Writing the war: personal stories from WWI

Nurse, bank clerk, farmer, sports master, journalist, artist, activist – encounter seven ordinary Australians and hear their extraordinary stories of war in this moving exhibition tracing WWI through personal accounts. Between 2015 to 2017 this landmark exhibition will appear at the State Library and 12 public libraries throughout Victoria.

Explore many perspectives on WWI, from private correspondence with anxious families and friends back home, to powerful outcries seeking to sway public opinion about the war effort. Hear female perspectives on the horrors from the frontlines, and see everyday life as a soldier captured on camera. Long before Facebook posts and Skype calls, Australians serving during WWI shared their experiences through letters, diaries and photographs sent to loved ones. Watch, listen to and feel the power of those words brought to life through film and audio presentations.

At the State Library Writing the war is complemented by a special WWI centenary display in The changing face of Victoria exhibition (Level 5, Dome Galleries, State Library Victoria). Each Victorian public library will display Writing the war alongside historic WWI material drawn from those regional communities.

Exhibition locations and dates

Experience the Writing the war exhibition at any one of these locations:

• Palmer Hall, State Library Victoria (328 Swanston Street, Melbourne), 9 April 2015 to 8 March 2016
• Morwell Library (65 Elgin Street, Morwell), 7 August to 27 September 2015
• Box Hill Town Hall, Whitehorse Manningham Library Corporation (1022 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill), 2 October to 11 November 2015
• The Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Learning Centre - Benalla Library (2 Fawckner, Benalla), 16 November 2015 to 18 January 2016
• Beechworth Bourke Museum, Indigo Shire Libraries (Loch Street, Beechworth), 22 January to 6 March 2016
• Echuca Library (310 Hare Street, Echuca), 11 March to 1 May 2016
• Swan Hill Library (53/67 Campbell Street, Swan Hill), 6 May to 25 June 2016
• Eltham Library (Panther Place, Eltham), 4 August to 29 August 2016   
• Plaza Library (Werribee Plaza, Heaths Road and Derrimut Road), 9 September to 13 November 2016
• Ballarat Library (Doveton Street, North Ballarat), 18 November 2016 to 8 January 2017
• Portland Library (32 Bentinck Street, Portland), 13 January to 5 March 2017
• Avondale Heights Library and Learning Centre (69-79 Military Road, Avondale Heights), 10 March to 30 April 2017   
• Williamstown Library (104 Ferguson Street, Williamstown), 5 May to 25 June 2017
• Kilmore Library (12 Kilmore Street, Kilmore), 4 July to 15 August 2017
• Bairnsdale Library (22 Service Street, Bairnsdale), 30 August to 11 October 2017
• Cranbourne Library (65 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne), 26 October to 7 December 2017
• Tallangatta Library (33–37 Towong Street, Tallangatta), 22 December 2017 to 2 February 2018
• Mornington Library (Vancouver Street, Mornington), 17 February to 31 March 2018
• Caroline Springs Library (193–201 Caroline Springs Boulevard, Caroline Springs), 18 April to 4 June 2018