Digital diaries to keep WWI story alive

The World's largest collection of World War One diaries, kept in the British National Archives are being digitised.

WWI_diaries_sbs.jpg

(SBS)

The World's largest collection of World War One diaries, kept in the British National Archives are being digitised, and together with the virtual collection by the Australian War memorial, the public is getting a greater understanding of life as a World War One soldier.

One hundred years after they were written, the personal testimonies written on the frontline by World War One soldiers detail not only tactics, but also weather, food and land conditions.

William Spencer from The National Archives in Britain said it paints a detailed image of war.

"To be able to look and explain to people that it's not just about fighting," he said.

The Australian War Memorial is also conducting their own digitisation project, involving social media tools.

The head of research at the Australian War Memorial, Robyn van Dyk said that the public can engage in the resource and help researchers better understand the texts.

"These projects are all designed to broaden our understanding and make those important primary sources more available so they expand on the research," she said.

It is hoped that the National Archives project, which involves digitising 5,500 boxes of war diaries from the National Archives, some 1.5 million pages, will be completed by 2019, to mark one hundred years since the end of the war.


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2 min read

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By Laurie Lawira

Source: SBS


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