Anzac Anxieties: Rupture, Continuity, and Authenticity in the Commemoration of Australian War Dead at Fromelles

Abstract

The Battle of Fromelles in Northern France was launched in July 1916. There were 5533 Australian casualties and in the immediate aftermath of the battle, German burial parties buried Allied dead in unmarked pits and the whereabouts of some were forgotten. Recent archaeological and scientific work has resulted in the belated recovery and reburial of these bodies with a new, purpose-built CWGC Cemetery inaugurated in the village of Fromelles in 2010. This article explores the anxieties that the relatives experience during the exhumation and reburial of the dead. These anxieties are allayed, in part, by the unique commemorative culture that has developed over generations in Fromelles. This article will examine the tension between the impetus to preserve the authentic bond fostered between individuals and communities in Fromelles and Australia, and the opposing impetus for greater official recognition, and the investment of state resources, in the military heritage of Fromelles.