Screen of Memories

After the First World War, the Australian War Records Section actively sought to collect film footage of and by Australians for the national record. Though some was screened in public lectures, by the 1930s most of it was languishing, mostly unused, in the archives. Acutely aware of this resource and its potential to raise funds, the Memorial decided to produce a feature-length film to tell the story of the war.

To create the film, Captain George Mitchell MC DCM was brought in. He had been at the Gallipoli landing and was awarded the Military Cross for an action at Dernacourt in 1918. After the war he wrote widely about his experiences, developing a reputation as a storyteller and ‘lifelong larrikin’. He worked through all the footage, editing together a comprehensive account of the Australian perspective on the war. He wrote:

When I was asked to prepare this film of the A.I.F. in action, I was oppressed by the immensity of the task. In the vaults of the Australian War Memorial there is tier upon tier of labelled cans of film. Each a silent story of the war years. For two weeks, every day and all day, I sat and watched on a small screen.

It was a strange experience. Every now and again a remembered face would flash into view and after a second or two be gone. Those mates of ours appeared in the first flush of youth, just as we knew and will ever remember those of them who did not return. Time and again I re-ran a film so that I might look again on the face of a friend.

Once the editing of the film was completed (running over two hours) it was toured around the country with Mitchell providing a narration in person. A letter of introduction from Prime Minister Robert Menzies fostered support for the film.

Part of the proceeds from the screening of the film will be used for the benefit of returned soldiers. The remainder will be expended in erecting in the National War Memorial a Roll of Honour of the Australian men and women who lost their lives in the service of their country during the Great War.

The tour lasted for two and a half years, travelling to 284 centres and being seen by over 220,000 people. During this time it raised £3,443 (about $300,000 today) which went directly toward the construction of the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial.

Eventually the film had a soundtrack recorded onto it – again by Mitchell – so it could be screened in cinemas, though it never secured a formal distribution. In 1943 the Memorial released a better-known sequel to the film, Sons of the Anzacs, which chronicled the experiences of those who were serving in the Second World War.

We of the A.I.F. can be found under the accession number F00187 on the Memorial’s website. The story of the film’s creation features in the touring exhibition ACTION! Film and War.