AnzacLive stories bring veterans back to life 100 years on

WITH almost 40,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram you’d expect a wide range of people loving AnzacLive — but perhaps not these two.

Anzac stories take readers to war zone

WITH almost 40,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram you’d expect a wide range of people loving AnzacLive.

But you might not expect these two — a 92-year-old WWI widow and an octogenarian who has just gone digital specifically to take part.

Lois James is the daughter of AnzacLive character Bert Reynolds — and she has joined Facebook in her mid-80s so she can follow her father’s Gallipoli exploits 100 years later from the comfort of her retirement village.

Hero ... Bert Reynolds, one of the soldiers featured in the AnzacLive project.

“It’s a wonderful thing for our family,” she said. “Very special.”

“It takes people straight to the war zone. And I think it gives younger people in particular a good understanding of what it was like over there.”

Melbourne-based Lois said her late brother Rex, who compiled a book of Bert’s correspondence on which AnzacLive partly relies, would have loved the project.

And her son, the 3AW radio host Darren James, says it’s amazing to see his grandfather brought to life 100 years later.

“It’s really innovative, it makes it so interesting,” he said.

Questions answered ... crime author Sarah Hilary discovered her great-great uncle Arthur James Adams’ story through Anzac Live.

Extended family members are also following Bert from WA and NSW — including Jenny Tubby, who loaned AnzacLive a suitcase of family mementos to help illustrate Bert’s story, and her daughter Samantha.

A few years Lois’ senior is Tasmania’s Marion Uren, widow of Gallipoli veteran Len Uren.

She keeps in contact with her family on Facebook and was introduced to Archie Barwick by her granddaughter.

“It reads very well and I thought he must be still alive! Archie’s stories make me smile,” she said.

“Len [her late husband and Gallipoli veteran] took me to Cairo and took photos of me standing in many of the spots he had done guard duty. He told me stories of the brothels and how wild it was, but said those temptations were not for him.”

Fascinating story ... World War I veteran and diarist Archie Barwick.

Families of many characters have got behind the innovative project, which tells the stories of nine real wartime men and women as if they are posting in real time from this day in 1915.

For UK-based crime author Sarah Hilary, discovering her great-great uncle Arthur James Adams’ story through Anzac Live answered a lot of questions.

One of the project’s greatest supporters, Sarah is socially savvy and is keeping her family connected with Arthur’s Gallipoli adventure as it happened 100 years ago.

“I’m keeping my mum up to date … she’s been really interested to hear everything,” she said.

“Especially the parcel from Wolverton — albeit everything smashed to bits — when we’ve wondered whether the family had stayed in touch after Arthur emigrated.”

Social media ... Tasmania’s Marion Uren, widow of Gallipoli veteran Len Uren, was introduced to the story of Archie Barwick by her granddaughter. Picture: Elenor Tedenborg

Of course the majority of AnzacLive’s followers are not related — but they are just as dedicated, chatting to the characters almost every day and looking forward to Saturday’s live blog, covering the Gallipoli landing as if a breaking news event.

At the other end of the age scale from Lois and Marion are the many schoolkids whose imaginations have been fired up.

Teacher Michelle Stone, of Epsom Primary School in Victoria, asked questions of our characters on her students’ behalf via Twitter, saying they are “very excited about the responses.”

“@AnzacLive stimulating lots of classroom discussion,” she tweeted. “Places in the world kids have never heard of #googlemaps used.”

And our favourite question from her charges was from Thomas, age seven.

“@AnzacLive Do you know where Gallipoli is? from Thomas (7)”

We do — and we’d love to take you all on our journey there.

Originally published as AnzacLive stories bring veterans back to life 100 years on