At the outbreak of the First World War, one of the many tasks of Queensland’s Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Arthur Morgan, was to send secret despatches concerning domestic affairs to the Secretary of the State for the Colonies based in London. The first secret despatches sent after the commencement of war were written on 2 September 1914 […]
Few Brisbanites would know that the still-working Victoria Barracks, on Petrie Terrace, began its life in the heart of Brisbane Town in the 1800s. Free settler discontent with the raucous behaviour of those living and working at the garrison resulted in the building of new barracks on the elevated site now known as Petrie Terrace […]
In war, governments face the challenge of having to move large numbers of troops to the battlefield quickly and safely, usually under a shroud of national secrecy. And it was no different when Australian and New Zealand troops entered the First World War. In this post we consider the information available from our records that […]
Without accident or injury to person, horse or property: On 26 September 1914, John Dunn, Sub-inspector from the Traffic Office, Queensland Police Department penned these words in a report to his superiors. The words describe the success of the police involvement during the embarkation of the Queensland Quota of the Australian Expeditionary Force from Pinkenba. […]
Increased prices of everyday commodities are generally a concern for consumers no matter the era or circumstance. Soon after the outbreak of the First World War, international events began to impact on prices of goods in Australia for a number of reasons, such as increases in rates for marine insurance and the loss of trade […]
This blog post is part of a series of essays commissioned by Queensland State Archives and written by historian Professor Kay Saunders. In late May 1893 the Australian press enthusiastically covered the local tour of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir-apparent of the Hapsburg Empire.[1] His official visit to King George V in October 1913 was also […]
This blog post is part of a series of essays commissioned by Queensland State Archives and written by historian Dr Judith McKay. The number of men enlisting for active service at the outbreak of the First World War was high. However, by late 1915, as casualties rose and enlistments fell, the AIF faced a shortage of […]
This blog post is part of a series of essays commissioned by Queensland State Archives and written by historian Brian Rough. It would not be unreasonable to imagine that, as Australian soldiers marched off to war, they left behind them a home front which was politically homogeneous and uniformly resolute in its support of the troops […]