It turns out I can’t leave behind Katharine Susannah Prichard and her world. I am honoured to have contributed an essay about Prichard’s husband, Hugo Throssell, to Challenging Anzac: Stories That Don’t Fit the Legend. The book, edited by Mia Martin Hobbs, Carolyn Holbrook and Joan Beaumont, was published this month by NewSouth in time for Anzac Day.

My essay is called “Bolshevik Anzac: the politics, celebrity and mythology of Hugo Throssell VC’. The book’s blurb begins, ‘The Anzac legend has shaped Australia’s national identity for more than a century. Yet many experiences of war do not fit comfortably within this.’ Throssell is an uncomfortable fit with the legend in two ways. Firstly, he came back from the Great War with a Victoria Cross only to declare on Peace Day in July 1919 that the war had turned him into a socialist. Secondly, in 1933 in the face of financial ruin and the symptoms of PTSD, he killed himself. The biography of Throssell written by John Hamilton connects these two events, depicting Throssell as someone ostracised for his political beliefs, leading to to his suicide fourteen years later. I think this is too simplistic. Throssell’s political activism burnt out quickly as it became apparent capitalism was not about to collapse in Australia and he needed to focus on earning money for his family. After declaring he was a socialist, he wasn’t invited to give any more speeches but he was honoured in Anzac day commemorations and other ceremonies right up until his death. In writing this essay I came to a better understanding of Throssell’s brief activism and the nuanced way he was included but silenced in ceremonies after Peace Day.

I was lucky enough to have my essay edited by Joan Beaumont, whose work on the world wars and the Depression I admire. She was a great editor and strengthened my work. I also enjoyed being part of the conversation with the other scholars in this book; we all gave feedback on each other’s work at a seminar in late 2024. There’s some fantastic essays on many different aspects of the theme, from veteran activism to autonomous warfare. The publisher’s page doesn’t list the chapters, so here’s a scan of the contents pages.