Collected: Stories from the Australian War Memorial

Collected: Stories from the Australian War Memorial explores artefacts in the museum of the Australian War Memorial. Join journalist Louise Maher over twelve episodes and take a closer look at the obscure, popular, strange and wonderful items in the collection. Louise peels back the past, highlights the history and uncovers the stories that the public don’t always get to hear. In this episode Louise looks at Australia's official copy of the Treaty of Versailles currently on display as part of the After The War exhibition. In conversation with Memorial curators Kerry Neale and Anthea Gun Louise explores the history of the treaty and the important role Australia played in its signing. Drawing on related artefacts from the collection, first hand accounts and historic material to bring the story to life.     

Episode two - A mother's love and memory Episode two explores the different ways mothers have dealt with the grief of losing sons in war. In conversation with Memorial curators Kerry Neale and Stephanie Boyle, Maher discovers the significance of a gold brooch and a tin of biscuits currently on display in the Memorial's After the war exhibition.

Episode three - The Bushmaster Episode three examines the innovative design and overseas deployment of the Australian-made Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle. In conversation with Memorial curator Nick Fletcher, and through the oral histories of Australian service personnel, Maher explains how this much-loved vehicle transports combat troops over rugged terrain and saves lives in war zones.

Episode four reveals the history and meaning of tattoos in the Australian Defence Force. In conversation with curator Stephanie Boyle, Canberra tattoo artist Peter Bone and through oral histories, Louise Maher shares the ways servicemen and women, their loved ones and veterans have inked their skin in commemoration, pride - or just to pass the time. 

Music has the ability to express feelings and ideas in simple, relatable ways; it has the capacity to bring people together and galvanise the spirit. So it should come as no surprise to discover that music of all kinds played an important role in the First World War. In Episode 5 of Collected Louise Maher talks to Senior Curator, Theresa Cronk and the Memorials Artist in Residence, Chris Latham about the music, the composers and the social impact.

Reverse-painted glass framed photographs are a rare and fragile part of the Memorial’s collection. The Memorial has the largest-known collection of these unique portraits in the world. In episode six of Collected Louise Maher talks to Curator Joanne Smedley about these works and the exhibition currently on display at the Memorial. In conversation with art conservator Janet Hearne, Louise gets an insight into the delicate challenge of preserving these precious artefacts.  

It’s 75 years since the D-Day landings in Normandy, France – the Allied invasion which led to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany. In Episode 7 of Collected, Louise Maher talks to Senior Curator Shane Casey about the small but important role Australians played in the campaign and shares first-hand accounts from some of the servicemen who risk their lives to be there.

Jim Easton and Lou Engledow were young men thrown together in the Second World War as prisoners of the Japanese on the Burma-Thailand Railway. In Episode 8 of Collected, Louise Maher is shown a scrap of red fabric, snatched by Jim and saved by Lou, that bears witness to their friendship and survival.

It’s 100 years since the first recipe for what we know as Anzac biscuits was published in a cookbook. In Episode 9 of Collected, Louise Maher explores the history of these sweet treats, and discovers how prisoners of war shared recipes for dozens of different dishes as a secret survival strategy.

The first Oscar awarded to an Australian film shines a spotlight on the work of ace war cinematographer Damien Parer. In Episode 10 of Collected, Louise Maher learns about the mystery behind the Academy Award in the Memorial’s collection and the impact of Parer’s 1942 film Kokoda front line!

Women have always played a vital role on the home front, supporting the war effort in a variety of ways from factory work to fund-raising. But women have also contributed though military service and by bearing witness. In Episode 11 of Collected, Louise Maher shares the war experiences of four very different women: Alice Chisholm, Olive Sherington, Nora Heysen and Sophia Le Faucheur.

Christmas is a meant to be a time of joy and celebration. So how have Australian servicemen and women – and their families at home – coped during times of war? In Episode 12 of Colllected, Louise Maher discovers some heart-warming Christmas stories told through some of the Memorial’s more unusual items.

During the Second World War, the oceans of the world became even more perilous – for civilians and merchant seamen as well as naval forces. In Episode 13 of Collected, Louise Maher explores the stories behind four maritime disasters and the people who survived against the odds.

Dogs have always accompanied Australians to war, as mascots, messengers, scouts, guards - and comforting companions in tough times. These days, dogs in the Australian Defence Force are highly trained and serve in specific and vital roles. In Episode 14 of Collected, Louise Maher learns about the long and varied history of military working dogs and visits a new memorial that honours their courage, skill and devotion.

During the Second World War, 10,000 Australians served in British-based Bomber Command. More than one in three were killed during air raids over Europe, in training, or in accidents. In Episode 15 of Collected, Louise Maher explores the remarkable history of the Memorial’s Lancaster Avro ‘G for George’ and the stories of the men who flew in these heavy four-engined bombers.

In 1993, the remains of a WWI Australian soldier were brought home from the battlefields of France and laid to rest in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial. In Episode 16 of Collected, Louise Maher discovers the history of the Unknown Soldier, meets the tomb’s caretaker and hears the story of the pigeon determined to share this sacred space by building a nest of poppies.

Just months before he sailed for Gallipoli a young Australian soldier on leave in Egypt recorded a letter to send home. This unique artefact is the oldest known recording of an ordinary solider at war. In Episode 17 of Collected, Louise Maher hears the story of the Lanser disc and other recorded letters and messages which enabled families on the home front to hear the voices of their loved ones serving overseas.

Towards the end of World War Two, Japan built and mobilised thousands of killer boats to defend its homeland and occupied territories from possible Allied invasion. In Episode 18 of Collected, Louise Maher discovers how one of these Shinyo suicide launches was captured by Australian troops in Borneo and used for joyrides after the war before finding a permanent home at the War Memorial.

Opportunities were limited for women who wanted to serve in World War One. But many women found a way to use their social position, skills, ingenuity or pure pluck to contribute to the war effort. In Episode 19 of Collected, Louise Maher shares the stories of three remarkable women, including the teenager who disguised herself as a young man to stow away on a troopship.

When the war in the Pacific ended on August 15, 1945, Australians went wild with joy. That day – VP (Victory in the Pacific) Day – was celebrated across the country with street parties and parades. But the day was also marked with sorrow for the tens of thousands of Australians killed or injured.  To commemorate the 75th anniversary of VP Day, Louise Maher explores the story of a young woman’s simple knitted vest that symbolised the relief of the nation and hope for the future.