Photo essay image five

Captain Bede James Smith Image Five

In September 1943, Bede was posted to England to prepare for the Allied invasion of Europe. He’s seated here (middle left), relaxing on a sunny day with his mates in the medical team. These men will be sharing tough times ahead, treating the wounded, working in field hospitals close to the front.

Photo essay image four

Captain Bede James Smith Image Four

But the Army must have taken pity. Marg was pregnant now. Bede returned to Toronto in time for the birth of their first child in 1943.

Photo essay image three

Captain Bede James Smith Image Three

After enlisting, Bede was posted to the frozen north of Canada, where the snow piled high and foot-long icicles hung down from the military huts.

Photo essay image two

Captain Bede James Smith Image Two

Bede died in 1965 of a war-related illness, just after we’d moved from Sydney to Perth. He never discussed his military service with me. In later years, my mother told me what she knew. I’ve pieced together his life as a soldier, using military records, photos and objects.

Photo essay unit UTAS Family History

I recently completed another unit in the Diploma of Family History run by the University of Tasmania (UTAS). This one was Photo Essay all about Storytelling through photography: go deeper than a single image.

My final assignment consisted of several images telling a story about my father's life in the Canadian Army during World War Two.

I'll try to reproduce it here. This is the first image with caption below. I'll post the others over several days

Captain Bede James Smith Image 1

My father, Bede James Smith, was on board ship, headed for Canada when the war broke out in 1939. He planned to take a postgraduate course in dentistry, before returning to Australia. But he fell in love with Marg, a Toronto girl, and stayed on, enlisting with the Canadian Army.