Beyond Gallipoli: Memories of WWI come alive in new stamp series
They are among the most poignant images of World War I, showing the people and places that shaped Australia's role in the final days of the bloody conflict.
Now, Australia Post is evoking those 100-year-old memories in the final part of a five-year series to mark the Anzac centenary.
The final five commemorative stamps in Australia Post's Centenary of WWI series will go on sale this week, with each stamp highlighting a different aspect of Australia's involvement as the war ended in 1918.
One stamp features an image of Australian soldiers preparing for the battle of Amiens, a crucial conflict on the Western Front which helped swing the war in the Allies's favour.
Another features Lieutenant-General John Monash, the legendary military commander who led the Australian Corps in the war's dying days.
The signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, is illustrated with the scene of a street parade, while another stamp shows families in Australia awaiting the arrival home of their loved ones.
The series' final stamp, titled "honouring the fallen", depicts two French children placing flowers at the graves of Australian soldiers at Adelaide Cemetery, in Villers-Bretonneaux.
Australian War Memorial senior historian Aaron Pegram, who helped choose the images that appear on the stamps, said the final part of the series was designed to reflect on the "victories and losses" experienced during the war.
"It is poignant that the stamp collection finishes with the French children at Villers-Bretonneaux," Dr Pegram said.
"There were 60,000 Australians who died in the first world war and though the war resulted in an Allies victory , it came at an immense price."
Australia Post has released five new stamps each year since 2014 as part of the series, which chronicles the key moments of World War I.
"When most Australians think of World War I, they think of Gallipoli," Dr Pegram said.
"What we have tried to do throughout the duration of the centenary series is to bring a sharper focus on to the Western Front, which is where Australia made its greatest contribution and suffered its greatest losses."
The stamps, which cost $1, will be on sale from October 2.
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