Memorial exhibition, Laughter: a powerful ally examines the importance of humour in the military

A new exhibition exploring the history and importance of humour and laughter to those in the armed forces has gone on display at the Australian War Memorial.

Laughter: a powerful ally is on display in the Reading Room inside the Memorial’s Research Centre. It examines how Australian comedians and performance troupes have boosted the moral of troops in the field from the First World War to Afghanistan.

Co-curator Robyn Van-Dyk said there is a history of performance in the Australian military going back to the First World War.

“Entertainment was an important part of life for troops during the First World War. Shows would commonly include musicians and comedians, usually a mix of professionals and enthusiastic service personnel with a flair for entertaining,” Ms Van-Dyk said.  

“During the Second World War, performances were considered important enough for dedicated Army Entertainment Units to be formed. From the Second World War onwards, professional shows were organised by the Department of Defence, with entertainers flown into war zones such as Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.”

The exhibition features a range of material from the Memorial’s collection including art, bill posters, costumes, and photographs. It also profiles comedians – including Gold Logie Award winner Tom Gleeson and Australian comedy icons Roy and H.G. – who were flown into conflict zones such as Timor, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Exhibition co-curator and comedian Greg Kimball said profiled artist Chris “Bloke” Franklin had his first taste of comedy while serving in the Royal Australian Navy aboard HMAS Perth in the 1980s. He has since returned for five overseas tours as part of Forces Entertainment, the Australian Defence Force unit which manages entertainment deployments.  

“It’s a real honour for comedians like Chris to perform for the troops, because they see how much it means to those on deployment away from their families and friends. The assumption is that comedians aren’t serious, but they know how powerful laughter can be to people in stressful and often dangerous environments,” Mr Kimball said.

“A serviceman approached Chris after a show and said, ‘We’re here because we have to be here – what the hell are you doing here?’ Chris replied that he was there because the troops were there. He wanted them to know that people were thinking about them at home.”

Laughter: a powerful ally is on display in the Reading Room for 12 months. A number of curator-led talks and public programs aligned with the exhibition will be held throughout 2020.