Australian Military History

Damien Parer

Australian Military History

Show Notes

When the Second AIF headed to war, a little known photographer named Damien Parer was with them. Having made a reputation in the fledgling Australian film industry, Parer was selected as an official war photographer for the Department of Information. He would go on to record many of the iconic images of Australian troops in that war. But the bureaucracy of the DoI would eventually see Parer resign and take up a role with Paramount News, a move which would bring about his untimely death on the island of Peleliu.

https://www.australianmilitaryhistorypodcast.com/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Australian Military History

Oct 20, 2026

Having failed in their initial attempt to seize the German positions, the Australian 2nd Division made preparations for another attempt. However the date for this attempt was to be determined by the rate of preparation. As numbers of engineers went forward to prepare the jumping off and approach trenches, the casualty toll continued to rise. Some Brigade commanders chaffed at the delay, but General Brudenell White would not commit the Division until all efforts were made to ensure success.

Oct 6, 2026

Bram Connolly is a former infantry and Special Forces soldier, joining the Australian Army in 1991. In his new book 100 Ways I Almost Died, Bram covers the sometimes amusing, often terrifying ways his life was held in the balance both in training and on operations.

Sep 15, 2026

Last episode we briefly covered the fate of the 2nd Division's attack on the 28th July 1916, based upon the information which trickled back to Brigade HQ. This time, we look in depth to examine the front line solider perspective and see what went wrong.

Sep 1, 2026

Major Hashida's Notebook tells the story of a newly trained Japanese intelligence officer's time in Australia prior to the outbreak of the Pacific War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 20, 2026

G'day everyone. Just a quick one to apologies for the lack of episode this month. Got snowed under with other stuff and then got crook. Back on deck next month. Cheers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

See all episodes →