The man who carried the nation's grief : James Malcolm Lean MBE & the Great War Letters
Rosenhain, Carol2016
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"I do feel the loss of my two boys, they was my all ..." wrote grieving father Ernest Watts following the death of his two sons. Like thousands of Australians during World War I, Ernest Watts received his tragic news through the office known as 'Base Records'. This letter was just one in a series of correspondence that lasted the duration of the war and well into the post-war period. Every letter was answered with patience and courtesy and every response carried the same signature: J.M. Lean.'The Man who Carried the Nation's Grief' describes the extraordinary work of James Lean, whose office at times received over 100 letters a day from distressed families. The letters selected by author Carole Rosenhain are quoted verbatim in all their rawness; showing the families' grief, anger and disbelief, together with the devastating wounds that would often never heal. The chain of correspondence between Lean and the family would often last well beyond the Armistice of 1918. For one shattered father, the fate of his missing boy would never be resolved, his son's final resting place only discovered in Pheasant Wood almost a century after he met his death. Given his crucial role as the link between anxious families and the bureaucracy of the AIF, James Lean's remarkable work is a surprising omission from the vast body of World War I literature. Carol Rosenhain's book rectifies this omission with a portrait of Lean himself and the grim task at which he excelled. This is a book that describes the impact of war on families in all its devastating reality."
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
Newport, NSW : Big Sky Publishing, 2016.
Collation:
440 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 23 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 429-430) and index.
Contents:
Chapter 1. A road less travelled -- Chapter 2. Conveying the news -- Chapter 3. Just a few lines -- Chapter 4. A duty of care -- Chapter 5. Fromelles and the agony of the missing sons -- Chapter 6. Medals and mementos -- Chapter 7. Internal rumblings -- Chapter 8. Crimes both civil and military -- Chapter 9. Beyond the call of duty -- Chapter 10. Not one to yield -- Chapter 11. Reward and gratitude -- Chapter 12. The legacy of Major Lean and Base Records.
ISBN:
9781925520170
Dewey class:
940.46
Language:
English
Subject:
Lean, James MalcolmLean, James Malcolm, 1878-1931 -- CorrespondenceAustralia. Australian Army. Australian and New Zealand Army Corps -- HistoryWorld War, 1914-1918 -- Casualties -- AustraliaWar and families -- Australia -- History -- 20th centuryDeath notices -- AustraliaMilitary correspondence -- AustraliaSoldiers -- Australia -- CorrespondenceWar -- Psychological aspects
BRN:
336778
More Information:
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton Library | Adult Non Fiction - History | 940.46 ROS | Available |