The ANZAC Book

The ANZAC Book
Name	The ANZAC Book
Caption	Cover of the original 1916 edition
Author	various; edited by Charles Bean
Country	Australia
Language	English
Subject	World War I, Gallipoli
Genre	Anthology, Illustrated book
Publisher	Smith's Weekly (original), later editions
Pub date	1916
Pages	~200

The ANZAC Book The ANZAC Book was a 1916 anthology produced by soldiers at Gallipoli Campaign and published for public sale in Australia and New Zealand. Edited under the supervision of official historian Charles Bean, the volume gathered contributions by participants who later served on fronts including Western Front, Sinai and Palestine Campaign, and Mesopotamian Campaign. It became associated with commemorations such as ANZAC Day and influenced subsequent historiography in institutions like the Australian War Memorial and the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Background and Origins

The project originated amid the 1915 evacuation from Gallipoli Campaign when soldiers billeted near Suvla Bay, Anzac Cove, and Cape Helles produced sketches referencing Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood, General Sir Ian Hamilton, Kemal Atatürk, and episodes like the Landing at Anzac Cove. Inspired by trench publications such as the Wipers Times and influenced by accounts of Lord Kitchener, Sir John Monash, Sir George Foster Pearce, and reportage in newspapers like The Argus (Melbourne), contributors aimed to document experiences connected to the Dardanelles Campaign. The initiative involved collaboration between representatives of Australian Imperial Force and New Zealand Expeditionary Force units including the 1st Infantry Battalion (Australia), NZEF Canterbury Battalion, and personnel attached to the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Compilation and Contributors

The anthology was compiled by soldiers and staff officers, coordinated by figures connected to Charles Bean and editors from publications such as Smith's Weekly and the Sydney Morning Herald. Contributors included artists who later worked with the Australian War Memorial like Will Dyson and writers who served in brigades such as 2nd Brigade (Australia), 3rd Brigade (New Zealand), and individuals later linked to institutions like University of Melbourne and Victoria University of Wellington. The roster featured sketches, poems, and satires referencing contemporaries such as Keith Murdoch, C.E.W. Bean, Patrick Shaw, Leonard Woolf, and lesser-known corporals and lieutenants dispersed across regiments including the Royal Navy, Australian Light Horse, and New Zealand Rifle Brigade.

Content and Themes

Contents combined artwork, verse, and prose addressing episodes at Anzac Cove, Chunuk Bair, The Nek, and Hill 60. Recurring themes invoked leaders like Lord Kitchener and locales such as Alexandria, Egypt, Gallipoli Peninsula, Lemnos, and Suez Canal; references extended to battles like Battle of Lone Pine, Battle of Krithia, Battle of Chunuk Bair, and later theatres like the Battle of the Somme. Tone ranged from satirical lampoons of officers and nods to British Expeditionary Force bureaucracy to elegiac verse recalling comrades buried in cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Visual contributions drew on styles associated with artists like H. M. Bateman and evoked material culture including regimental insignia of units like the 5th Light Horse Regiment.

Publication and Distribution

First editions were issued by printers linked to Smith's Weekly and distributed via bookshops in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, and through military channels connected with the Australian Imperial Force Canteen Service and NZEF canteen. Sales and reprints involved commercial partners and charitable organisations including Returned Servicemen's League branches and publishers with ties to Angus & Robertson. Exported copies reached audiences in London, New York City, and ports such as Port Said and Marseille where soldiers on leave procured copies. Subsequent facsimile and edited editions were later curated by bodies including the Australian War Memorial and academic presses at University of New South Wales and Victoria University of Wellington.

Reception and Legacy

Contemporary reception among newspapers such as The Age (Melbourne), The Times (London), and The New Zealand Herald varied from praise for candid soldierly voices to critique from commentators influenced by figures like William Hughes and Andrew Fisher. Veterans' organisations like the Returned and Services League of Australia and memory institutions including Auckland War Memorial Museum preserved copies used in commemorations such as ANZAC Day services and exhibitions curated alongside artefacts from Gallipoli. The book informed memoirists including Charles Bean himself, influenced later literary treatments by authors such as C. E. W. Bean and novelists like Henry Lawson-inspired writers, and provided source material for historians working with archives at the National Archives of Australia.

Cultural and Historical Significance

Over decades the anthology has been cited in scholarship on the Gallipoli Campaign, performance of national identity in Australia and New Zealand, and studies of soldier culture alongside comparative works on the Western Front, Crimean War, and Boer War. Museums and educational programs at institutions such as the Australian National University and Te Papa Tongarewa have used the book to illustrate soldier humour, visual culture, and commemoration practices related to sites like Lone Pine Memorial and Anzac Cove Cemetery. The volume remains a primary-source artefact for researchers consulting collections at the Australian War Memorial, National Library of Australia, and the Alexander Turnbull Library, and continues to appear in exhibitions, lectures, and curricula addressing the legacy of the Dardanelles Campaign and the formation of trans-Tasman remembrance.

Category:Books about World War I Category:Gallipoli Campaign Category:Australian non-fiction books Category:New Zealand non-fiction books