Study Guide for Pozieres…Our Legacy 2016 Tour
Background
Welcome to the working component of the Pozieres…. Our Legacy Battlefield Study Tour.
For the tour you will be set two study tasks: one must be completed prior to our departure
and the second will be a Reflections Paper post tour.
The First task is to prepare you for the challenges that await and to give you every
opportunity, to gain the most from your experience.
Task One
As we roam the battlefields, memorials and cemeteries, you will have time to reflect and to
dwell on those who lie before you. You may draw comparisons and wonder what background
these soldiers had, consider their families, their sports, their interests, their mark on life.
Each of you will be allocated a single soldier to research (these can be found on the Website
under the Tile CONTINGENT along with your allocated section). You will have the
opportunity to visit either their commemoration or final resting place. Your challenge is to
know everything you can about that soldier and then on arrival at their commemoration or
final resting place provide a five minute presentation to your section.
On arrival in Randwick Barracks you will be told what day your presentation is required.
For Section Leaders your task is slightly different. Your task is to research the person whose
name your section has been called. On arrival in Randwick Barracks you will be asked to
deliver a 10 minute presentation to your section on that person.
Your study may open a fascinating journey for you. This may include contacts with family
members, hometown stories, hometown memorials, schools and records. You are only
limited by your imagination and your enthusiasm.
To ensure you are ready for the tour and your individual presentation, your research is to be
provided in an 800-word essay format (plus or minus 10%) to Support Staff by no later than 2
April 2016. Your essay will be read and if required, further guidance will be given to you.
No particular structure is mandated, but you should consider providing an introduction, the
soldier’s background, service record, and a conclusion. Essays are to be submitted as a Ms
Word file, in 12 point Times New Roman format.
Remember: You have all signed an agreement to participate in this Study as part of
attending the tour. If your assignment is not delivered on time and with appropriate detail,
then you will be withdrawn from the Tour. You have been individually selected and
rewarded with representing Legacy Australia on this trip and therefore plagiarism will be
considered the equivalent of non-completion and you will be withdrawn from the Tour.
The quality of your work will be judged by your peers.
Resources
A few tips to get you started.
The Australian War Memorial website is a great start: https://www.awm.gov.au/. Have a play
with the website and explore, you’ll be fascinated with what you may find.
The National Archives of Australia, holds the service record of every soldier, sailor and
airman from WW1: http://www.naa.gov.au/. Follow the prompts to find your person and see
their service records. You can even find the Unit diaries from the War.
Google is a great start point as well but you may need to try a few combinations.
The National Library of Australia: http://www.nla.gov.au/ has electronic copies of most of
the nations past newspapers, from around Australia via Trove. This is a tremendous resource
for you, as it provides the hometown view and the townsfolk who were extremely proud of
their soldiers. Just be mindful, these research tasks can be infectious, as when you open one
door, many more will present themselves.
Remember – these soldiers had and still have families. Your research may lead you to them
and which may open up new doors, insights and relationships.
Task Two
On completion of the tour, you are required to develop a Reflections Paper, again in an 800
word essay format (plus or minus 10%). This paper should summarise your expectations and
thoughts prior to the tour and how, if any, they have changed since your return. It should
highlight your key reflections of the tour. No particular structure is mandated, but you should
consider providing an introduction, the solder’s background, service record, and a conclusion.
Essays are to be submitted as a Ms Word file, in 12 point Times New Roman format.
The paper is to be submitted to Support Staff by no later than 1 October 2016. The
Pozieres…Our Legacy 2016 Support Staff will assess the papers and on 17 October 2016,
individual winners from each State and Territory will be announced.
Each winner will then be flown to Sydney on approximately 9 November 2016 for a formal
presentation at Government House. In attendance will be the Governor of New South Wales
and the French Ambassador to Australia.
One thing to remember – you’re not alone in this one. Share your tips and resources amongst
each other and act as a team. The closed group in Facebook (Pozieres Our Legacy 2016 Trip)
is an excellent medium to facilitate this type of discussion.
Also for those still at school it might be worth asking them to show this task to your teachers
next year in case you can get some credits for comparable studies.
Good luck!
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