A Passion for Truth Till the Last

Graham Wilson was not a conventional military historian. More he was an investigative historical reporter who accepted little at face value and would dig deep through records, cross reference personal accounts and build a dynamic picture to prove or disprove the facts. His goal was always to simply convey truth.

Those who have followed Australia in the Great War will know Graham as our consulting historian. He was our mentor and friend.

Graham never set out to be controversial but was at times just that. When I first met Graham his book ‘Dust, Donkeys and Delusions’ had recently been released and the debate about Simpson – the man with the donkey – being awarded a posthumous VC was still raging.  Many believe Graham’s work was the final straw which ended the VC campaign for John “Simpson” Kirkpatrick. I like many though “why?” Was this truth necessary? Is this not a story worthy of keeping, even if some of the facts were a little sketchy? But for Graham history, particularly military history, must always be the truth. His intention was not to debunk or demean Kirkpatrick, in fact he held the man in the highest regard. It was simply to gather the facts and present the truth about what he saw as a brave young man who, like many others at Gallipoli, displayed great courage – just not necessarily the exceptional feats we were led to believe in our classrooms. It was some months later, after to getting to know Graham that I forgave him the truth.

Throughout development of Australia in the Great War, and on numerous other projects requiring historic content or verification, Graham amazed all with his instant recall of obscure (and verified) facts.

His passion for history led to many of the Great War mementos created. He would often call up with ideas to create something unique that told a story worthy of sharing. The Great War bears are just one example. He was meticulous and demanding in how they were created, insisting that the uniform and webbing, the name and all else reflected the truth of the times. The bears in part are an insight into another side of Graham. He was doting grandfather and these bears are as much about helping kids connect to history as they are about conveying history.

Graham’s understanding of the Great War, and his detailed knowledge of every turn and twist of the A.I.F., was at times simply amazing. He was never a fan of C.W. Bean’s Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 because he believed the accounts had too strong an element of propaganda. Instead he poured over divisional diaries, unit records and most any other official record maintained by our fighting forces to build his own understanding of the Great War. Graham looked at areas most historians ignored, like the bicycle corps, military detention, railways and other less romantic aspects of service. It was these less travelled roads that gave him an unprecedented appreciation of military operations.

Graham Wilson was more than simply a brilliant investigative historian. He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a friend and mentor to many. An extraordinary man with an exceptional dry humour and great compassion for all people. 

His published works, Bully Beef and Balderdash (April 2012); Dust Donkeys and Delusions (June 2012); and Accommodating the King's Hard Bargain (March 2016), provide a glimmer of insight into the man but cannot capture or reflect the untold wealth of knowledge he accumulated in his life.

To all who knew Graham, and the many more who read his published works, his passing is a great loss.

By Ian Paterson,

Friend & Colleague