Curiosity—Stories of those who report during wartime

In the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra there are 15 stained-glass windows. Each shows a figure dressed in military uniform, and under each figure is a word which describes a quality displayed by Australians during wartime. One window features an infantryman wearing a trench mortar uniform. He represents all service men and women who have gained knowledge from enquiry, symbolised by an eye in the Egyptian style from which stream rays of light.

This window bears the word Curiosity.

Note to reader: These stories relate to war and conflict. You may feel sad after reading some of them. Teachers may wish to be sensitive to students who have family members serving overseas in war zones.

  • Curiosity—Stories of those who report during wartime
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Captivating images: Frank Hurley

Misty, war-devastated forest. Tree trunks, with no branches or foliage fill the top of the image. In the foreground a muddy swamp area is seen, which has a wooden walkway passing through the middle. 5 soldiers in uniforms are walking along the walkway

This image by Hurley shows five Australian soldiers in Chateau Wood, Belgium, in October 1917. [AWM E01220]

What emotional response do you have to this image?

Frank Hurley was already well-known for his adventure-filled photos before taking on the role of frontline photographer during the First World War. Hurley was mindful of what would best engage his audience, a skill that saw him capture both horror and beauty in war.

Hurley began his career working for a postcard company in Sydney, and went on to work as a photographer and filmmaker in exotic locations around the world. Prior to the First World War, his images of the Antarctic, the Australian outback and Java had already amazed large audiences. In recognition of his technical and artistic skills, Hurley was appointed official war photographer in August 1917.

Hurley was first sent to the Western Front, where he captured many haunting images. Although shocked by the ‘hell one sees out here … strewn with ghastliness’, he did not protect his audience from the death and destruction that he found.1

Referred to as ‘the mad photographer’ by the troops, Hurley often risked his own safety to get shots. On 26 September 1917, for example, he wrote in his diary:

… a terrific angry rocket like shriek warned us to duck. This we did by throwing ourselves flat in a shell hole half filled with mud. A fortunate precaution for immediately a terrific roar … and up went timber, stones, shells and everything else in the vicinity.2

Although determined to present the reality of war, he sometimes enhanced the photographs he took. Using a composite technique, Hurley at times merged negatives together to create one photograph from several images. While some people, including the official war correspondent Charles Bean, believed such images were ‘fake’, Hurley argued the technique allowed the features of war to be better captured. As he explained:

To include the event on a single negative, I have tried and tried, but the results are hopeless. Everything is on such a vast scale. Figures are scattered – the atmosphere is dense with haze and smoke – shells will not burst where required – yet the whole elements of a picture are there could they but be brought together and condensed.3

Troops moving on a road through a devastated town. A long line of troops marches in single file in the foreground. The road is littered with rocks and debris. Another group is moving behind them in the opposite direction.

Hurley captured the devastation of war in this image of Australian soldiers passing through Ypres, Belgium, on 25 October 1917. [AWM E04612]

How do you think the Australian public reacted to images like this during the war?

Hurley felt so strongly about using the composite technique that he threatened to resign when he was ordered by Bean to stop. After negotiations, Hurley moved to the Middle East where he could work more freely. During this time, he created some stunning images of the Australian Light Horse in desert landscapes.

After the war, Hurley resumed his private adventures, continuing to make films that won him worldwide recognition and respect. In 1940, just after the Second World War began, he was again appointed as an official photographer. He returned to the Middle East, creating both films and stills as military events unfolded. By this time, however, he was working alongside younger photographers who had new ideas and methods. Hurley’s contribution was somewhat overshadowed by this next generation.

Frank Hurley returned to Australia, and to his family, in 1946 and continued to take and publish photographs. He died in Sydney in 1962, aged 76.

battle scene, which includes several aircraft flying above. On the flat, cleared ground there are two trenched areas. Soldiers carrying rifles can be seen in and above the trenches. There are numerous smoky explosions evident in the sky and on the ground.

The photo on the left, known as ‘Over the top’ is an example of Hurley’s composite images, in which he combined several negatives to make a new image. It was exhibited for several months in London in 1918. The photo on the right, taken in Belgium in September 1917, was used in the composite. [AWM E05988B AWM E05429]

Do you think the composite image is ‘fake’? And if so, does it matter?

Fast facts: Newsreels

During both the First and Second World Wars Australians received much of their news through short films known as newsreels. Visiting the cinema was a popular pastime and newsreels were shown frequently, sometimes running continuously and at other times accompanying a feature film. During the First World War newsreels were silent and text was displayed on screen between scenes to provide information to the audience. By the Second World War the films had sound, including musical effects, but they were still made in black and white.

Twenty soldiers who are part of a group standing in formation on a ship’s deck. The soldiers are all wearing helmets and masks, which cover their entire faces. The masks include round goggles and a breathing tube that extends down from the mouth area

Hurley’s image of a respirator drill on board a transport vessel, 1940. [AWM 003583]

Why do you think soldiers needed to use masks like this during the war?

Did you know?

As a photographer, Hurley joined several expeditions to Antarctica, including Shackleton’s 1914 expedition during which the ship was crushed by ice. Although the men were forced to abandon ship and all but essential equipment, Hurley managed to save some of his images captured on heavy photographic plates.

Formal black and white portrait image of Hurley. He is wearing full uniform, including a slouch house with the rising sun badge.
Twelve rectangular aluminium film carrier plates, consisting of a flat plate sliding within a tin carrier.
Rectangular gray paper envelope with pink label saying: 'Colour Corrections for Autochrome plates ….’. Rectangular colour tissue filters from the envelope, in yellow, green, blue and pink, are also displayed.
Sweeping black and white image of a large desert area covered with sand dunes. In one section, many hundreds of mounted troops can be seen in different group formations.
Black and white image showing Hurley, as a middle-aged man, carrying a film camera and stand on his shoulder. He is in uniform and the open door of an AIF vehicle can be seen beside him. There is a field behind him and a large town in the background.
  • 1. Frank Hurley, diary, 12 October 1917
  • 2. Frank Hurley, diary, 26 September 1917
  • 3. Julian Thomas, Showman: The photography of Frank Hurley, National Library of Australia 1990, p. 12