Discovering ANZACs in Victoria

What was life like for Victorian WW1 soldiers when they returned from the war?
This talk analyses public records such as mental health, medical and land settlement files linked to WW1 returned soldiers. Through the records we can uncover the scale of injuries returned soldiers suffered, as well as the economic impact and farming life the soldiers faced when settled throughout regional Victoria. They provide an insight into how Australian society and the lives of these soldiers and their families were changed forever.

The National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria hold many records relating to defence force personnel who served in World War 1.

This talk analyses public records such as mental health, medical and land settlement files linked to WW1 returned soldiers. The presentation will focus on National Archives’ Albany Repatriation and Public Record Office Victoria’s Battle to Farms soldier settlement records.

These two major digitisation projects have uncovered the scale of injuries returned soldiers suffered, as well as the economic impact and farming life the soldier’s faced when settled throughout regional Victoria. They provide an insight into how Australian society and the lives of these soldiers and their families were changed forever.

Speakers:

JP Grenade is the Project Support Officer for Project Albany. JP manages volunteers who are working on repatriation records which illustrate the impact of WWI on families and communities as well as individual servicemen and women.

Daniel Wilksch is Coordinator, Digital Projects at Public Record Office Victoria and has been involved in many projects putting archival information online, including the Battle to Farm soldier settlement digitisation project. The photo above of WW1 soldier John Joseph Gervasoni and his family features in one of the stories that will be told on the site.