Research Catalog

The unseen Anzac : how an enigmatic explorer created Australia's World War I photographs

Title
The unseen Anzac : how an enigmatic explorer created Australia's World War I photographs / Jeff Maynard.
Author
Maynard, Jeff
Publication
Brunswick, Vic. : Scribe Publications, 2015.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JFE 16-12998Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
xxii, 267 pages : ill.; 23 cm
Summary
The previously untold story of an extraordinary man and a great war photographer. Cameras were banned at the Western Front when the Anzacs arrived in 1916, prompting correspondent Charles Bean to argue continually for Australia to have a dedicated photographer. He was eventually assigned an enigmatic polar explorer - George Hubert Wilkins. Within weeks of arriving at the front, Wilkins' exploits were legendary. He did what no photographer had previously dared to do. He went 'over the top' with the troops and ran forward to photograph the actual fighting. He led soldiers into battle, captured German prisoners, was wounded repeatedly, and was twice awarded the Military Cross - all while he refused to carry a gun and armed himself only with a bulky glass-plate camera. Wilkins ultimately produced the most detailed and accurate collection of World War I photographs in the world, which is now held at the Australian War Memorial. After the war, Wilkins returned to exploring and, during the next 40 years, his life became shrouded in secrecy. His work at the Western Front was forgotten, and others claimed credit for his photographs. Throughout his life, Wilkins wrote detailed diaries and letters, but when he died in 1958 these documents were locked away. Jeff Maynard follows a trail of myth and misinformation to locate Wilkins' lost records and to reveal the remarkable, true story of Australia's greatest war photographer.
Subject
  • Wilkins, George H. Sir, 1888-1958
  • Australian War Memorial > Photograph collections
  • War photographers > Australia > Biography
  • World War, 1914-1918 > Pictorial works
  • War photography > Australia > History
Call Number
JFE 16-12998
ISBN
  • 9781925106787
  • 1925106780
  • 1925321495
  • 9781925321494
OCLC
905594097
Author
Maynard, Jeff, author.
Title
The unseen Anzac : how an enigmatic explorer created Australia's World War I photographs / Jeff Maynard.
Publisher
Brunswick, Vic. : Scribe Publications, 2015.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Research Call Number
JFE 16-12998
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