Published on: 21 October 2015

John Dowson imageJohn Dowson (1964) has advised that his company Aussiana Books’ latest title promotes Western Australia’s contribution to the war effort 100 years ago. The Western Mail War Souvenir Christmas 1915 facsimile is a high quality exact facsimile of the 1915 The Western Mail Christmas number. The Western Mail ran from 1885 until 1955, and its Christmas annuals were legendary. The 1915 one is particularly rare. Using a copy from the Dowson collection, in a project with the National Trust of Australia (WA), an exact facsimile has been made of this folio magazine.

The magazine is a time capsule of Western Australia in 1915 exactly 100 years ago. Many photographs and articles show Western Australians in training at camps like Blackboy Hill and fighting at Gallipoli. There are articles by Professor Walter Murdoch, Dr JS Battye, Roberta Jull and others and 16 pages of fascinating advertising from the time. The cost is $19.95 retail (excluding postage) and can be obtained from John contactable on john.dowson@yahoo.com

Other titles available:
Award winning Fremantle Port by John Dowson rrp $59.95
Award winning Off to War:WW1 1914-1918 by John Dowson rrp $24.95
Award winning Old Fremantle Childhood by John Dowson rrp now $22.50