Episode 2: The Home Front during WWI

How was the impact of the First World War felt on Australian shores?

For how long did these effects reverberate on the lives of those left at home, and for those whose loved ones never returned? What were the effects of the First World War on the soldiers fortunate enough to make it home?

In this video, host Jack Evans speaks with Museum curators Nicole and Mikhala about how the government recruited soldiers to enlist, the ongoing impact of the war on those who returned, and the personal stories of people who lost loved ones on the battlefield.  

Reading sources

Take a close look at these primary sources from the Museum’s collection that include objects featured in the video, and examples of some of the imagery and visual culture surrounding the First World War.

View Gallery A billboard-sized recruitment poster of a soldier riding a brown horse while holding a sword and a British flag. The horse and soldier are galloping across a green field backed by a yellow sky. The man is wearing a khaki coloured uniform and a peaked cap. Black text in the top right corner reads ‘COME ON BOYS’, while below the horse the words 'FOLLOW THE FLAG!' stretch across the poster.

A billboard-sized recruitment poster of a soldier riding a brown horse while holding a sword and a British flag. The horse and soldier are galloping across a green field backed by a yellow sky. The man is wearing a khaki coloured uniform and a peaked cap. Black text in the top right corner reads ‘COME ON BOYS’, while below the horse the words 'FOLLOW THE FLAG!' stretch across the poster.

View Gallery A sepia portrait photograph on light card showing a man, Colyn Cohen, in military uniform. The man wears a peaked cap, a single breasted jacket with pockets, a tie and a leather strap across his torso. His shirt collar is pinned down by one long bar pin, and he wears badges on the jacket collar, epaulettes and hat.

A sepia portrait photograph on light card showing a man, Colyn Cohen, in military uniform. The man wears a peaked cap, a single breasted jacket with pockets, a tie and a leather strap across his torso. His shirt collar is pinned down by one long bar pin, and he wears badges on the jacket collar, epaulettes and hat.

View Gallery

A braille pocket watch which has a black and white enamelled dial with 'TAVANNES WATCH C2' and 'SWISS MADE' lettering, a metal case with a spring-hinged circular lid which is hinged from the left side, and an attached fob chain. The dial has an inner circle of black numbers, a middle circle of raised bumps with two bumps indicating the 12, 3, 6 and 9 positions and single bumps for the remaining. The chain has 'ST S' imprinted on the crossbar, indicating it is made from stainless steel.

View Gallery A braille pocket watch which has a black and white enamelled dial with 'TAVANNES WATCH C2' and 'SWISS MADE' lettering, a metal case with a spring-hinged circular lid which is hinged from the left side, and an attached fob chain. The dial has an inner circle of black numbers, a middle circle of raised bumps with two bumps indicating the 12, 3, 6 and 9 positions and single bumps for the remaining.

View Gallery Black and white photo of two people on a bike.

View Gallery

A sleeveless, white, cotton nightdress. The yoke of the nightdress is made from medallion crochet featuring a flower motif. The body of the nightdress is decorated with drawn thread work and the hem features a scalloped edge. A panel of crochet has been placed around the lower part of the nightdress, andf features a straight or plain crochet stitched top below which is medallion crochet in the same pattern as the yoke.

View Gallery A colour lithograph print with paper backing. At the top there is a man's head with a moustache and a spiked helmet emerging from smoke rising from a burning church tower and ruined buildings. He faces towards a young boy who is turning away from the scene with a hand to his face and his other arm outstretched. The boy stands on a map of Australia.

A colour lithograph print with paper backing. At the top there is a man's head with a moustache and a spiked helmet emerging from smoke rising from a burning church tower and ruined buildings. He faces towards a young boy who is turning away from the scene with a hand to his face and his other arm outstretched. The boy stands on a map of Australia.

View Gallery A postcard featuring a coloured print of a soldier bugler, beneath the draped flags of Great Britain and Australia, with the Australian coat of arms in between. A large backdrop of the Union Jack completes the scene. At the base of the illustration is text reading "The bugle calls our boys to arms/ To join the Empire's might". The postcard is unused.

A postcard featuring a coloured print of a soldier bugler, beneath the draped flags of Great Britain and Australia, with the Australian coat of arms in between. A large backdrop of the Union Jack completes the scene. At the base of the illustration is text reading "The bugle calls our boys to arms/ To join the Empire's might". The postcard is unused.

View Gallery A postcard featuring a photographic montage of a mother and daughter with an image of a soldier about them. The image is titled "FOND THOUGHTS / of YOU / While you're fighting / Australia's battle- / Far away across / the foam. / Remember there / are loving hearts / Who think of you / at home".

A postcard featuring a photographic montage of a mother and daughter with an image of a soldier about them. The image is titled "FOND THOUGHTS / of YOU / While you're fighting / Australia's battle- / Far away across / the foam. / Remember there / are loving hearts / Who think of you / at home".

View Gallery

A circular, bronze next-of-kin Plaque (or Memorial Plaque) with a rectanglular tablet and the name 'VINCENT ALEXANDER / BURNS'. The plaque is plain on one side and has a raised design on the other, featuring Britannia holding a trident and standing with a lion at her feet. Her outstretched arm is holding an oak wreath. Two dolphins swim around Britannia and a second lion is depicted at the lower edge tearing apart a German eagle. The text 'HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR' is cast around the picture.

Activities

Choose one of the posters or postcards from the slideshow above and respond to the following:
- Who do you think the item was made for? Make an argument to support your idea.
- Examine the item closely. Identify and list its elements, such as colours, lines, shapes, fonts, spacing between elements and how the elements relate to one another. Next to each element, note a few descriptive words that could be associated with it.
- Why are these elements included? What ideas or messages do you think the creator wanted to communicate? Do you think the item communicates these ideas effectively? Why or why not?
- Revisit your original argument about the target audience. Rewrite your response, incorporating what you discovered through your close analysis.
In the video, you heard the story of Muriel McPhee, who lost her fiancé in the Second World War. Put her name into the Museum’s Collection Explorer to find some other objects that belonged to Muriel. How do these objects add to your understanding of her experiences?
The Next of Kin plaque (also known as a Dead Man’s Penny) shown briefly in the video, was given to Mrs Edith Burns who lost her son Vincent in the First World War. Take a close look at the imagery on the plaque and research what the elements symbolise.

Some families returned the Dead Man’s Penny they received, while others chose to keep it. How might you have responded if you had received a Dead Man’s Penny, and why?