Historical society

The July meeting of the Warragul and District Historical Society will be held on Monday at 7.30pm at the Old Shire Offices, Queens St, Warragul.

The meeting will be addressed by a representative from Baw Baw Shire.

At the June meeting, the subject was “A World at War” - specifically World War I – as portrayed in postage stamps. Guest speaker was Peter Butcher, who focussed on how stamps from Australia, New Zealand, Britain and Canada honoured and commemorated significant events of the war.

Peter emphasised just how severe the impact of WWI was on all the countries, especially given the small populations of Australia and NZ. A former accountant, Peter had all the numbers at his command.

When the war started in 1914, Australia had a population of 4.9 million. Of that number, 417,000 enlisted (less than 8 per cent) and 60,000 died – almost half a generation. As well, 156,000 were gassed or wounded.

NZ fared even worse. Out of a population of 1.1 million, 10 per cent enlisted – 110,000. NZ lost 18,000 dead and up to 45,000 wounded. A total of 49 per cent of the enlisted were wounded or gassed.

Peter said many of the wounded in both countries did not survive their injuries for very long after the war.

Britain, with a population of 49 million, had 4.2 million men enlist. Ten per cent died and 2.7 million were wounded. “My father was not one of them,” he said.

Peter sourced stamps from Australia Post, Britain’s Royal Mail and NZ Post, with one or two from Canadian Post. Australia Post published historical stamps in 2014 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the war.

The first stamp represented the first battle of the war, when Australians captured the German outpost at Rabaul in New Guinea. Another depicted the Gallipoli disaster.

The next stamp featured the Western Front and the “disastrous Somme offensive”, with an image of the great nurse, Matron Wilson, who served in the Dardanelles and later in Egypt.

One stamp from 1917 showed the war was becoming mechanised through aerial warfare, while others depicted the battle at Ypres and the Light Horse in Egypt, Sinai, Gaza and Jerusalem. A telescope on the stamp belonged to war correspondent Charles Bean.

Peter said there was an Australian-Israeli stamp produced on the anniversary of the Light Horse attack on Beersheba. “Australia performed the last cavalry charge in history,” he said. “My father was part of the support group.”

The Australians’ leading role in defeating the Germans’ Hindenburg Line was commemorated on one stamp, which included an image of the great military leader General Monash. Monash, a “brilliant technician and damned good engineer”, went on to establish and lead the State Electricity Commission.

Two stamps were issued, along with a commemorative, decorated one-dollar coin produced by the Royal Mint that celebrated the Treaty of Versailles. “It’s based loosely on the medal given to school kids to commemorate the end of WWI.

“There are probably heaps of them in attics and in garages,” he said. “Look out for them.” An Anzac Day stamp featured a stretcher bearer. Saturday, August 31 from 12.30pm to approximately 5pm.

The workshop will be a fabulous opportunity to learn the preservation and conservation of old photos, documents, certificates; the practical use of scanners and camera equipment and computer software photo restoration programs with practical demonstrations. Cost: $10 includes Devonshire afternoon tea. Bookings are essential.

WGGS library opening hours are Wednesday to Friday 10am to 2pm, the second Saturday of the month 10am to 3pm and the fourth Sunday of the month 2pm to 4pm. Visitors welcome.

The society meet on the upper floor of the Old Shire Hall, Queen Street, Warragul at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Further details can be obtained from president Barbara Clayton, phone 5611 3871 or visit the website: www.westgippslandgenealogy.com