Quick March! The Children of World War I

A personal look at children’s lives during the First World War.

PAST EXHIBITION

Exhibition

Saturday 16 March 2019 to Sunday 13 October 2019

View opening hours

Admission: Free

Location

Exhibition Galleries

State Library of New South Wales

1 Shakespeare Place

Sydney

NSW

2000

Australia

Quick March! The Children of World War I

Join us for an intimate, personal look at children’s lives during the First World War. Built around a remarkable collection of family correspondence, Quick March! The children of World War I chronicles the lives, loves and losses of children whose relatives served on the Front. As young adults, these children went on to serve in the Second World War, just 20 years after the jubilation of the peace year in 1919.

Oil painting showing old man and young boy looking at a map. A woman turns away from them weeping. — **Where Daddy Fell** {"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/where-daddy-fell","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/ml_1497.jpg?itok=lz-aBz0t","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/ml_1497.jpg?itok=9fUVbz1u","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/ml_1497.jpg?itok=lz-aBz0t","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/ml_1497.jpg?itok=9fUVbz1u","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/public\/ml_1497.jpg?itok=m3CT267T","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/public\/ml_1497.jpg?itok=iW6RnGPW","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/public\/ml_1497.jpg?itok=ZN_ERxbT"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/ml_1497.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":2000,"height":1743}
1915
Antonio Dattilo Rubbo
Call # ML 1497
Digital ID:
None
View collection item detail

A child's pencil drawing of soldiers marching in a line across the top of yellowed page, with a torn bottom. — **Ink and pencil drawing of soldiers** {"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/ink-and-pencil-drawing-soldiers","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/a4850137.jpg?itok=wTQkA1--","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/a4850137.jpg?itok=Sgjw7qW-","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/a4850137.jpg?itok=wTQkA1--","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/a4850137.jpg?itok=Sgjw7qW-","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/public\/a4850137.jpg?itok=I5HgpbEd","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/public\/a4850137.jpg?itok=uZZQzoEr","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/public\/a4850137.jpg?itok=oS00NDfG"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/a4850137.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":1662,"height":1147}
1918
Frank Burrowes
Call # MLMSS 3413/Item 2
Digital ID:
a4850137
View collection item detail

Photograph of 9 long strips of fabric holding hundreds of colourful badges. — **Badges from button day appeals in Australia, and military insignia** {"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/badges-button-day-appeals-australia-and-military-insignia","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/a9559001.jpg?itok=ULKWIUU3","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/a9559001.jpg?itok=FKbVpIQs","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/a9559001.jpg?itok=ULKWIUU3","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/a9559001.jpg?itok=FKbVpIQs","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/public\/a9559001.jpg?itok=DlE8-bZA","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/public\/a9559001.jpg?itok=e3g1HHRk","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/public\/a9559001.jpg?itok=EOXMsvkW"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/a9559001.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":1200,"height":1073}
ca 1914–50
Call # SAFE/DR 275
Digital ID:
a9559001
View collection item detail

Black and white photograph of children dressed up in nurses and medics posing for the camera. A mock stretcher stands in the middle of the group. — **Wingham Red Cross Day fancy dress group** {"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/wingham-red-cross-day-fancy-dress-group","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/bcp_01933u.jpg?itok=_Zf-dSu8","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/bcp_01933u.jpg?itok=vUU5orfV","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/bcp_01933u.jpg?itok=_Zf-dSu8","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/bcp_01933u.jpg?itok=vUU5orfV","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/public\/bcp_01933u.jpg?itok=5Riz-m6t","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/public\/bcp_01933u.jpg?itok=TkCa--wr","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/public\/bcp_01933u.jpg?itok=dNVlXQli"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/bcp_01933u.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":1190,"height":758}
1917
A Cavalchini
Call # At Work and Play - 01933
Digital ID:
bcp_01933u
View collection item detail

**Peace flag** {"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/peace-flag","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/https\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg?itok=tw2IHfYQ","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/https\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg?itok=PLN-dcyb","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/https\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg?itok=tw2IHfYQ","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/https\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg?itok=PLN-dcyb","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/https\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg?itok=mTtRTZmp","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/https\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg?itok=r56ZwiAO","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/https\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg?itok=iuArBMpa"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/prod--slnsw-corporate-site\/uploads\/2018-06\/collection-items\/41511\/a7475001r.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":1400,"height":1125}
1919
Call # R 2054
Digital ID:
a7475001
View collection item detail

Meet the curator

Photographic portrait of a smiling blonde woman wearing a white jacket.

Elise Edmonds

Elise is a senior curator at the State Library of New South Wales. With a background in Australian history and Museum Studies, Elise has worked with the Library’s maps, pictures and manuscript collections; acquiring, writing and promoting these to a variety of audiences. In 2009 she received a staff fellowship to research and scope the Library’s First World War collections. This led to curating several exhibitions highlighting the Library’s nationally significant First World War collections; Life Interrupted: personal diaries from World War I in 2014 and Colour in Darkness: images from the First World War in 2016.