A cleverly made exhibit indicating the mud and despair of the trenches.
The map of Australia was crafted from a German water bottle by an Australian soldier during the First World War, who engraved a message on it before sending home to his sister.
The following pictures are a few from the area of the museum which looks at the Australians who were defending Malaya from the Japanese. This wall depicts all the faces of the Prisoners of War, who died during the death marches. All 1,747 of them.
Below each arch is the name of a theatre of War where Australian military have served. Through the archway is the Memory of Honour, reflecting all the service personnel who have died in the line of duty.
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| Eternal Flame |
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| Roll of Honour |
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| Stained glass window in the Hall of Memory |
And finally, the view away from the Museum
Despite the amount of photographs here, this was really a whistle stop tour. A fabulous and somewhat humbling experience.
Taking part in the A-Z April Challenge
The AWM is one of Australia's treasures. And that's without Canberra's other national facilities like the Portrait gallery and the National Library etc etc.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful, moving post Julie. The photos say it all.
ReplyDeleteWar memorials always humble me and choke me up. I always regret that my dad died before he saw the WWII memorial in DC. Your pictures are great.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. I haven't visited the AWM yet but will one day.
ReplyDeleteWe visited a War Cemetery in Thailand and I became very emotional with the stories and SO MANY graves and that was before I started researching family history.
In addition to the AWM, I also want to visit War Memorials in France and Belgium.
A very moving post Julie. I visited the War Memorial on a school camp to Canberra at the end of Primary school. I really should go back again now that I have a family history perspective. Canberra is a great place to visit.
ReplyDeleteI must have been 18 or 19 when I read All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. It had an enormous impact on me. Many soldiers who fought (and died) were around my age, I could literally look around in the class room and imagine if my male class mates would be sent to the horrors of war. Last weekend I saw graves of Canadian air force pilots who died here in the Netherlands during WWII. And now I come across your great post here in the A to Z Road trip. What really hits me is that aluminium map made by a soldier. So many personal stories in every war. This is a beautiful post, thank you!
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