AustLit

'World War I hovered as a faint shadow in the background of my childhood. Unlike my school friends whose fathers had served in WWII, my father had been in WWI. Every year our family went to the city to watch our father march in the ANZAC parade before returning home while he caught up with his wartime compatriots. Armistice Day (now Remembrance Day) was also a day for solemn reflection. A lot of my father’s spare time was occupied by activities related to his membership of the Returned Sailors, Soldiers and Airman’s Imperial League (renamed Returned Services League). In the period after both wars the Victorian RSL provided support for injured veterans and the widows and children of those killed as well as a place for returned service personnel to meet with others who had shared the horrific experience of war. He also regularly attended meetings of the Thirteenth Light Horse Association.' (Introduction)