Following are some excerpts from The Rommel Papers (1953), which reproduces some letters from Rommel to his wife, in three of which he mentions Australian soldiers. Erwin Rommel was the German field marshal who led the German and Italian forces in North Africa during the Second World War. In a letter dated 25 April 1941 […]
Talk of the town [6 June 1942]
18 April 2015 by · Leave a Comment
[Editor: Extracts from the “Talk of the town” column, published in The Mail (Adelaide), 6 June 1942.] Talk of the town * Sharpening Blades The shortage of safety razor blades, which has put many men on a one-razor-blade-a-week basis, has led many to experiment with various sharpening devices. There is nothing new in the idea […]
To a Sea Curlew [poem by John Shaw Neilson, 1942]
5 March 2015 by · 1 Comment
[Editor: A poem by John Shaw Neilson. Published in the Jindyworobak Anthology, 1942.] To a Sea Curlew Unwanted, uninvited, supercilious — Such impudence I have not heard before. Your constant invitation to be bilious Insults me to the core. Luckily your cowardice is not contagious, I have heard such from immigrants before. Our own birds […]
The Sundowner [poem by John Shaw Neilson]
1 November 2014 by · 2 Comments
[Editor: A poem by John Shaw Neilson. Published in Beauty Imposes: Some Recent Verse (1938) and the Jindyworobak Anthology, 1942.] John Shaw Neilson The Sundowner I know not when this tiresome man With his shrewd, sable billy-can And his unwashed democracy His boomed-up pilgrimage began. Sometimes he wandered far outback On a precarious tucker track; […]
Anzacs [poem, 28 April 1942]
28 October 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Anzacs When you look back through the ages, Turning over history’s pages, You’ll find brave deeds of men In every war; But no breed of man looms bigger, Than the rough and ready Digger — My hat’s off to the Anzacs, It’s those guys I’m speaking for. The above poem was written by a corporal […]
The Institute of Australian Culture
