Books

Sources for Researching Fromelles

There is a wealth of published material about the Battle of Fromelles, the soldiers who fought there, their families and the continuing search for those who were missing.

This selection brings together books, personal accounts, battalion histories and official records that may be useful when researching Fromelles.

Battle of Fromelles Books devoted to the battle Pheasant Wood & Identification Recovery and naming the dead 5th Australian Division Divisional histories 8th Brigade 29th · 30th · 31st · 32nd Battalions 14th Brigade 53rd · 54th · 55th · 56th Battalions 15th Brigade 57th · 58th · 59th · 60th Battalions Personal Stories & Diaries Letters, diaries and firsthand voices Western Front Histories Broader Australian histories Prisoners of War Captivity and POW experiences Nurses & the Wounded Nursing and medical experiences The Home Front Australia, families and communities Official War Diaries Australian War Memorial records

Battle of Fromelles

Books devoted specifically to the Battle of Fromelles and its planning, conduct, consequences and later interpretation.

Year Book Author About
2000 Don't Forget Me, Cobber: The Battle of Fromelles – An Inquiry Robin S. Corfield A detailed examination of the Battle of Fromelles and the Australians involved.
2004 Fromelles: French Flanders Peter Pedersen A dedicated study of the origins, conduct and aftermath of the battle.
2006 Fromelles and the Somme: Australians on the Western Front 1916 Peter Burness Examines the Australian experience at Fromelles and on the Somme during 1916.
2007 Fromelles: The Story of Australia's Darkest Day – The Search for Our Fallen Heroes in World War One Patrick Lindsay The story of the battle and the later search for Australia's missing soldiers.
2007 Fromelles 1916 Paul Cobb A detailed study of the British and Australian operation at Fromelles.
2010 The Battle of Fromelles: 1916 Roger Lee An Australian Army Campaigns Series study of the planning, command and conduct of the battle.
2015 The Lost Legions of Fromelles: The True Story of the Most Dramatic Battle in Australia's History Peter Barton A major study drawing extensively on Allied and German records.
2016 Fromelles & Pozières Peter FitzSimons A popular narrative history of Fromelles, Pozières and the Australian experience on the Western Front in 1916.
2021 Fromelles: 100 Years of Myths and Lies Geoffrey Benn Re-examines the planning, conduct and subsequent interpretation of the battle.
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Pheasant Wood & Identification

Books about the discovery of the Pheasant Wood graves, recovery of the soldiers and the continuing work to restore their identities.

Year Book Author About
2010 Remembering Fromelles: A New Cemetery for a New Century Julie Summers Published in association with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this tells the story of the recovery and the creation of Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery.
2013 Fromelles: The Final Chapters – How the Buried Diggers Were Identified and Their Lives Reclaimed Tim Lycett & Sandra Playle The search, excavation, historical research and DNA work undertaken to identify the recovered soldiers.
2014 ‘Remember Me to All’: The Archaeological Recovery and Identification of Soldiers Who Fought and Died in the Battle of Fromelles, 1916 Louise Loe, Caroline Barker, Kate Brady, Margaret Cox & Helen Webb A comprehensive archaeological and scientific account of the recovery and identification project.
2022 Fromelles: Naming the Dead Margaret Cox, Peter Jones PhD and Louise Loe Explores the scientific and historical work involved in identifying the soldiers recovered from Pheasant Wood.
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5th Australian Division

Divisional histories covering the formation and First World War service of the 5th Australian Division.

Year Book Author About
1920 The Story of the Fifth Australian Division Captain A. D. Ellis MC The principal published history of the 5th Australian Division, including its service at Fromelles.
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8th Brigade

Histories relating to the 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd Battalions.

29th Battalion

Year Book Author About
1997 Black and Gold: The History of the 29th Battalion, 1915–1918 Ronald James Austin A history of the 29th Battalion and its First World War service.

30th Battalion

Year Book Author About
1938 The Purple and Gold: A History of the 30th Battalion Lieut.-Colonel H. Sloan A history of the 30th Battalion and its First World War service.
1985 In All Things Faithful: A History and Album of the 30th Battalion and New South Wales Scottish Regiment (1885–1985) T. F. Wade-Ferrell A history and pictorial record of the 30th Battalion and its later regimental tradition.

