Forgetting their troubles for a while: Australian soldiers’ experiences of cinema during the First World War

This article examines some aspects of the social history of cinema in wartime. Only limited attention has been paid thus far to the ways in which First World War soldiers experienced the ‘picture shows’. It focuses on reconstructing the cinema experiences of Australian soldiers during the First World War, considering some of their responses to, and interactions with, what they saw. It places this history within the broader story of entertainment and recreation for service personnel and seeks to elucidate the role of cinema in the lives and experiences of soldiers and veterans.