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Martin Crotty, Associate Professor in Australian History, The University of Queensland

Challenging the Anzac ideal: the tragic stories of two Australian deserters in WWI

An Australian Imperial Force memorial card for Nicholas Permakoff, a Russian-born Australian private who deserted the AIF during WWI. Author provided

Anzac Day continues to feature on the Australian calendar as a day for celebrating and commemorating the deeds of our military personnel.

Traditionally focused on the first world war, the mythology of the Anzacs – bronzed bushmen storming the cliffs of Gallipoli or walking fearlessly through artillery bombardments on the western front – has long clouded the reality of the experience of fighting in what was then an unprecedented conflict.

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