History Commons^™

The Power Of The Purse, George W. Geib

George W. Geib

The Army finance office was born two centuries ago in the midst of the American Revolution. From the golden orle insignia that legend reports was first authorized by George Washington, to the outline of its modern functions and limitations that emerged during the war, the service took form in the critical years of the struggle for independence.

The Horns Of The North: Historical Sources Of J. R. R. Tolkien's Trilogy, George Geib

George W. Geib

Few books have enjoyed the publishing success seen in the last decade by J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Since the time of its paperback appearance in 1965 the work has not only attracted wide popular readership but has also stimulated a considerable body of scholarly criticism.1 As a work of fantasy, Tolkien's tale of struggle surrounding a ring of power has attracted most of its commentators to the areas of myth and linguistics, two of the sources upon which the author relied most heavily. Yet for all its epic dimensions, the trilogy has …

The Diary Of Calvin Fletcher And The Historians, George W. Geib

George W. Geib

While we all make New Year's resolutions, few of us ever keep them with the tenacity that Calvin Fletcher kept the one he apparently made on this day. The diary that he had begun in fragmentary fashion in 1817 and continued intermittently to 1829, he maintained religiously thereafter. In so doing, he provided us with an extraordinary record of his life and times. Published in nine volumes by the Indiana Historical Society from 1972 to 1983, The Diary of Calvin Fletcher represents perhaps the single most important printed source for understanding Indiana's history. In commemoration of Fletcher's two-hundredth birthday on …

The Use Of Miniatures In Gaming, George W. Geib

George W. Geib

The world of the miniature lies somewhere between the collector's and the historian's and owes its current popularity to the world of wargaming. But the origins of the miniature lie far from the simulation in the field of artisan crafts.

Heroic Gunners Saved The Day, Mark Jamieson

Mark Jamieson

A PUSH is underway to have Australian gunners who repelled one of the biggest enemy attacks of the Vietnam War honoured for their role.The men overcame catastrophic command and intelligence failures to win the Battle of Coral in May 1968 but have received little recognition.

Review Of David Horner,'The Spy Catchers: The Official History Of Asio, 1949-1963', Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2014, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

Critical review of the officially commissioned history of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) published in 2014.

A National Service: Gunners In Vietnam, Mark Jamieson

Mark Jamieson

This article provides a voice for three National Servicemen who answered the call and served in South Vietnam. The men come from 12 Field Regiment 102 'CORAL' Battery and 131 Divisional Locating Battery (131 Div Loc) of the Royal Australian Artillery.

Bridging The Distances: Women Writers Exploring The Nightmare Of Vietnam, Christina Triezenberg

Christina Triezenberg

This essay seeks to challenge the now-common practice of excluding Vietnam-era antiwar verse from contemporary literary anthologies by exploring the works produced by professional and amateur female poets who, in many cases, had witnessed the war firsthand and reflected on their experiences in verse that depicts the often harsh realities of this still-contested conflict. By exploring poetry written by women who served in a variety of capacities during the war, this essay underscores the repeated attempts made by women writers to bridge the distances between the home front and the battlefront and offers a compelling argument about the importance of …

In Search Of The Wind-Band: An International Expedition, Daniel Rager

Dan Rager

In Search of the Wind-Band: An International Expedition is a new interactive E-book, exploring 16 countries.

The first-of-a-kind, interactive encyclopedic e-book uses text, video, mp3 and pdf files to bring the history and development of the wind-band to life.

1. Overture: What Constitutes a Wind Band? - 2. Introduction to European History and Development - 3. Historical Homogeneous Wind-Bands - 4. American Wind Music - 5. Denmark Wind Music - 6. Finnish Wind Music - 7. Industry Wind Bands - 8. Ireland Wind Music - 9. Japanese Wind Music - 10. Mexican Wind Music - 11. Native American Indian Wind …

Malones Men And Chunuk Bair 1915, Mark Jamieson

Mark Jamieson

The battle of Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli, was part of a combined assault to take the Sari Bair Range. This took place from the 6th to 10th of August 1915, and was a combination of Australian, New Zealand, British, Indian and Gurkha soldiers. The attack on Chunuk Bair used the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. This comprised four Regiments; they were the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago Regiments.

Where Right And Glory Lead, Mark Jamieson

Mark Jamieson

On an overcast day in Fairbairn ACT on 15 April 2015, a small group of artillery enthusiast was busy putting the final touches on a magnificently restored World War One (WW1) 18 pounder (18-pr) Quick Firing (QF) gun. Today, marked the day that the 18-pr was to be presented and blessed by the Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Revisiting A Struggle: Port Kembla, 1938, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

A review and discussion of the 2015 documentary film 'Pig Iron Bob' (Producer/Director Sandra Pires). The focus of this film is the dramatic 2-month long boycott by Australian waterside workers in Port Kembla (NSW), 1938/39, of a cargo of Australian pig-iron bound for Japan. The workers took their action in protest against Japanese militarism and the Sino-Japanese War. The boycott enraged the conservative Australian government of the day which pulled out all stops to maintain its policy of appeasement towards Japan.

Review Of Dexter Hoyos, Mastering The West: Rome And Carthage At War, Fred Drogula

Fred K. Drogula