Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are kindly advised that this website includes images, sounds and names of people who have passed.
All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified. Certain words, terms or descriptions may reflect the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written, but are now considered inappropriate in today's context.
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In the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents) |
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Only in the Library |
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Publicly available |
The Principal Librarian, William Ifould, recognised the significance of soldier's personal diaries and letters as important sources for generations of Australian students and researchers.
The European War Collecting Project (also known as the Soldiers' Diaries Collection or War Diaries Collection) was the name of the appeal launched by the Library in December 1918. Advertisements were placed in newspapers around Australia, New Zealand and in the United Kingdom for servicemen and their families to deposit material with the Library. Ifould was particularly interested in purchasing descriptive collections which expressed the personal feelings of the men, their experiences in battle and their observations of the conflict.
Throughout 1919 and into the 1920s material such as diaries, letters, photographs, maps, artwork and printed material came into the Library so that we now have a large collection which tells not only the stories of soldiers, but also of nurses who served, along with material about the home front in Australia during the war.
