Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918

The ninth volume in the Official History, written in the 1920s under trying conditions of censorship by the Admiralty (eventually partially overcome), is set out to show that during the Great War the Royal Australian Navy had justified the policy of the pre-war Australian leaders who had inaugurated it. Covered, amongst other topics, is the Capture of the German Colonies, the Sydney-Emden Fight, Overseas Service in East Africa, Dardanelles, North Atlantic and also in European Waters. It confirms that whether fighting in action, in routine patrolling, or working ashore, the young Australian fleet and its men, under Admiralty control, had shown themselves worthy of the traditions and courage of the Royal Navy.
The Outbreak of War. Capture of the German Colonies: Samoa, Nauru. Capture of the German Colonies: German New Guinea. The Australian and the German Squadron. Affairs in the Western Pacific. The Convoys and the Emden. The Sydney-Emden Fight and its Results. Service Overseas: Malay Archipelago.ãService Overseas: East Africa, Dardanelles, North Atlantic. Service in European Waters. The Australian Coastal Patrol: Raiders and Minefields. The Royal Australian Naval Brigade. Transport. Hospital Ships and Dockyards. Sundry Services: Radio-Telegraphy, Censorship, Coaling etc.
The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 is a 12-volume series covering Australian involvement in the First World War. The series was edited by C.E.W. Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes, and was published between 1920 and 1942. The first seven volumes deal with the Australian Imperial Force while other volumes cover the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force at Rabaul, the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Flying Corps and the home front; the final volume is a photographic record. Unlike other official histories that have been aimed at military staff, Bean intended the Australian history to be accessible to a non-military audience. The relatively small size of the Australian forces enabled the history to be presented in great detail, giving accounts of individual actions that would not have been possible when covering a larger force.