Original Gallipoli Video Footage

[Guest Peter King]

Julian

The key factor in the Australian experience was that it received greatest impetus OUTSIDE politics.

Although Dr CEW Bean did give the project great impetus, the average Australian family contributed greatly to the various progrannes. This was mainly done in genuine remembrance of family members.

The Official Histories that are now on line to us, were subscribed to by many families hoping to understand the part their loved ones had played. The moving "Menin Gate at Midnight" which is such a haunting feature of the Memorial today, was run-off into thousands of copies and sold door to door.

It is a pity that many of the people now deriving such research assistance from the Memorial are not appreciative of the additional sacrifices made by the soldiers' families and communities during the very hard times in the 1920 to 1950 period.

[Guest Bill Woerlee]

Peter King, good to see that you have a handle on the political process. I'll explain it simply for you - this is a hyperthetical example Peter - when people want something, say to get rid of a serial cyber stalker - then there is agitation. Consensus by normal users vote to expel the stalker. Twenty odd expulsions later and the sociopath - usually sad and miserable people - doesn't take the hint. So there is agitation with the police who see a weakness in the criminal justice system and they in turn seek to redress this by legislative change which the government does after community consultation - mainly forum boards - when such a thing becomes a crime and the police get funding to enforce that part of the law.

The key here is popular demand. That is the thing that kicks a political process off. Then it gains momentum. Without an established community consensus, no political action occurs. So Peter, that is how the political process works.

The AWM has achieved a community consensus led by Bean. Sadly there are people who believe that everything is set in stone and cannot understand where the community has moved. But that is okay, just so long as they don't impose their peculiar ideas on the rest of us.

I hope this makes things crystal clear for you Peter. I would hate you to have any misunderstandings.

[Julian Whippy]

Bill and Peter

thanks both for your words. They give me an insight into how the AWM site has come about and is kept up,

I did not appreciate the NZ state of affairs, but sounds like there is progress to be made there too.

We all know there is always money involved and anything provided for or from the Government always comes from the lowest bidder, comforting ? Not.

Thanks and lets hope the NZ and UK online facilities for us improve.

jw

[Jerrymurland]

Just come across the Gallipoli site and this thread. You mention the AWM and how it came about etc. I for one am very grateful to the AWM, they provided me with my great uncle's papers and all in the space of three weeks! Absolutely right in thinking we need a similar organisation here in the Uk. so much of our research is split between Kew, the IWM, British Library etc etc.

Jerry

[Guest jayspence]

Hi Jerry jw

A summary of the rationale behind the institution that became the War Memorial is here

www.awm.gov.au/aboutus/origins.htm

It might be noted that it would be written by the newer regime and may suffer a little from spin doctoring

What is not mentioned here is the "Roll of Honour" database that is based on the questionnaires that were sent to relatives of each person who died in the Great War. That information has been collated onto a searchable data base, and the relevant responses attached. The emotional content of those responses could never be adequately categorised, but gives some indication of the true losses to Australia.

The above summary does perpetuate the myth that the Memorial is government founded and funded. As were a lot of the normal memorials though, the men themselves were the prime movers and main contributors. Families of the casualties contributed to the many fund raising schemes in memory of those men.

What should be noted in that article is Bean's stipulations that the charter should not glorify war, and more importantly should not brag about victory.