This month in response to photographs brought in by a member of the group, John reviewed how grave markers had changed once the Great War was over.  After the War, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission exhumed thousands of bodies from their graves on the battlefields with their homemade markers.  Instead, the bodies were interred in purpose built military cemeteries, each grave with a similar gravestone.

The family of the fallen Australian soldier could choose the emblem to be used - from a choice of three and the personal inscription to be used - provided it did not exceed a specified number of characters.  Families of Methodist soldiers who had fallen often requested the Star of David, rather than a cross, on the gravestone.  John would be very interested if anyone could provide a reason for this.

This month John also reviewed the ten gambles that Germany took in the Great War.  These gambles was all lost by Germany.  Each loss rendered Germany's task of winning the Great War more and more impossible.

It is said that war was the national sport of Germany, so John also compared these gambles with the equivalent gamble taken by Germany in the Second World War.  In eight of ten gambles, where there was an equivalent in the Second World War, Germany lost all these too.

John then showed the first episode of a French-Canadian documentary about the Great War.  The class commented on its power and impact.  This is because the documentary is in colour with people moving at normal speed. 
​
John Barry

The new course of ‘Over There’ commenced on January 16th with the screening of a revisionist BBC documentary that suggested that Britain fought the Great War in self defence. This view is at odds with all historical writing and research. The documentary also suggested that the British generals, no matter how incompetent they were, were doing their best when they sacrificed thousands of lives in futile and repeated frontal attacks.

As the documentary only dealt with the outbreak of war on the Western Front, John then led the class through the events that led to the Ottoman Turks allying themselves with the Central Powers of Germany and Austro-Hungary. He then explained why the Australians and New Zealanders ended up landing in the Dardanelles.

John also sought details of class members’ family members who had served in the Great War. This raised issues like enlistment of Australians in Britain and the disaster of Kut during the Mesopotamia campaign, both of which John hopes to explore in the next class. He will also cover the work of local Recruitment Committees and the experience of British Pals Battalions.

At our next session, after exploring war strategies of the various powers, John anticipates playing the first in a series of French Canadian documentaries that show the Great War as we have never seen it – in colour and with people moving at normal speed. These documentaries, based on French film, also show a different aspect to the Great War. 

​
John Barry