Bean, the Third Battle of Ypres and the Australian Narrative of the First World War

Abstract

In 1917 the Australian Imperial Force suffered thirty-eight thousand casualties in Flanders, far outstripping those endured at Gallipoli. Despite this, the AIF's campaign in Belgium has received relatively little attention from historians or the public. As Australia's official war correspondent and historian, C.E.W. Bean has long been recognised as one of the principal Anzac mythmakers. Scrutinising his correspondence, diaries and Official History, this article argues that Bean struggled to integrate the third Ypres offensive into his vision of the Anzac legend and this may have helped marginalise Belgium's place in the Australian memory of the war.