31st Battalion

Year Book Author About
2005 Crossed Boomerangs: A History of All the 31 Battalions Bob Burla A history of the units that carried the 31st Battalion designation.
2013 Fromelles to Nauroy: 31st Battalion AIF, 1915–1919 Neville Browning A detailed history of the 31st Battalion during the First World War.

32nd Battalion

Year Book Author About
2006 Second to None: A Memorial History of the 32nd Battalion AIF 1915–1919 Roger R. Freeman A memorial history of the 32nd Battalion and its First World War service.
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14th Brigade

Histories relating to the 53rd, 54th, 55th and 56th Battalions.

53rd Battalion

Year Book Author About
1919 The Whale Oil Guards John Joseph Kennedy An early published history of the 53rd Battalion AIF.

54th Battalion

Year Book Author About
2004 The 54th Chronicles: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion Denis J. Chamberlain A history of the 54th Australian Infantry Battalion.
2006 Our Gift to the Empire: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion 1916–1919 Ross St. Claire A history of the 54th Battalion from its formation in 1916 through the end of the war.

55th Battalion

Year Book Author About
2014 History 55th Battalion AIF WW1 Tim Cook A history of the 55th Battalion. The work has also appeared under the titles Eyewitnesses at the Somme and Snowy to the Somme: A Muddy and Bloody Campaign, 1916–1918.

56th Battalion

Year Book Author About
1933 The Gallant Company H. R. Williams A personal account by a member of the 56th Battalion who was present at Fromelles. Later republished as An Anzac on the Western Front: The Personal Recollections of an Australian Infantryman from 1916 to 1918.
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15th Brigade

Histories relating to the 57th, 58th, 59th and 60th Battalions.

Year Book Author About
1968 History of the 59th Battalion William E. Pentreath A history of the 59th Battalion AIF.
1991–1992 Hold Hard, Cobbers: The Story of the 57th and 60th and 57/60th Australian Infantry Battalions 1912–1990 Robin S. Corfield A two-volume history of the 57th and 60th Battalions and the later 57/60th Battalion. Volume One covers 1912–1930 and includes their First World War service.
2008 Give Me Back My Dear Old Cobbers: The Story of the 58th and 59th Australian Infantry Battalions 1913–1942 Robin S. Corfield A history of the 58th and 59th Battalions, including their First World War service.
2024 Their Names Shall Live Forever More: The Story of the 60th Australian Infantry Battalion during 1916 Trevor Jardine A history focused on the 60th Battalion during 1916.
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Personal Stories & Diaries

Letters, diaries, memoirs and personal histories that provide firsthand perspectives on Fromelles and the experience of war.

Red Cross & Missing Soldiers

Year Book Author About
2020 Vera Deakin and the Red Cross Carole Woods OAM The story of Vera Deakin and the Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau, which sought answers for families of wounded and missing soldiers.
2016 The Man Who Carried the Nation's Grief Carol Rosenhain The story of James Lean and military Base Records, including the work of answering families searching for news of missing servicemen.
2014 The Power of Humanity: 100 Years of Australian Red Cross Melanie Oppenheimer A broader history of the Australian Red Cross, including its First World War origins and the Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau.

Diaries & Letters

Year Diary / Collection Author / Source About
1916 Letters and Papers of Eric Chinner Eric Chinner / State Library of Victoria Includes Eric Chinner's correspondence from France to his parents.
1916 Diary of Sister Alice Ross-King Australian War Memorial Her 1916 diary records her nursing service in Egypt and France. Her fiancé, Lieutenant Harry Lowry Moffitt of the 53rd Battalion, was killed at Fromelles.
1916 Diary of Private William Charles Barry, 54th Battalion William Charles Barry A firsthand account from a soldier of the 54th Battalion who was at Fromelles.
1916–1917 Diary of Lance Corporal Arnold Branston Mason Arnold Branston Mason Beginning on 19 July 1916, Mason's diary records his involvement at Fromelles, his wounding, capture and later experiences as a prisoner of war.

Published Personal Accounts

Year Book Author About
1918 To the Last Ridge: The World War One Experiences of W. H. Downing W. H. Downing A firsthand account of service with the 57th Battalion AIF, including its experiences on the Western Front.
1933 The Gallant Company H. R. Williams A personal account by a member of the 56th Battalion who was present at Fromelles.

