on 7 August 1916 where he was promoted to Corporal on 15 September 1917. He was killed in action at Passchendaele, Belgium, on 12 October 1917, aged 32, when he and a comrade were hit by a shell while taking shelter in a crater. He is commemorated on The Menin Gate Memorial.
Billy Chibnall enlisted in the second AIF during the next war, and served with the ill-fated the 2/21st Battalion. He was taken prisoner of war by the Japanese at Ambon where he died, aged 30, on 20 February 1942.
View Walter Chibnall’s personal service record online at National Archives of Australia
Private Francis Joseph Mackey
04 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Frontline troops, People
Wedding portrait of Private Francis Joseph Mackey, No. 3147, of 40th Battalion (AIF), with his bride Cecilia Agnes. A barman of Huonville Tasmania, Mackey enlisted on 30 October 1916 and sailed with the 7th Reinforcements aboard HMAT Seang Bee on 10 February 1917. He was killed in action, aged 37 on 5 October 1917 at Broodseinde and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.
The Menin Gate Memorial
04 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Commemoration, Memorials, Research material
Tens of thousands of British and Empire troops remain ‘missing’ in France and Belgium. Some lie in nameless graves while the remains of others have never been found. The Menin Gate at Ypres records the names of 55,000 of the missing in Belgium and a similar number are recorded elsewhere; there are 35,000 names on the Tyne Cot memorial.
The names of Australia’s 6,000 missing in Belgium are engraved on the walls of the Menin Gate.
Menin Gate Memorial
The Menin Gate was so named because here the road out of Ypres passed through the old wall defences going in the direction of Menin. During the war the two stone lions standing on each side of the Menin Gate were seen by tens of thousands of troops as they went towards the front line. The gate, beyond which these men’s fate lay, became highly symbolic. Afterwards it was decided that on this site a huge monument, designed by the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield, would commemorate those of the Empire who were killed in Belgium but have no known grave. The memorial was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. Although it bears the names of 55,000 soldiers including 6,000 Australians, so great were the casualties that not all the names of “the missing” are here. Every evening the Last Post is sounded under the memorial’s great arch.
Acclaimed British author and poet Rudyard Kipling contributed the following words which were inscribed on both the eastern and western facades of the memorial.
TO THE ARMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE WHO STOOD HERE
FROM 1914 TO 1918
AND TO THOSE OF THEIR DEAD
WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE
And above the staircase arches, the following:
IN MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM
HERE ARE RECORDED NAMES
OF OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL
IN YPRES SALIENT, BUT TO WHOM
THE FORTUNES OF WAR DENIED
THE KNOWN AND HONOURED BURIAL
GIVEN TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH
- Kipling
More information on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/ypsalient/meningate/meningate.htm
In Flanders Fields (the poem)
04 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Research material
A poem by a Canadian medical officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, was first published in the British Punch magazine in December 1915. McCrae later became a casualty of the war, dying in January 1918. However his poem has endured as a symbol of the sacrifice of those who fought during the First World War and is particularly identified with the losses around the Ypres salient.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
The Ypres lions
04 April 2007 by Craig Tibbitts.
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To Flanders Fields, 1917, Memorials
The Menin Gate lions at the entrance of the Australian War MemorialIn medieval times two stone lions bearing the coat-of-arms of Ypres stood at the entrance to the Cloth Hall, the town’s civic and commercial centre. Centuries passed and the town’s glory faded. The lions were moved to the Menin Gate and stood there during the war while Ypres was reduced to ruins by German artillery fire. The lions, broken and scarred, were later recovered from the war rubble and in 1936 the Burgomaster of Ypres presented them to the Australian Government as a token of friendship and an acknowledgement of Australia’s sacrifice. Today they once again stand as sentinels seen by everyone entering the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. read on
