Collaboration and Connections: Postprints of the AICCM Paper, Books and Photographic Materials Special Interest Group Symposium, Sydney 1-3 April 2004, pp. 57-66

Abstract

The book ‘A Military Training Syllabus for the Resolute Divisions of the Huai Army’ was produced in the 1890s for the instruction of certain key divisions in the personal army of one of the most powerful figures in the late Qing dynasty, Li Hongzhang. This manual was intended to provide a western style of instruction for the use of the instructors and officers of these divisions. The item came into the possession of the War Memorial, in 1955, as a mixed collection donation from the estate of a veteran of the Australian contingent to the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Over the years conservation work has been carried out on these rare and valuable, traditionally bound volumes and they’ve been reformatted to provide access to their informational content. The rapid advances in digital capture, storage and presentation options means that these largely unknown but fascinating and beautiful works will gain a new life, accessible electronically to scholars and also to the public via an online exhibition. This item is a jewel in an otherwise workmanlike digitisation program which is predominantly geared towards providing on-line access to the raw materials on which the War Memorial is constructed; the First and Second World Wars’ Official War Diaries, the Official Histories of the World Wars and the records through which the people of Australia can access the experiences of their families throughout Australia’s conflicts.

Conference:
3rd Book, Paper and Photographs Symposium, 2004
Paper author:
Kertesz, Bernard
Year:
2004
Download:
Kertesz_BPG_2004.pdf