Landships II

A sign of the times - The West Australian books editor  William Yeoman reviews a vegan/vegetarian/raw/dairy-free and gluten-free cookery book (if that's not too restrictive a term) while Helen Crompton reviews Australian War Memorial Treasures from a Century of Collecting.  Well, Crompton was editor in her time if I recall and certainly knows a thing or two about military history, leaving only Yeoman's credentials in the food preparation department to ponder.

Anyway, Treasures at $90 will surely interest Australians and the story of the creation and development of the Memorial itself is woven through the exhibits (and non-exhibited holdings) presentation.  Because of the scope there is not a huge amount of detail about anything but, needless to say, there seem to be may little snippets and clues to forgotten aspects of the many conflicts attended by Australian arms over the past 100 years or so and of the business of museum conservation and custodianship of the material mementos of such service and sacrifice in the name of the Crown, the commemoration of which is of course the heart of the AWM's purpose.

World War I naturally looms large in the book.  One little gem that caught my eye (and which is also documented online) - the hated tin discs.  Oddly enough, I can't recall hearing of those before but that is almost certainly the product more of my failing memory than of inadequate documentation.

I bought my copy from a retailer at a slight theoretical discount (one cent) but, alas, sans the autograph of Nola Anderson, Head of the National Collection Branch of the AWM and Acting Director, the accredited author of the book and principal contributor (Lt Gen Steve Gower AO AO, outgoing Director, wrote the Forward).