Charles Bean’s war

Charles Bean working with dozens of files while writing the Official History.
Charles Bean at work

Your greatest post-war writing was still to come, and it was while writing the first volume of the Official history of Australia's part in the war that you met and fell in love with Effie who became your wife in 1921, and she's here tonight. Effie, could you tell us about Charles' writing process and what became of the Official History?

Bean's Official History took 22 years to finish. Finally finished in 1941, it was a labour of love as is evidenced in his letter about the two big events in his life (.docx 528kB).Watch the fifth video (The History) in the Historians section of Charles Bean’s Great War to hear about his writing of the book.