Nina Valentine recounts her father’s Gallipoli experience Nina’s father Charles Reakes joined the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) in August 1914. He was sent to Anzac Cove, which he recalled was ‘beautiful though it rained a bit in the afternoon’. He arrived with an ammunition column delivering vital supplies up the perilous Shrapnel Gully. Upon his […]
Memories of War
Special research project collaboration between the RSL Ballarat, Federation University Australia, the Gold Museum, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka and Wind & Sky Productions.
The project connected with writing, history, drama and education students from Federation University Australia who explored what World War One was like for the people of Ballarat using the Gold Museum’s collection.
As part of the project, community members were also invited to produce content for the Gold Museum on the topic of ‘Memories of War’.
Tong-Way Brothers
Yvonne Horsfield on her family’s Chinese Anzac connections Hedley and Sam [Tong-Way] were committed to showing their loyalty to Australia. Their enlistment was a demonstration of their commitment to their country of birth (Yvonne Horsfield, 2017) Yvonne’s grandfather Hedley Tong-Way and his brother Samuel were one of many Chinese Australians who enlisted with the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) during World […]
Roy Victor Holloway
Les Holloway reflects on his father’s World War One experiences I never asked my dad about his war experiences. Returned servicemen didn’t talk about those days. I’ve got my theories why – one of the things, it was just too terrible (Les Holloway, 2017) Les Holloway’s father Roy was just 17 years of age when […]
Brothers in War
Three Hammon brothers served together during World War One The Gold Museum holds a special collection of postcards from the Hammon brothers, revealing life on the frontline and in the camps. Private John Henry Hammon John (also known as Jack) was born in Ballarat in 1883. In July 1915, a 32 year old John enlisted […]
Percival Carl Minifie’s World War One Diary
Transcribing Lieutenant Percival Carl Minifie’s diary. In February 2015, I joined the Gold Museum’s back-of-house volunteer team. I was given the task of transcribing the World War One diary kept by Australian soldier Lieutenant Percival Carl Minifie. Lieutenant Minifie was 26 years old when he enlisted at Surrey Hills, Melbourne on August 18, 1914. He […]
A Soldier’s View
Biography of Captain Brian O’Sullivan. The Gold Museum holds a precious collection of World War One photographs belonging to Australian soldier, Captain Brian O’Sullivan. Many of these photographs were taken by Captain O’Sullivan, while others were collected during his time overseas serving the 5th Battalion. Captain O’Sullivan was born in Richmond, Melbourne in 1895 to […]
Women Remember…
A personal reflection of World War I through art I was commissioned by Ballarat’s Backspace Gallery as part of the exhibition Leaving for the Front: Artist’s Respond which was on display between April and May 2015 during the World War I centenary. The brief was to create something in response to Dora Meeson’s 1916 painting, […]
From Katoomba to Ballarat to France and West Africa
Biography of Louis William Gordon Büchner-Malcolm Louis William Gordon Büchner-Malcolm attended the Ballarat School of Mines (SMB) from 1907-9 and 1911, gaining certificates in mine management and geology. He served during World War 1 as an officer in the […]
Horace Clyde Martyr
The Gold Museum holds a collection of articles, photographs and medals of World War I veteran, Horace Martyr. Private Horace Clyde Martyr, known as Horry by family and friends, was born in Richmond, Victoria in 1895. When the First World War began in 1914, a 19 year-old Horace enlisted in Melbourne for the Australian Infantry […]
Australia’s Mystery Airship Panics of 1900-1918
On 11 March 1911 several members of the public reported seeing a heavily-armed airship flying eastwards over Sebastopol in Ballarat, Victoria to descend behind Mt Warrenheip. Similar instances were reported in Kyneton and Portland. These stories were a common feature of newspaper reports during World War I. Far from being simply dismissed, though the more […]