The Clowes family - Activities

Examine the images below and answer the discussion questions.

1. How has this painting attempted to capture some of the challenges the Australians faced on 25 April 1915?

2. George Lambert was not present at the landing but visited Gallipoli in 1919 and spoke to Australia's official historian, C.E.W. Bean, about the event. Do you think this painting is a reliable source of information?

3. The term “Anzac legend” refers to the belief that the Australian and New Zealand troops demonstrated certain qualities on Gallipoli which defined what it means to be Australian or a New Zealander.

   1. In George Lambert’s painting above, how is the Anzac legend depicted?

   2. What qualities of the Anzacs has Lambert focused on? Why?

   3. Can you find other sources which depict the Anzacs differently?

   4. Do you think the term “Anzac” represents all servicemen and servicewomen, including pilots, sailors, and nurses? Why or why not?

“Dear old Mary, On the other side you will see a representation of seven lambs, all of them as pure as the wool of the foremost … I am feeling very fit at present and am writing this in a quite comfortable dug-out. Good-bye old girl. Love from yours ever. CAC.”

Forbidden from carrying a camera on the Western Front, hundreds of Australian soldiers, like Cyril, leapt at the opportunity to have their photograph taken while on leave from the battlefields. These images were often made into postcards to send home to family and friends.

4. Why do you think the soldiers wanted to send these photographs home? How do you think family and friends would feel receiving one?

5. Created by Louis McCubbin, this artwork attempts to capture the experiences of Australian soldiers during the battle of Pozières. What kinds of sources do you think McCubbin drew upon to construct this diorama?

6. Do you think this is an accurate and reliable portrayal of events? Why or why not?