Summary

Patriotic poem of six stanzas titled 'Australians'. Printed in 1916, during World War I, it was written by 'E.M.C.' - Ethel M. Campbell - in Durban, South Africa. Signed with the author's initials.

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 six stanzas, printed in black in two columns on white stock, folded vertically at centre. Printed on front only. Paper has slight patches of discolouration. Horizontal crease; superficial creasing throughout.

More Information

  • Collecting Areas

    Public Life & Institutions, Home & Community

  • Author

    Ethel M. Campbell, South Africa, 1916

  • Inscriptions

    Printed: 'AUSTRALIANS. / (1916). / Written after hearing a wealthy mer- / chant speak disparagingly of Australias / "We are not cotton-spinners all, but some / love England and her honour yet." / We stand on the shore of Durban, / And watch the transports go / To England from Australia, / Hurrying to and fro, / Bearing the men of a Nation - / Who are heroes to the core - / To stand or fall by the Motherland, / And they're sending thousands more!' Five stanzas follow. Final line: 'BY E.M.C. / A South African).' Signed below with the author's initials.

  • 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