Sunday, February 27, 2011

Faces from World War I

In one of the greatest Australian historical discoveries for many years, around 3000 images of Australian diggers have been found in a farmhouse in France. 

The glass negatives have been lying in a dusty attic in Vignacourt, two hours north of Paris, for the past 95 years. They were taken in 1916 in a village a day's march from the Western Front. The discovery was aired exclusively by Channel Seven's Sunday Night program tonight. The wonderfully informal and candid photos show the diggers relaxing with their mates, and people from the local village, away from the unspeakable horror they were facing in the trenches. Sunday Night has secured 500 of the negatives and are on the lookout for descendants of the men photographed. To view the collection and to see if you may be able to identify one of the soldiers, visit The Lost Diggers.

The remaining images are still in the farmhouse, and it's hoped a benefactor will be found for them and bring them back to the Australian public. 

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