Charles Bean’s war

© Public domain

Probably no person had a greater influence on how Australians saw, and still see, our participation in the First World War than journalist and historian Charles Bean. Bean was responsible for several 'histories' of the war, including his:

• newspaper reporting of the conflict

• personal diaries

• official history of the First World War

• selection of objects for the Australian War Memorial.

Read three sources (.docx 529kB) of Charles Bean's writing about the Gallipoli campaign.

In a group discuss which of the sources is:

• an extract from a newspaper story

• from his official war history

• from his personal diary.

Give reasons for your answers.

Now discuss:

• How are Bean's accounts different from one another? Why?

• What restrictions and constraints were placed on his writing?

• Why are some sources positive and optimistic while others are negative and critical?

• Who is the intended audience for each passage?

• Are they credible and reliable sources of history? How do you know?