Australian War Memorial Logo
Search

Donate Today

  • Collection Open Information Close Information
    • Official Histories & Unit Diaries
    • Understanding the Collection
    • Research at the Memorial
    • Donating to the Collection
    • National Collection Loans
    • Projects
  • People
  • Visit
  • Commemorate Open Information Close Information
    • Last Post Ceremony
    • Honour Rolls
    • Anzac Day
    • Remembrance Day
    • Customs & Ceremony
    • Speeches
  • Learn Open Information Close Information
    • Schools & Teachers
    • Memorial Articles
    • Encyclopedia
    • Understanding Military Structure
    • Podcasts
    • Glossary
    • Magazine
  • Get Involved Open Information Close Information
    • Donations & Bequests
    • Corporate Partnership
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer at the Memorial
    • Friends of the Memorial
    • eMemorial Newsletter
    • Grants, Scholarships & Residencies
    • Research Papers
  • Shop Open Information Close Information
    • Memorial Shop
    • Images, film and sound
    • Lone Pine Seedlings

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Visit
  3. Exhibitions
  4. Anzac voices
  5. Prisoners of war

Main navigation

  • Other Exhibitions
  • Current Exhibitions
  • Past Exhibitions
  • Touring Exhibitions
  • Online Exhibitions

Prisoners of war

Anzac Voices logo
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
Remembering them

"Hungry! Nobody unless they have been through the torture of starvation can realise what agonies are endured"

   Private Raymond Ayres, 13th Battalion

Raymond Ayres was one of more than 1,100 Australians captured at Bullecourt, the most Australians taken in any battle of the war. The British blockade of German supplies caused shortages in food and clothing, which affected Germans and prisoners alike. The Australian Red Cross Prisoner of War Department supplied prisoners with parcels of food and supplies, which helped the men survive captivity.

Mary Elizabeth Chomley, Secretary of the Prisoner of War Department, was a link between prisoners and those at home. Miss Chomley and her team kept detailed records of where the men were and what they needed. From 1916 till the end of the war, thousands of food parcels were packed and sent to the camps.

 

Collection Item C296730

Accession Number: H01366

Mary Chomley was born at Riddell’s Creek, a small town in Victoria, in 1871. When war broke out in 1914, she travelled to London to offer her services to the Red Cross. H01366

“Special parcels”

Private Herbert Horner of the 3rd Machine Gun Company was captured at Bullecourt. The Prisoner of War Department maintained contact with Horner and supplied him with regular parcels. Donations from Horner’s family and friends allowed the Red Cross to send him “special parcels of extra comforts”. This small basin was given to Horner by Belgian prisoners, and the identity discs were issued by his German captors.

Collection Item C984024

Accession Number: RELAWM10295.001

Small blue enamelled steel basin. RELAWM10295.001

Collection Item C118126

Accession Number: RELAWM03900

Identity discs issued to Private Horner whilst he was a prisoner of war. RELAWM03900

“An unmistakable figure”

Douglas Grant had been adopted by a white family at the age of two in 1881. He enlisted in 1916, but was discharged because of regulations preventing Indigenous people from serving. He successfully re-enlisted, and while serving with the 13th Battalion was wounded and captured at Bullecourt in April 1917.

During his time as a prisoner of war in Germany, Grant, a talented artist, was of great interest to German scientists and anthropologists. One scientist described him as “an unmistakable figure” because of his dark skin and a Scottish accent, courtesy of his adoptive parents. He was elected Secretary of the British Help Committee, which put Grant in charge of receiving and distributing relief parcels.

Last updated: 17 October 2019

1 The Donations and bequests

Donations & Bequests

Your generous donation will be used to ensure the memory of our Defence Forces and what they have done for us, and what they continue to do for our freedom remains – today and into the future.

Find out more
2 Visit Transcribe.awm.gov.au

Transcribe

Help preserve Australia's history by transcribing records from the National Collection. Enhance accessibility and discoverability for all Australians.

Find out more
The placesofpride

Places of Pride

Places of Pride, the National Register of War Memorials, is a new initiative designed to record the locations and photographs of every publicly accessible memorial across Australia.

Find out more
Visit the Australian War Memorial

Visit the Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial is open for visitors as we work to expand our galleries. Entry is free and tickets are not required.

Find out more
Canberra Highlands in Grayscale

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF
TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS

The Australian War Memorial acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and waters. We pay our respects to elders past and present.
Location map of The Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial building

The Australian War Memorial

Fairbairn Avenue
Campbell ACT 2612
Australia
View on Google Maps (opens in new window)
Google Map data ©2025 Google
Australian War Memorial Logo
  • Go to AWM Facebook
  • Go to AWM Trip Advisor
  • Go to AWM Instagram
  • Go to AWM Youtube

Footer

  • About
  • Contact
  • Venue Hire
  • Media
  • WM Magazine
  • Donate Today

The Australian War Memorial

Fairbairn Avenue

Campbell ACT 2612

Australia

 

Opening Hours

10 am to 4 pm daily (except Christmas Day)

 

In preparation for the daily Last Post Ceremony,

galleries are progressively closed from 3:40 pm.

 

Public entrance via Fairbairn Avenue, Campbell ACT 2612

Sign up to our newsletter

Subscribe

Legal

  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Freedom of information

Copyright 2025 Australian War Memorial, Canberra. All rights reserved