Summary

Patriotic poem of eight stanzas titled 'Anzacs'. Printed during World War I, the poem was written by 'E.M.C.' - Ethel M. Campbell - in Durban, South Africa in 1917.

Ethel Campbell (1866-1954) was known for her enthusiastic greetings and farewells of Australian troopships in Durban during World War I. In 1923 she visited Australia to dedicate a memorial to Australian soldiers. She faced a 'formidable list of engagements' in Melbourne, including visits by 'several limbless men' who had 'first made her acquaintance at Durban in the war years'. (The Australasian, 7 July 1923). She later became a well-known poet and author in South Africa. While the provenance of this war-time poem by Ethel Campbell, acquired with a collection of similar poems, is unknown, the collection includes two poems which have been signed, possibly during her visit to Australia.

Physical Description

Poem of eight stanzas, printed in black in single column on coarse brown stock. Paper has darkened at creases. Printed on front only. Superficial creasing throughout.

More Information

  • Collecting Areas

    Public Life & Institutions, Home & Community

  • Author

    Ethel M. Campbell, Durban, South Africa, 1917

  • Inscriptions

    Printed: 'ANCZACS. / What mean these great white ships at sea, ploughing their Eastward tack, / Bearing their precious human freight, bringing the spent men back? / They mean that Australia has been there, they mean she has played the game, / And her wonderful sons have won their share of everlasting fame.' Seven stanzas follow. Final lines: 'DURBAN. / 1917. / By E.M.C.'.

  • Classification

    Military history, Civilian life, Souvenirs

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    History

  • Type of item

    Document

  • References

    THE GIRL WITH THE FLAGS. (1919, March 17). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from [Link 1] MISS ETHEL CAMPBELL. (1919, April 26). Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), p. 39. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from [Link 2] MISS ETHEL CAMPBELL. (1923, July 7). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), p. 40. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from [Link 3] Ethel M. Campbell, Rare Books - Important Acquisitions, National Library of Scotland, [Link 4] accessed 15 Jan 2015

  • Keywords

    World War I, 1914-1918, Music, Poems