Charles Bean War Memorial

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Conception or idea for War Memorial
The idea for the war memorial came about during the Gallipoli campaign but it was not until after the campaign that action was taken. Charles Bean was impacted by the sufferings faced by the soldiers and he didn’t want the unpleasant experiences and sufferings to be forgotten and lost in history. A month after his idea, a memorial museum was constructed for the Australian soldiers. The main idea of this museum was so that the sufferings of people at war and what they did for the country would not be forgotten.

Roles of Charles Bean and John Treloar
Charles Bean as seen in image 1, was Australia’s first official historian of World War One. In his younger years, he was educated and worked as a journalist …show more content…

Although, there was immediate struggle in gaining public and government enthusiasm towards the project and there was no initial support for it. The Great Depression and financial crash also made it difficult to get going. However, during this period of time exhibitions were held in Sydney and Melbourne for long periods of time which helped to raise awareness and funds. The Australian War Museum officially opened on Anzac Day in 1922 in the Exhibition building in Melbourne. Large crowds were attracted to this museum and they were all positive about it and it received enthusiasm and compliments by both the public and the press. The exhibition was open until 1925 when it moved to Sydney until 1935.
Finding a Permanent home
Charles Bean had a very intricate and definite decision of what he intended and wanted for the memorial. His building idea had to compromise for what he wanted as well as the budget of £250,000.

The Design …show more content…

The commemorative area and roll of honour hold records of over 102,000 names and a place to commemorate the members of armed forces who have died whilst serving the country. The hall of memory is above the pool of reflection where names of soldiers can be seen and the tomb of the unknown Australian soldier lies underneath the dome where souls of the dead are shown to “ascend into heaven”. The dioramas are a physical representation for different battles and assist in showing the devastation and danger caused. The hall of valour also recognises ordinary citizens who faced similar conditions and the Anzac hall shows large displays and stories about Australians who served. The aircraft hall is also an exhibition demonstrating how the aircraft worked and the discovery zone is an educational area where school groups can learn and do hands-on work to assist in understanding. The sculpture garden is a quiet area with a range of sculptures in which much commemoration can

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