by Juliana Byers | Apr 26, 2024 | ANZAC Day, Australian History, Gallipoli, Memorials, Military History, Passchendaele, Post-1900, The Somme, World War 1
Today is the 25th of April, and the 109th anniversary of the catastrophic failure that was the Gallipoli invasion. Oops! Sorry Twitter-lynch mob, I meant today is the 109th anniversary of the greatest day in Australian history, where we became a nation, baptized in...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Australian History, Colonisation & Invasion, Indigenous Australia, Memorials, Military History, Museum, Pre-1900, Redcoats, Social History, The Australian Wars, True Crime, War Crime
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are warned that the following post contains references to colonial-era atrocities. The names of individuals who have died do not appear in this post. In February of 2023, the current chair of the Australian War Memorial...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Afghanistan, Military History, Modern Warfare, Recommended Reads
It is easier to consume stories of war long sanitised of personal suffering. After the cost of grief and the smell of death fades, we are left with the polished bones of valour and sacrifice. That other serious investment, the hurtful present, takes more from us....
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Afghanistan, Military History, Modern Warfare, True Crime, War Crime, World History
In June 2023, I wrote a post about the then recent finding in what had been dubbed the “Defamation Trial of the Century”: Ben Roberts-Smith vs. Fairfaix Media Pty. Ltd. For those who need a refresh, Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG was a former corporal in the Australian...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Australian History, Military History, Modern Warfare, True Crime, War Crime
Australia’s Uncomfortable Relationship With Our Military History Author’s Note: Since this post was published, Ben Roberts-Smith VC has appealed the findings against him. Juliana Byers16 June 2023 Dear Reader: This post was written for an undergraduate...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Australian History, Ballarat, Gold Rush, Military History, Political History, Pre-1900, Social History, The Eureka Stockade
Following on from my recent podcast, I want to talk a little more about why I think calling the Battle of the Eureka Stockade a rebellion is a misnomer. In the twenty-first century, particularly in countries with generally robust democracies (Australia among them),...
