‘A Fleeting Glimpse of Truth’: A Group Biography of Australia’s Second World War Correspondents

Abstract

This biographical study has at its centre six of Australia’s most notable war correspondents of the Second World War: Kenneth Slessor, Damien Parer, Chester Wilmot, George Johnston, Osmar White and George Silk. There were over 250 Australian war correspondents during the conflict, in contrast to just thirteen during the First World War. This large group was a relatively well-defined professional and social network, within which existed friendships, rivalries, and collaborative endeavours. I argue that to truly understand the individuals who made up this network, we have to consider them not just as a series of separate journalists, but as a dynamic group interconnected in a variety of different ways: their work, social and professional interaction, journalistic ambition and philosophy, artistic interests, and engagement with the Anzac legend, to name a few.

Through a thematic and comparative study of the work and ideas of these six key individuals, alongside a careful consideration of their interaction with each other and the wider group, I supplement our knowledge of why these individuals were historically significant—culturally, politically, and intellectually—and locate them within the historical context of Australian war reportage. A study of their lives and work side-by-side can, therefore, provide a valuable comparative insight into how some of the most distinguished war correspondents of their day approached their work, shaped the narrative of the war, and functioned as part of a wider dynamic group.