Summary

Catalogue of a photographic exhibition of war pictures arranged by Captain William Donovan Joynt and curated by the Australian War Museum.

The Australian War Museum was located at the Exhibition Building between 1922 and1925. The Australian War Memorial continued to use the Exhibition Building as its principal store until the 1940s and as its main office in the 1930s.

William Donovan Joynt enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 21 May 1915 and embarked for World War I on 7 March 1916 on the HMAT Wiltshire, part of the 8 Infantry Battalion - 13 to 23 Reinforcements. He served on the Western Front for long periods and at one stage was shot in the shoulder. His brother Gerald was killed at Polygon Wood in 1917. Joynt was awarded a Victoria Cross for leading an advance and capturing over 80 prisoners on 23 August 1918. He returned to Melbourne in February 1920, having been progressively promoted to the rank of captain and further wounded.

Soon after his return Joynt and Walter Dexter formed Queen City Printers Pty Ltd and arranged an exhibition of war photographs (in colour), and printed its catalogue. He subsequently formed Colarts Studios Pty Ltd and bought the rights to a German colour-printing process, becoming a pioneer of colour printing in Australia. He also took up a soldier-settler block near Berwick, but by 1926 had installed a manager. The block was resumed in 1929. Although the printing business also failed during the Depression, Joynt remained a publisher for the remainder of his career. He married Edith Amy Garrett, a trained nurse, in Hawthorn in 1932. They had no children. Joynt passed away in 1986, by then the only surviving Victoria Cross winner from World War I.

Physical Description

Octavo, stapled in title wrappers. Brown cover with black text.

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