Australian War Stories for Primary Students

The Battle of Gallipoli and Story of the HMAS Sydney

Feb 1, 2009

The First World War battle at Gallipoli and the World War 2 sinking and eventual recovery of the HMAS Sydney are significant events in Australia's military history.

Gallipoli (Black Dog Books, 2009) by Nicolas Brasch and HMAS Sydney (Black Dog Books, 2009) by Mike Lefroy offer Australian primary school-aged students information and insight into two significant wartime events.

HMAS Sydney: The Mystery of Australia’s Greatest Naval Disaster offers students insight into why the recent discovery of the wreck of the HMAS Sydney off the coast of Western Australia was such a significant and newsworthy event.

An unexpected battle between the German raider Kormoran and the Australian warship HMAS Sydney in the Indian Ocean on the 19th November 1941 resulted in the sinking of both ships and the deaths of more than 600 sailors. This included the entire crew of the HMAS Sydney. The wreckage of both ships was not discovered until March 2008.

The information is presented in short sections and fact box style entries and includes information on how the two ships came into contact, the subterfuge employed by the German ship to lure HMAS Sydney into firing range, the fates of the Kormoran survivors and the process that led to the eventual discovery of the sunken vessels.

Gallipoli: Reckless Valour provides a range of details about the battle that is most commonly associated with the annual celebration of Anzac Day in Australia on the 25th April.

The ill-fated and badly executed arrival of the troops at Anzac Cove has become one of the defining moments of Australian history. The bravery, ingenuity, good humour and resilience of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers is a source of great national pride.

After a brief introduction outlining the errors that occurred on 25th April 1914, Gallipoli gives a brief overview of the political motivations for some of the military decisions made during the war, several significant events of the protracted Gallipoli campaign, the preparation of the Anzac soldiers and the conditions under which they fought at Gallipoli and an explanation of why the battle at Gallipoli is so important to the nations of Australia and New Zealand.

Bringing the Human Element Into History

Both books offer a combination of illustrations and photographs, insightful commentary, a timeline of events, a glossary and index. Gallipoli includes a basic map and HMAS Sydney includes several internet references for further research.

While presenting very factual and well-referenced accounts of the HMAS Sydney and Gallipoli, both books also bring a very human face to the facts they present. Frequent references to particular soldiers and sailors, their families, correspondence and everyday events puts a very real face on the impact of these events, offering an opportunity for the students to feel connected with both the heroism and tragedy of the time.

In HMAS Sydney, the faithfulness of the descendants and friends of the lost sailors strikes a particular chord with details of the search and salvage process that was undertaken and initiated largely by The Finding Sydney Foundation. The wreckage of HMAS Sydney was not located for more than 66 years after the initial battle sank the warship in 1941.

The story of the Anzacs themselves offers the connection in Gallipoli, with tales of Simpson and his donkey and cricket matches held to distract the attacking Turks from the evacuation of troops. The book closes with the words of the leader of the Turkish campaign at Gallipoli, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as he assures the Australian nation that the soldiers buried in the Gallipoli battlefield will be mourned and regarded as sons by the Turkish people.

In addition to providing factual overview of the events, both books offer insights that encourage students to think more deeply about the issues raised.

HMAS Sydney: The Mystery of Australia’s Greatest Naval Disaster (ISBN: 978-17420-3079-1, 32 pages) Released February 2009

Gallipoli: Reckless Valour (ISBN: 978-17420-3025-8, 32 pages) Released March 2009

The copyright of the article Australian War Stories for Primary Students in Australian Literature is owned by Susan Whelan. Permission to republish Australian War Stories for Primary Students in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.