ANZAC Voices Exhibition Review

Some things in life are better seen than heard, and this is the case with the latest exhibition at the Australian War Memorial. Entitled ‘Anzac Voices’ this new exhibition gives an intimate retelling of the first World War through the eyes of the Anzacs themselves.

Anzac Voices is a very surreal experience. It immerses you into the world of just a few of the 324,000 men and women who served overseas during World War I.

The exhibit acts as a time zone. As you walk through, you can read and learn about facts and statistics from each year of the war in which the Anzacs were.

Some of the diaries in the exhibition are quite gruesome and leave nothing to the imagination.

One of the treasures of the exhibition is the original diaries of Charles Bean. Bean was an official war correspondent and was heavily involved in the push for the establishment of the Australian War Memorial.

However, the best thing about the exhibition is being able to read the Anzac diaries, giving the visitor an intimate view into the mind of an Anzac soldier. Just being able to see war from their eyes, and how they speak of it is a humbling experience.

Below is a passage from one diary, which has been enlarged and placed on one of the walls in the exhibition.

I would recommend the Anzac Voices exhibition to anyone. It runs at the Australian War Memorial until November.

Text and images by Brent Ford