Missing in Action, 1916

The Preston family of Newmarket, taken in Spring, 1916, with an image of Alexander Preston superimposed at the back.  At about this time Private Alexander Preston was reported missing.  It was not until March 1918 that a Court of Enquiry determined that he had been killed in action on the day he was reported mssing.  Courtesy of Lesley Preston.

Men of the West

Men of the West:  Volunteers from the Essendon and Flemington districts in the Great War 1914-1918, by Rod Martin.

To mark the centenary of the beginning of the Great  War, this compilation of fifty stories about volunteers from your district is being made available on a strictly 'made to order' and non-profit basis.  The stories were originally published on the website The Empire Called and I Answered,  and are now available in this hard copy form.

If you have been enjoying Rod's stories on the website, this is a great collection of them to dip into.

About the author: Rod Martin BA, Dip Ed, Dip Ed Admin, M Ed, is a former secondary teacher/ principal who has written and co-authored a number of textbooks,  stories and articles. The First World War is one of his specialisations.

Details: 264 pages, desktop-published in Microsoft Word on  100 gsm paper, 290 illustrations.

       

PRICES: Hard cover; $100 delivered  (the binding costs $68.00)

                    Clear/black plastic spiral-bound: $40 delivered.  

             

Contact Rod at ramartin46@optusnet.com.au 
to place an order.

 

Valiant for Truth - has anyone seen this window?

Source:  Lost Lives.

The memorial window referred to in the news article was installed in the Aberfeldie Methodist Church, Waverley Street, Moonee Ponds, in 1948, commemorating the lives of three of their parishioners:  Ormond Frederick Clarke Copas,  John Skelton Russell,  and Robert William Russell, all of whom died on active service in 1942.

The motto "Valiant for Truth" comes from the Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

The church closed for worship in 1999, and the buildings are now occupied by Tobin Brothers funeral parlours.   It appears that the window was removed before the closure, and inquiries about the location of the window is being made to include in a database of commemorative stained glass windows around Victoria.

If you can shed some light on the whereabouts of this memorial window, please get in touch.

UK National Archives launches new WW1 Portal

From the National Archives, UK:

"We hold the official UK government records of the First World War, including a vast collection of letters, diaries, maps and photographs. Discover our online collections, research guides and educational resources to learn about the history behind the war.We will be marking the centenary of the war with an extensive programme, spanning a five-year period from 2014 – 2019. With a rolling series of digitised record releases, online and on-site events and education resources being added to this portal as we move through the centenary period, we will open up our unique collection of First World War records as never before".

World War 1 in colour

A photo essay from Time LightBox shows a series of rare colour images from the front-line in France during World War 1.


The above photograph is not one of the LightBox series, which carry a copyright mark, but appears in a group of comments about a set of images from the  Library of Congress.  The commenter noted that the original French uniforms had red pants, which led to enormous casualties from sniper fire early in the war.  The uniform was subsequently changed to the light blue in the picture.

Thanks to GeneaNet for highlighting the LightBox photos.

Australian burning effigy of Kaiser in square, Armistice Day

Arthur Streeton, an official Australian war artist in 1918, depicted a crowd of soldiers gathered around bonfire with effigy hanging from gallows, at Peronne, France. 12 November 1918.  http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/ART03523

Meanwhile, at Vignacourt, Louis Thuillier photographed jubilant soldiers and citizens in the street.