author
C. E. W. (Charles Edwin Woodrow) Bean
1879–1968
Best known for turning frontline reporting into one of Australia’s great war histories, this journalist and historian helped shape how the First World War was remembered. His writing combines eyewitness detail with a strong sense of national character and public duty.
1 Audiobook
Letters from France
by C. E. W. (Charles Edwin Woodrow) Bean
About the author
Born in Bathurst, New South Wales, in 1879, C. E. W. Bean became an Australian journalist, historian, and war correspondent whose name is closely tied to the First World War. He reported from Gallipoli and the Western Front as Australia’s official war correspondent, recording not just major events but the daily experience of soldiers in remarkable detail.
After the war, he devoted years to the monumental Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, writing several of its volumes and helping set the tone for how the conflict would be remembered in Australia. He is also widely linked with the vision behind the Australian War Memorial, reflecting his belief that the stories and sacrifices of ordinary service members should be preserved with care.
Bean died in 1968, but his influence has lasted well beyond his own era. For many readers, he remains a key guide to the Anzac story: thoughtful, meticulous, and deeply committed to turning lived experience into history.