History & Culture Archives

Gallery: Love tokens from Aussie convicts and soldiers

We think of Australia’s penal settlement and its wars as times of great turmoil for many, of events that changed things on a national and global scale. Yet, it is important to remember that amongst these events were people just like us. The Australian War Memorial and the National Museum hold an immense collection of material tracing the nation’s history and wars. In-between the battle plans and the official histories are many small gems which remind us of the resilience of the human spirit and the necessity of love. Most images and captions are courtesy of Rebecca Britt, a curator at the Australian War Memorial and author of the book, Stories of Love and War.

History & Culture

Governors-General of Australia

OF AUSTRALIA’s 25 governors-general before Peter Cosgrove, only three were long-term career army officers. Several others, however, had distinguished war records. And, as was common in the upper reaches of British society a century or more ago, some combined military careers with politics and other forms of public service. Alexander Hore-Ruthven, Earl of Gowrie, who… View Article