Lumen Winter 2015 - Flipbook - Page 28
stor y by Ren ée Cap p s
|e discovery
of a war
memoir
The discovery of a manuscript forgotten for 80 years
means two alumni now share a deep connection.
I
n 1922 Russell Colman graduated
from the University of Adelaide with a
Bachelor of Engineering and 51 years
later, Dr Claire Woods graduated with
honours in history. It was the discovery
in 2010 of Russell’s memoirs of the First
World War that brought them together.
While researching the 27th Battalion at
the Australian War Memorial, Claire had
what she describes as a eureka moment.
She called up a document in the archives
labelled ‘private record’ thinking it would
lead to something small like a diary entry
or a postcard. What she discovered was
much more exciting – an unpublished
novel. Penned by W.R.G. Colman, it was
an account of his experience in the 27th
Battalion during World War One.
“The story itself is a remarkable and
honest account of Colman’s time at war.
It was sheer luck that I found this little
gem,” she said.
The manuscript had been written
in 1933 as a competition entry for the
Victorian RSL. The book didn’t win and
the manuscript ended up in the Australian
War Memorial.
Claire spent the next day reading
the novel and was hooked. With the
help of a colleague and fellow alumnus,
Dr Paul Skrebels (PhD 1992), she
started a three-year journey to get
the manuscript published.
One of the first challenges was
contacting the family to obtain copyright.
The only contact details Claire had were
26 Lumen | Winter 2015
next-of-kin from Colman’s army record,
his mother’s address from 1915.
Claire trawled through newspaper
records and found an engagement notice
and obituary for Colman’s son which
eventually led her to his grandsons. She
contacted them and they were happy
to help, providing photographs, the
original handwritten manuscript, his field
notebook and a personal diary carried by
him on the Western Front.
To get the book ready for publication,
Claire and Paul edited the text and included
annotations. They also tracked the people
and soldiers Colman had mentioned to
create a series of biographical notes. An
introductory and final chapter were added
to place the book within the historical
context of other novels and literature
about the First World War.
The memoir, There and Back with a
Dinkum, follows Colman and his best
friend, Graham Leaver, enlisting for war
at the age of 18 after they had completed
one term at university. Colman describes
what it is like to be a soldier at war, the
loss of friends and comrades, coping with
a severe facial wound and his subsequent
return to study.
“One of the most interesting aspects of
the book are Colman’s descriptions of what
it is like to go back to university after he
had been away at war for almost five years.
He felt like an old man with the other
undergraduates and had to work hard to
pick up his study skills again,” Claire said.
Above: Dr Claire Woods and
book There and Back with a Dinkum
(Photo by Jo-Anna Robinson)
Inset: W.R.G. Colman
|e story itself is a
remarkable and honest
account of Colman’s time at
war. It was sheer luck that I
found this little gem.
Claire’s interest in history was sparked
by her father who was a member of the
27th Battalion himself and is mentioned
in the book. She started her career as
a teacher before completing a Masters
at Harvard University and her PhD at
the University of Pennsylvania. Claire’s
research focuses on connections
between literature and military issues.
She recently retired from the University of
South Australia where she was Professor,
Communication and Writing and is
currently Leader of Narratives of War
Research Group.
There and Back with a Dinkum
is available to buy from Australian
Scholarly publishing
www.scholarly.info/book/365
