Australian War Stories project researches individual tales of our First and Second World War soldiers

GASSED, shot and punished for being drunk. Many of us know our relatives were “in the war” — but have no idea what they actually did.

IN August 1916, Charles Alexander Timms was an Aussie teenager who enlisted as a machine-gunner in the great adventure of World War One.

Like so many men and women of that era, the conflict will have marked him for life — and, directly or indirectly, impacted on his descendants.

Yet to his family alive today, the war service of “Grandpa Charlie” was little more than a jumble of half-remembered anecdotes. Until recently.

Now they know that the Queensland lad fibbed about his age to join up, that he did his initial training at Seymour Camp in country Victoria. They know what life was like for him there and during the eight weeks he spent on his troopship, HMAT Orontes, with men from all over the country — and what happened to him after he was “taken on strength” into the 13th Machine Gun Company in May 1917.

GASSED, SHOT ... AND PAY DOCKED FOR BEING DRUNK

They know that Charlie, as a participant in the Battle of Messines in June 1917, saw an entire ridge blown up and heard “the whole place rocked with the concussion”.

And also how he must have felt on June 13, when the men of his company finally got a hot bath after a week in the trenches. They have learnt that Charlie was gassed, got a gunshot wound in the neck, and was docked 14 days’ pay for being drunk.

They also know how, back in Bunya, Charlie’s family worried for him — and how their soldier son wrote home saying: “Don’t you think it’s time some of the older chaps ought to be coming over? We’re just a pack of kids here and the last reinforcements were boys just like us.”

Every soldier has a story … and now it can be told.

A book publishing venture, which narrates the personal wartime experience of men and women who served our country in World War I and World War II, is today being launched by the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

‘EVERY PERSON’S STORY IS DIFFERENT’

The Australian War Stories project compiles a soldier’s own war journey and tells it in a 10,000-word story. It is then put together in a single book, a quality 96-page hardcover publication that’s exclusive for each individual.

“We believe this is a very special way for families to understand and preserve for evermore the story of their loved one who went to war,” AAP Chief Executive Officer Bruce Davidson said.

“Every person’s story is different and we are able to craft in compelling detail each individual’s experience, from enlistment to end of service.

“It really puts the reader in their relative’s footsteps, in a way that has not been done before.”

Each Australian War Stories book is individually researched, using official records from the National Archives of Australia, the Australian War Memorial, Australian Defence Force archival material, as well as soldiers’ letters and newspaper accounts of the time.

The personalised stories trace the individual’s military service from the day of enlistment to the end of service, including detailed information about their units, training, postings, medical history, character assessment, battles and medals. It also draws on official military unit diaries to accurately recount the day-to-day life of the individual.

Each story is overlaid with the wider context of the war, to deliver the reader a complete picture of their relative’s actual experience. It also includes four pages of photographs.

UP TO 12 MILLION AUSTRALIANS ARE DESCENDANTS OF VETERANS

The launch of Australian War Stories coincides with 100th anniversary of the start of Australia’s involvement in World War I, on August 4, 1914, and the 75th anniversary of the start of World War II, on September 3, 1939.

More than 400,000 Australians served in World War I and almost 1 million served in World War II. It is estimated there are approximately 10-12 million living direct descendants of the veterans.

The Executive Editor of Australian War Stories, Philip McLean, said: “As Australia marks these important milestones, many families will naturally reflect on the service their relative gave during war.

“Through Australian War Stories, we are able to take those families deep inside the personal experience of their relative and provide a lasting tribute — one that can be passed from generation to generation.

“The project is designed to enable families to come together and commission their relative’s war story. The book we write for them becomes a lasting record of their loved one’s commitment and sacrifice in war.”

Additional information about the project can be found at www.australianwarstories.com.au.

Originally published as Australian War Stories project researches individual tales of our First and Second World War soldiers