Commemorate ANZAC: See the photo albums of Astley James Bromfield - a North Queensland Soldier of the Great War

Special Collections Librarian holds one of Astley James Bromfield's photo albums

Don't miss the rare materials now on display on Level 1 of the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library until Sunday the 17th of May.  See the original photos albums belonging to Astley James Bromfield, a  soldier of the Great War who came from the Atherton Tablelands and enlisted at age 22 yrs.   The albums feature many photos taken by him and also collected by him during the period of the 1st World War.

Astley James Bromfield's photo albums in display cases at the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library, Level 1.

Astley's albums include a diverse range of photos and the Special Collections Librarian will be turning the pages of the Albums twice every week so you can see different pages across the period of the displays. 

Photograph from Astley James Bromfield Album

There are photographs of the battlefields of the Western front and its many ruins but also times spent away from the frontline of the war with mates exploring foreign lands whilst on leave.  Also featured in the displays are reproductions of the postcards that Astley wrote and sent home to his family, mainly to his beloved sister, Grace.

The Special Collections Librarian adjusts the framed oval portrait of Astley James Bromfield currently on display with his postcard collection.

The displays form part of the JCU history discipline Between Battles project whose goal is to commemorate the cultural lives of soldiers during the First World War by uncovering how they spent large amounts of time available to them in-between battles. The findings of the research project are being published as a series of blog posts within  the JCU Library News Blog now - look for the post label "Between Battles".  This project has been funded by the Department of Veterans' Affairs through Anzac Centenary Local Grants Scheme.

JCU Library Special Collections would like to express special thanks to the family of Astley James Bromfield who kindly loaned his personal items in support of these commemorative displays.