John Treloar (1894–1952) was an Australian archivist who was the director for almost 30 years of the Australian War Memorial (AWM), the country's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have participated in war. Prior to World War I he worked as a clerk in the Department of Defence and, after volunteering for the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in 1914, served in staff roles for most of the war's first years. Treloar was selected to command the Australian War Records Section in 1917. In this position, he improved the AIF's records and collected a large number of artefacts for later display in Australia. Treloar was appointed the director of what eventually became the AWM in 1920, and was a key figure in establishing the Memorial and raising funds for its permanent building in Canberra. He headed the Department of Information during the first years of World War II, and spent the remainder of the war in charge of the Australian military's history section. Treloar returned to the AWM in 1946, and continued as its director until his death. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Water Rail – A Child of Our Time – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)