Summary

Patriotic poem of five stanzas titled 'The March to Freedom'. Printed during World War I, its mention of 'the Anzacs' dates it to 1915 or later. The poem was written by 'E.M.C.' - Ethel M. Campbell - in Durban, South Africa.

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 five stanzas, printed in black in single column on coarse green stock. Paper has faded to brown on edges and at centre fold. Printed on front only. Superficial creasing throughout.

More Information

  • Collecting Areas

    Public Life & Institutions, Home & Community

  • Author

    Ethel M. Campbell, Durban, South Africa, circa 1917
    The date of circa 1917 is provided by the NLA, which holds a copy of the poem.

  • Inscriptions

    Printed: 'THE MARCH TO FREEDOM. / March to Freedom men! Australians, / Here's to you upon the way! / Off to reinforce the Anzacs / Battling still against "The Day." / From the Land of Golden Wattle, / Hark, the shibboleth rings out / Clear and true - "Advance Australia!" / And they follow up the shout!'. Four stanzas follow. Final line: 'DURBAN / 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