The Memorial: Beyond the ANZAC Legend

It’s impossible to ignore the fact that this documentary on a chapter in Australian history is narrated by a Scot with a very thick, bonnie accent.

There will be those who, understandably, question why the History Channel didn’t hire an Aussie to present this 5 part series on our national War Memorial.

But make no mistake, Neil Oliver is a man who loves his history and, with his extensive experience delving into museums, is clearly a formidable storyteller. Oliver also has his own links to World War I, having written a book on the topic and having family who were part of the Allied Forces.

Putting his heritage to one side, there’s plenty on offer for those engaged by the subject with producers granted remarkable access to the archives of the War Memorial.

Oliver admits to being privileged to front the series, “because I’m an outsider.” He even wears a tie, instead of his trademark scarf, on some occasions.

Some of the initial narration sets the scene with some basic history on our nation and capital, which again makes me feel History is eyeing international markets for its productions (it would be better to offer 2 narratives, one for Aussies and one for the rest).

Canberra’s War Memorial is, he explains, “the nation’s emotional and spiritual centre.” Apologies to Uluru?

One of the intriguing insights the doco provides is in observing Dr. Brendan Nelson. The former politician is now Director of the War Memorial, a role he relishes with respect. One gets the feeling he has been instrumental in making this doco happen. Nelson speaks with eloquence and reverence as he explains the features and history of the building to Oliver.

The experience moves Neil Oliver, who describes the visit as a “sense of being surrounded by ghosts.”

The first episode focuses on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the final resting place of a man whose identity has never been understood. During the re-internment in 2003, Prime Minister Paul Keating said of the soldier, ‘He is one of them, and he is all of us.’

A decision was then made to remove Rudyard Kipling’s words “Known Unto God” and replace them with Keating’s. Eventually a compromise was reached, bearing both tributes on the tombstone, but it was not without some controversy.

Keating, one of several former PMs to be interviewed for the series, tells Oliver he declines to “enter the dispute.”

The roll-call of interview subjects is a mark of how well-regarded this project is: Tony Abbott, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, John Howard, Peter Cosgrove, Quentin Bryce and VC recipients Mark Donaldson and Ben Robert Smith. Impressive stuff.

The first episode also documents the story of soldiers Walter & Harry Whiting and their cousin, Henry. Is Harry the man who buried Australia’s unknown soldier? Indeed, should we ever dare to know?

At one point, Brendan Nelson is even on his stomach, meticulously cleaning every nook and cranny of the Unknown Soldier’s tombstone. It is a poignant, but reflective ritual for him.

Oliver will also travel to Gallipoli and the Western Front for the series, but the richest scenes include those that remind us the War Memorial is a living mecca for many Australian families, who pay their respects to fallen descendants, remembered silently during the daily playing of the Last Post.

Filmed while the War Memorial undergoes $32 million renovations, this series is as much a labour of love by the filmmakers as it is to those who uphold this most revered building.

The Memorial: Beyond the ANZAC Legend airs Tuesday, November 4 at 7.30pm on History.