Brisbane at War 1899–1918

Brisbane History Group (edited by Barry Shaw)

Brisbane at War 1899-1918 is the Brisbane History Group’s twenty-sixth volume of papers. In total there are eleven chapters. All were mostly delivered at BHG functions. Two are from a seminar entitled ‘For Queen and Empire: Queensland and the South African War 1899–1902’ held on 26 May 2012 and seven were delivered at our seminars ‘Brisbane and World War I’ held on 6 September 2014 and 3 October 2015. An additional two papers were delivered elsewhere.

Written by amateurs, professionals and academics, the chapters offer a diverse range of subjects. Themes include:
• the importance of military medicine during the Second South African War
• the Dutch attitudes and responses to the Boers and British and their decision to adopt a ‘neutral’ position
• the story of the twelve Brisbane Grammar School old boys who fought in the Second South African War and World War I
• the increasing activity at the Port of Brisbane as troops embarked for Europe and German raiders ventured into the Pacific
• the underage enlistees, their motives, their experiences, their fate and the aftermath
• the paediatricians and paediatric nurses who readily volunteered for duty in World War I
• the formation of the Women’s Peace Army and its ‘war against war’ … and conscription
• the influences on Canon John Garland and his design for the Anzac Day service
• the sorry saga of the Clark Memorial Windows at St John’s Cathedral
• the response of Brisbane theatre to the changing attitudes of audiences in World War I
• the opportunities to display patriotism in a range of different performances

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