The ‘Conflicts 1945 to Today’ galleries at the Australian War Memorial commemorate Australia’s post WWII war and peace-keeping operations. The galleries cover Korea, Malaya and Indonesia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the two Gulf Wars.
With one exception (The Forgotten War (Korean War)) I don’t plan on going into the details on, or the pros and cons of, each of these engagements or the related conflicts from the perspectives of victors or vanquished (if even there was agreement as to who won and lost in many instances) as this information is generally readily available elsewhere. Also given that some of the conflicts are ongoing any such analysis runs the risk of bias, something I try to stay clear of.
The galleries, presented in chronological order starting with the Korean War, are well laid out and provide insightful and often very personal accounts of initially anti communist (from a western perspective) or Cold War conflicts leading up to anti terrorist operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East and covering peacekeeping efforts around the world in between.
All the displays make use of short film/news clips, military hardware, dioramas, information boards, all sorts of multimedia and, most poignantly for me at least, the personal effects of service personnel including letters and other items – all with a story to tell. The Reader will recall that Vietnam was the first sizable conflict to be relayed across the world, often in very graphic detail, into everyone’s home on a nightly basis by television.
The largest of the individual conflict displays is that related to Vietnam with its centrepiece here being a sound and light display centred on an Iriqious helicopter actually used in that war (first picture) and, in particular, used to evacuate the dead and wounded from the Battle of Long Tan in August 1966. Helicopters are more generally better known for their gunship and attack roles in Vietnam than their rescue roles, though few people of the age will forget news reel scenes and pictures of helicopters evacuating personnel from the US Embassy during the fall of Saigon in April 1975, an event now immortalised in my favourite musical – Miss Saigon.
Having mentioned Long Tan you should not miss the short though evocative and heart wrenching film on this battle – ‘A letter from Long Tan’. Eighteen Australians and at least 245 Viet Cong were killed at Long Tan. Having seen the film don’t forget to have a look at the letter which gave the film its name and other mementos on display outside the small cinema area.
The Vietnam exhibition does not shy away from conscientious objectors, the use of chemicals (agent orange), the alienation of returning soldiers at home, nor other controversial aspects of this very controversial war.
In all around 500 Australians lost their lives in the Vietnam War – 60,000 saw active service there. How many lives were lost in the War in total is debated and estimates vary depending on where one draws lines between dates and locations but range from 1.3 – 3. 6 million. One thing that is certain though is that the vast majority of those killed were Vietnamese and others of Indochinese origin. The relative death tally in modern warfare, compared to earlier hand to hand combat wars, is notable.
On leaving the main Vietnam exhibition area turn left and make your way out onto the bridge of HMAS Brisbane which saw service in both Vietnam and the First Gulf War (though don’t worry too much if you miss it!).
Returning and working your way through Australian involvement in UN peacekeeping exercises mainly in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia you will eventually arrive at displays related to post Cold War engagements including the Gulf Wars and Afghanistan.
In relation to Afghanistan, a couple of years ago there was an excellent (modern) art display of paintings by official war artist Ben Quilty. My final picture attached – ‘Captain S, after Afghanistan’ – is a portrait of Captain S reflecting on an experience he had in Helmand Province. Quilty, with Captain S consenting presumably, painted Captain S in the nude as for the artist the soldiers ‘nakedness expresses both the strength and the frailty of the human condition in time of war’. I like that.
Address: Treloar Crescent, Campbell
Phone: 02 6243 4211
Website: http://www.awm.gov.au/
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The Rambling Wombat 