Personal & Social Histories

Year Book Author About
2019 The Lost Boys: The Untold Stories of the Under-age Anzacs Paul Byrnes Explores the stories of Australians who enlisted for the First World War while under age.
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Western Front Histories

Broader works that place Fromelles within the Australian experience of the Western Front and the First World War.

Year Book Author About
1929 Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, Volume III: The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916 C. E. W. Bean The official Australian history of operations in France during 1916 and an essential reference for Fromelles.
1992 Guide to Australian Battlefields of the Western Front 1916–1918 John Laffin A guide to the battlefields associated with Australian service on the Western Front.
1998 Where Australians Fought: The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles Chris Coulthard-Clark A reference work covering Australian battles and military operations.
2006 The Great War Les Carlyon A broad narrative history of Australia's experience of the First World War.
2007 The Western Front Diaries: The Anzacs' Own Story, Battle by Battle Jonathan King Uses firsthand accounts to tell the story of Australians serving on the Western Front.
2010 The ANZACS: Gallipoli to the Western Front Peter Pedersen A history tracing the Australian experience from Gallipoli to the Western Front.
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Prisoners of War

Books examining the experience of Australians captured by German forces during the First World War.

Year Book Author About
2018 Surviving the Great War: Australian Prisoners of War on the Western Front 1916–18 Aaron Pegram A detailed study of Australian prisoners captured by German forces on the Western Front.
2021 Australian POWs: The Untold Stories of WWI David Coombes Explores the experiences of Australian prisoners of war during the First World War.
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Nurses & the Wounded

Books examining the work and experiences of Australian nurses and the care of wounded servicemen during the First World War.

Year Book Author About
2008 The Other Anzacs: Nurses at War 1914–1918 Peter Rees The experiences of Australian nurses during the First World War, including Alice Ross-King.
2013 Kitty's War: The Remarkable Wartime Experiences of Kit McNaughton Janet Butler Based on the wartime diary of Australian Army nurse Kit McNaughton.
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The Home Front

Books examining the effects of the First World War on Australian families, communities and society.

Year Book Author About
2013 Broken Nation: Australians in the Great War Joan Beaumont A major history of Australia during the First World War, including the political and social divisions that intensified during 1916.
1980 Australians at Home: World War I Michael McKernan Examines the impact of the war on Australians at home, including grief, changing attitudes and community life.
2013 In the Shadow of Gallipoli: The Hidden History of Australia in World War I Robert Bollard Explores political and social divisions in wartime Australia, particularly during 1916.
1936 Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, Volume XI: Australia During the War Ernest Scott The official history volume dealing with Australia and the home front during the war.
2016 The Last Battle: Soldier Settlement in Australia 1916–1939 Bruce Scates & Melanie Oppenheimer Examines returned servicemen, their families and Australia's soldier-settlement schemes.
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Official War Diaries

The Australian War Memorial's First World War unit diaries are among the most important primary sources for researching the Battle of Fromelles. They contain contemporary accounts of operations, movements, orders, casualties and other events recorded by the formations and units involved.

AIF War Diaries | Understanding Unit Diaries

Formation & Brigade Headquarters

5th Australian Division Headquarters AWM4, 1/50 8th Infantry Brigade Headquarters AWM4, 23/8 14th Infantry Brigade Headquarters AWM4, 23/14 15th Infantry Brigade Headquarters AWM4, 23/15

8th Brigade

29th Battalion AWM4, 23/46 30th Battalion AWM4, 23/47 31st Battalion AWM4, 23/48 32nd Battalion AWM4, 23/49

14th Brigade

53rd Battalion AWM4, 23/70 54th Battalion AWM4, 23/71 55th Battalion AWM4, 23/72 56th Battalion AWM4, 23/73

15th Brigade

57th Battalion AWM4, 23/74 58th Battalion AWM4, 23/75 59th Battalion AWM4, 23/76 60th Battalion AWM4, 23/77

Field Company Engineers

8th Field Company Engineers AWM4, 14/27 14th Field Company Engineers AWM4, 14/33 15th Field Company Engineers AWM4, 14/34

Machine Gun Companies

8th Machine Gun Company AWM4, 24/13 14th Machine Gun Company AWM4, 24/19 15th Machine Gun Company AWM4, 24/20

Pioneers & Trench Mortar

5th Pioneer Battalion AWM4, 14/17 5th Australian Divisional Trench Mortar Officer AWM4, 13/93
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