Those familiar with my ceramics recognize a longstanding interest in narrative. There have been simple stories encircling vessels, large scale figurative murals and pictorial tile panels, works in both two and three dimensions, bas reliefs, and some inclusive of text. So the opportunity to make a war memorial provided another avenue of narrative exploration. The commission was funded by the Commonwealth of Australia to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of V.P.Day (Victory in the Pacific) 15th August 1945. I do remember that day, when each kid in my school was given a little trumpet! In the stringent wartime economy of ration books, these trumpets were made from cardboard cones discarded from spinning mills, with a tiny metal reed inserted in the end. After a few blows on the way home from school, the reed no longer vibrated, and the blow end of the cone was soggy cardboard. That was V.P.Day at Echuca State School No. 208.
My submission for the project at Cheltenham RSL Memorial Garden was to be inclusive of, and relevant to younger generations who are currently showing an increasing interest in the Anzac Tradition. Initially I wanted local schools to be involved researching family histories to find stories of grandparents’ contributions to the war in the Pacific. Optimistically I envisaged the RSL collecting this material so I could then begin the ceramic fabrication. So six months into the project, with my tiles all slipped, burnished and wrapped in plastic, I received a list of about 20 soldiers: Name Rank and Number! Although the RSL had approached schools and circulated members, I should have realized that a lengthy personal approach was the only real option. “Grandpa won’t tell you anything, he’s never talked about the war.” Thus I began a most rewarding, though unanticipated, six months of correspondence and phone calls to gather old snapshots and recollections from people in their mid 80’s and their descendants. This was an unexpected privilege. The wet tiles stayed in the plastic.
My personal motivation was ignorance for most of my life of my namesake. All I knew of Great Uncle Hedley was that he was killed in the First World War. I wanted this new war memorial to show a photograph of a young service person in uniform, to tell some details of personal war experience, and be signed by a grandchild or other descendant. The ownership of the stories was being passed from one generation to another. Ideally this should inspire further research and direct questioning while Grandpa or Grandma is still around – before it’s too late!
Many of the old photos were of dubious Box Brownie quality, group photos, and sizes ranging from 4 cm square to framed wedding portraits. As they were cropped and clarified, eventually over 40 portraits were made into underglaze decals ready to fire. Stories were edited, text decals made and permission in writing obtained to use badges of Army, Navy, Air Force, and RSL. Each tile needed three firings, bisque, decal then glaze. Eventually these portraits with text were composed within an engobe-painted Pacific map 5 x 3 metres. Furniture and equipment were pushed aside in the studio to accommodate over 400 tiles, each numbered on the back, making a giant crossword puzzle. No matter how methodical the process, it’s surprising how many glitches can occur within such a process. Packaging was then a vital aspect – how could I deliver without completely confusing the tilers? Eventually there were three labelled packages for each row of tiles. The tilers loved it - so different from their regular bathrooms! And being local blokes, they knew some of these octogenarians, but photogenic young people of 18 or 20 years of age in the 1940s required quite a leap of imaginative recognition.
The pavement was unveiled on Anzac Day by the local federal Parliamentarian. The Hon Simon Crean had a long association with the Cheltenham-Moorabbin RSL, being involved with assembling war memorials from around the district into one memorial garden. These granite memorials had been subject to road widening and other changes in the suburban landscape, and now grouped together form an appropriate local memorial for the various wars. I was unprepared for the emotional hugs and kisses I received from people included in the memorial pavement, or from descendants. As a child all I ever saw was the name of H.V.Potts on the granite memorial in Malmsbury. Descendants of local Cheltenham-Moorabbin veterans are proud to know a few more details. Eventually I will make an archive of all the material collected which will be available at the RSL. The tile records obviously contain brief stories of at most a couple of paragraphs. Squeezing stories from some veterans was difficult. Their self-deprecating Aussie attitudes brought forth stories of heroic actions of others. I wanted ordinary service personnel to tell me their own stories, which by today’s standards are all heroic and extra-ordinary. Others had written personal accounts for their families, so editing some material from these was relatively easy, once I could finally get my hands on it. Often the stories are humorous, that larrikanism of the Aussie Digger camouflaging the horrific tragedy and violence in the lives of these young people of the 1940s.
“It is a time of my life that I will cherish forever not because of the war but because it brought us all together and that is something missing today.” “I spent six years in the AIF and was lucky to survive, many of my mates did not. I was glad it was over for war proves nothing, never has and never will.” “I always loved Pa’s story of the HMAS Hawkesbury escorting the historic convoy of transports returning the Changi and Burma Railway POWs back home after three and a half years incarceration. All the ships tuned in to the crackling ABC short-wave broadcast of the VFL Victory Grand Final September ’45. The Carlton and South Melbourne Blood Bath won by Carlton.” “G’pa represented his battalion in boxing and beat Melbourne footballer Lennie Dockett for a footrace prize of 30 gallons of beer at Mingenow! [W.A.] He got 14 days for insubordination … but they needed a centreman for a football match on day 7, so under armed guard he was released at the boundary line for the duration of the game.” “History records that 160, including my Grandfather were captured, then massacred at the Tol Plantation on February 4th 1942.” “You should have seen their [U.S.] camp at Moratai, fridges, cinemas, everything that opened and shut” [G’pa] eventually landed in Brisbane “We were welcomed wholeheartedly and the one thing we wanted was a beer. But all the pubs were closed because it was Sunday.” “Gran decided to join the Air Force to be a wireless operator. … There were about 500 airmen at Bowen. The few females were billeted on the balcony of the local pub!”
So eighteen months has been a long haul ceramic project. Particularly at the six month mark I wondered if it would ever come together. But on Anzac Day I was glad to honour men and women and families whose sacrifice has been vital to the quality of life we now share. Narrative clay has certainly led me into rewarding situations. Ceramics is not just about clay glaze and fire. The narrative and content aspects enjoyed over many years, this time gave me a deep historic appreciation and often very emotional glimpse of Australia.
The Local Story Pavement is at Cheltenham-Moorabbin RSL, Lower Dandenong Road, Cheltenham. Melways 87 F2.
Originally published in Claylink No. 313 July/August 2007 Newsletter of Ceramics Victoria Inc.