Boronia Travel Centre

Australian War Memorial Exhibition

It was nearly a year ago when we reported about the discovery of a precious trove of photos, which were lost in the attic of a Farmhouse for nearly 100 years. This farmhouse was located in the small French village of Vignacourt, which always stood behind the front lines and became a place of refuge for many soldiers during the First World War.

They tell a story about the Australian involvement on the Western Front and the interaction between the soldiers and the local civilians, who often formed bonds and friendships as they endured military life. An enterprising photographer took the opportunity to take portraits of passers by while making a small quid at the same time. The photos were then printed onto postcards and posted home to loved ones in Australia.

The collection has since been purchased by Kerry Stokes and have been loaned to the Australian War Memorial for display in the Remember me: the lost diggers of Vignacourt exhibition until 31 July 2013.

For those of you who are planning a trip to Canberra over the coming months, you can join the Australian War Memorial each Wednesday (except boxing day) at 11:30am to hear stories behind these enchanting photographs. Click here for more information.

The photos were taken by the team at Boronia Travel Centre from a recent trip to the Australian War Memorial, where they had the privilege to be given an in depth look of all the artifacts on display.