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Paper 2

STL Paper 1

Sharing Their Sources

Some of the Sharing Their Legacy participants discuss how they discovered local and national sources of evidence for their projects.

Lyn O’Grady, Walkerville Historical Society
‘Finding sources was difficult because none of the local community organisations had kept their wartime records. It was a time gone and best forgotten perhaps! But privately held records of the Swimming Club showed how locals ensured children whose fathers were away had mentors. We used State Library books on the Cheer-Up Society and Red Cross, a collection of programs at the Walkerville Town Hall, and photographs from Mortlock Library website. Finding the massive Cheer-Up Society 1919 Honour Roll, with its 420 names, at Red Cross in North Adelaide was a special moment.’

Ann Herraman, Mt Lofty and Districts Historical Society
‘The most helpful sources were the AWM’s records via the internet; the records of the Stirling sub-branches of the RSL and Women’s Auxiliary; and personal photographs, papers and memorabilia from sub-branch members, including an entire family record of four generations from four fields of conflict. We even displayed a complete WAAFs uniform that was formerly used as a dog’s bed! One man brought in his own display on corrugated cardboard with drawing pins and we used it! This included a small metal plate used to deflect bullets from the heart. During the war one woman knitted half a sock on the downward journey into Adelaide and the other half on the way up, so she knitted half a sock for our display.’

Susan Hanrahan, Project Officer, Sharing Their Legacy project, Stansbury
‘After doing a workshop on interviewing techniques, I gathered most of our information from local residents. We also contacted Richard Reid at DVA and his sources sent details of sub-machine guns that were put up in the Stansbury Institute. This created more questions than answers. Only one gun was ever received despite correspondence indicating that two were expected.’

Margaret McCallum, Melrose Courthouse Museum
‘We used the web to access AWM’s Roll of Honour for details of local enlisted men to supplement memorabilia or photographs we had in our collection. Of the 36 young men who enlisted in WWI, 15 did not return. All other research was carried out locally. We identified objects and photographs from our collection. The database on our collection of Register newspapers was a wonderful source of information. Locals were keen to assist, including three families descended from trainees at the farm. A highlight was discovering two WWI Welcome Home canvas banners in our collection. They now take pride of place as the exhibition’s title.’

Deb Morgan, Repatriation General Hospital
‘We relied heavily on oral history and research done some years ago by Dr Peter Last, a former member of staff. He provided contacts for people he had interviewed, but many had died in the intervening decade. We tried ex-service organisations but there was not a big response. We used photographs from the AWM’s website, from Dr Last’s book, and from private collections and read some of the old hospital files. The biggest problems were time and resources. It took a lot of searching to come up with the little bit I did. Even if the end product only scratches the surface it serves to remind people that there is a human story behind the institution. It may make a small difference to the way staff interact with patients, or the way veteran patients feel about coming here.’

Paul Mazourek, curator, Whyalla Maritime Museum
 ‘I mainly researched the museum’s own material, looking for unpublished photographs and objects not already on display, including the original HMAS Whyalla’s White Ensigns, August 1945 newspapers and Japanese invasion money.'

Dr Julie-Ann Ellis, Yacka History Group
We identified all the men on the Honour Roll through local descendants, workplace records and electoral rolls. We used the AWM website to find the soldiers’ battalions. We also used the State Library’s Red Cross records. Families wrote to the Red Cross for news of their loved ones. Local newspapers carried stories of farewell functions for local enlisted men and printed their own honour rolls. We got copies of service records from National Archives. We also read regimental histories where available as not all were lodged in public collections. We referred to CEW Bean for details of actions involving local soldiers. We also uncovered letters long treasured by a local family. Sisters and friends had written to two local boys, the Gale Brothers, on the Western Front. Both were killed and the letters sent home with other personal effects.’

Dieuwke Jessop, Local History Officer, Holdfast Bay Historical Society
‘To begin the project, I made an appeal in the local paper, but got no response. Then we made direct approaches to people suggested by the local RSL. Our Society volunteers ‘volunteered’ their stories and memorabilia. Local council records held in our archives were a rich source of information on council wartime activities, including naming streets after fallen soldiers and nurses and writing condolence letters to local families. During WWI Glenelg Council posted public lists of local enlisted men and we have some of those printing blocks.’

Molly Eatts, Kimba and Gawler Ranges Historical Society
‘We looked at what we held in our collection and found things we’d forgotten we had, including documents relating to pioneer German families required to report to a neighbour who was a JP.  We looked at local memorials and war graves. Our RSL and Council didn’t hold records but offered to help where possible. We contacted men who had been interviewed by our Year 9 class. One had been a‘chocolate soldier’. A local Vietnam veteran responded to our request in the local community newsletter. The descendants of a German-born saddler interned as an ‘alien’ also gave us information. We found articles in local newspapers on farewells, homecomings, announcements of deaths and celebrations at war’s end.'

Elizabeth Anderson, history teacher, Karoonda Area School
‘Our project was to restore the Honour Boards from the former Karoonda RSL Hall. With money left over we researched and restored photographs of four local WWII soldiers killed in action. Three Year 10 students mounted a display on them for the National History Challenge.  None of the families still lived in our rather isolated district, but the National Archives website and the AWM website proved useful, except for one photograph, the smiling face of a young sailor, blond, handsome, full of energy and hope. On the back of the cheap white wooden frame was pencilled, Ron Vogt. Went down with the Sydney. No-one in the district remembered the family until an accidental remark put us on to an old ex-resident who described Ron as a ‘bonzer lad from a nice family’. This phrase became the centerpiece of our exhibition in the Community Library.  Numerous phone calls led to his sister who was moved to talk to the students about a brother dear to her. She gave us full access to his letters, photos and diary. Most poignant were the simple, dignified and heartfelt condolences written to Ron’s parents. Ron was a regular attendant at mass, a loving brother, a sportsman keen to travel, hence his enlistment in the Navy. Ron’s letters and photos made him spring to life so many years after his death.
The students learnt that history isn’t only the story of kings, generals and politicians, but that stories of ordinary men and women are as real and important to a country’s history as grander personages. His sister, never ceasing to miss her brother, has been able to relive happier memories. Who would have thought that a dusty photograph in the corner of a jumbled room would have unlocked such rich memories and emotions?
PS. The students won the state prize for its section in the National History Challenge so were runners-up Australia wide.

A final word from Lyn O’Grady: ‘The most difficult aspect was that researching was constantly interrupted by having to go to work! You know what it is like, you just get a lead and you have to wait till the weekend to pick up the threads and follow it up.’