The Craig family - Activities
Examine the images below and answer the discussion questions.
A horse in a sling is unloaded from a troop transport, 1915. (AWM P00211.004)
- Men from the Light Horse were unable to use their horses on Gallipoli. Why do you think this was not possible?
George Lambert, The charge of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade at the Nek, 7 August 1915 (1924, oil on canvas, 179 x 333.5 x 9.5 cm, AWM ART07965)
- How has this painting depicted the charge of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade at the Nek? What techniques has the artist used to achieve this?
- George Lambert finished this painting nine years after the actual battle. Do you think this artwork is a reliable source of information? Explain your reasoning.
Lieutenant Leslie Craig, after surgery and recuperation in England, 1916. (AWM P08414.007)
- Research the Royal Flying Corps and Australian Flying Corps in the First World War. How did the role of these services change during the conflict?
- 40 per cent of all Australians who enlisted were wounded during their service. Others, like Colin, became prisoners of war. What challenges might veterans and their families have faced when they returned home?
- Frances and Nancy were Voluntary Aid Detachment nursing orderlies. Why might women have volunteered for services like the VAD?
- Thousands of women fell in love with Australian soldiers during the First World War. Many, like Frances and Nancy, married their sweethearts and moved to Australia to begin a new life.
- Imagine you were one of these women. Write a postcard home to your family. How do you think you would be feeling? How would you describe your new home?
- Examine Colin Craig’s letter of introduction to his future father-in-law General Birdwood. What might the letter tell us about society at the time?
- Imagine you were one of these women. Write a postcard home to your family. How do you think you would be feeling? How would you describe your new home?
