Of love and war
Touring Exhibition
3 December 2009 to 12 May 2013
Love touches us all. During times of conflict it has played, and continues to play, an important role in the lives of our servicemen and women, the sweethearts and lovers they left behind or those they met while serving.
The Memorial’s exhibition Of love and war, looks at the impact of war on these relationships and the ways in which Australians incorporated affairs of the heart into their wartime lives.
There are five themes to the exhibition which can be explored further on these pages. ‘First glance’ will take you to objects which explore the exhibition themes of ‘Romance and Recruitment’ and ‘Meetings and Marriages’. ‘Separation’ examines ‘Letters and Longing’ and ‘Loss and Loneliness’, while ‘The future’ looks at what happens after the war with ‘Beyond the Battlefield’.
The exhibition was on display at the Memorial from 3 December 2009 until 5 May 2010.
You can see more photos in our Of love and war set on Flickr Commons.
Video of curator Rebecca Britt talking about her book Stories of love and war on YouTube
You can contribute too:
Join our Love and war group on Flickr and share your stories and photos of Australians in love and war: how people meet or marry and how they maintain a relationship under the strain of separation and the tensions of war.
Blog posts on of Love and war:
- English sculptor Gladys Blaiberg (1882-1969) 30 August 2010 by Cherie Prosser
- Love Letter Update for Valentine’s Day 13 February 2010 by Nicholas Schmidt
- Conservation Cleaning of a Wedding Dress 14 December 2009 by Jessie Firth
- “Dorothy” the Kitbag 11 December 2009 by Bridie Kirkpatrick
- Wedding Dresses, Part 3 19 November 2009 by Sarah Clayton
- 60 year old sweat on a wedding dress – a conservation challenge 12 November 2009 by Emma Jones
- Wedding Dresses, part 2 11 November 2009 by Sarah Clayton
A wounded AIF soldier receives an affectionate welcome home at the Anzac Buffet.
Tour dates
| Gallery | City | State | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian War Memorial | Canberra | ACT | 3 December 2009 | 5 May 2010 |
| State Library of Queensland | Brisbane | QLD | 5 November 2010 | 6 March 2011 |
| Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery | Launceston | TAS | 1 October 2011 | 15 January 2012 |
| Benalla Art Gallery | Benalla | VIC | 8 April 2012 | 10 June 2012 |
| The Glasshouse Gallery | Port Macquarie | NSW | 30 June 2012 | 9 September 2012 |
| Newcastle Museum | Newcastle | NSW | 13 October 2012 | 2 December 2012 |
| Hervey Bay Regional Gallery | Hervey Bay | QLD | 30 March 2013 | 12 May 2013 |
This exhibition is supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian Government program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the development and touring of Australian cultural material across Australia.