Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918
The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 is a 12-volume series covering Australian involvement in the First World War. The series was edited by C.E.W. Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes, and was published between 1920 and 1942. The first seven volumes deal with the Australian Imperial Force while other volumes deal with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force at Rabaul, the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Flying Corps and the home front. The final volume is a photographic record.
Unlike other official histories which are often aimed at military staff, Bean intended the Australian history to be accessible to a non-military audience. The relatively small size of Australia's forces enabled the history to be presented in great detail, giving accounts of individual actions that would not have been possible when covering a larger force. For instance, over 100 pages are dedicated to the Battle of Fromelles, a relatively minor action that lasted one night and involved one Australian division.
Following the publication of the final volume, Charles Bean compiled Anzac to Amiens, a condensed history in a single volume aimed at the general public, which was published in 1946.
Volumes
- Volume I - The Story of Anzac: the first phase, C.E.W Bean, 1921
- Volume II - The Story of Anzac: from 4 May, 1915 to the evacuation, C.E.W Bean, 1924
- Volume III - The Australian Imperial Force in France: 1916, C.E.W Bean, 1929
- Volume IV - The Australian Imperial Force in France: 1917, C.E.W Bean, 1933
- Volume V - The Australian Imperial Force in France: December 1917 - May 1918, C.E.W Bean, 1937
- Volume VI - The Australian Imperial Force in France: May 1918 - the Armistice, C.E.W Bean, 1942
- Volume VII - The Australian Imperial Force in Sinai and Palestine: 1914 - 1918, H.S. Gullett, 1923
- Volume VIII - The Australian Flying Corps: 1914 - 1918, F.M. Cutlack, 1923
- Volume IX - The Royal Australian Navy: 1914 - 1918, Arthur W. Jose, 1928
- Volume X - The Australians at Rabaul, S.S. Mackenzie, 1927
- Volume XI - Australia during the War, Ernest Scott, 1936
- Volume XII - Photographic Record of the War
See also
- History of the Great War - 29-volume British official history edited by Brigadier-General Sir James Edmonds.