Paul Byrnes delves into the surviving First World War footage of Australians at the Western Front held by the Australian War Memorial. These silent films are a powerful tribute to the Anzac troops and also reveal a new approach to war reporting.

The films represent 'the first serious attempt to make an Australian war documentary, a very new idea at the time. [They] depict the birth of war being covered by moving image. It changed warfare forever’, says Byrnes.

Byrnes unpacks the mysteries, controversies and personalities in his moving article on the AWM Western Front films.

He also surveys the AWM’s film collection.

View footage from the Australian War Memorial titles.