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Mnemosyne: Comprising two works (with 25 original and archival war photographs from the AWM collection) depicting Australia’s participation in the Korean War and the ongoing legacy of that conflict.
Mnemosyne II: “And the rivers still flow towards an open sea”
8 colour photographs by Lee Grant, 3 B&W images from the AWM collection by Donald Albert (Tim) Meldrum, Philip Oliver Hobson and Unknown. Digital pigment prints on archival rag photographique, 2019.
1. In the ranks of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in Korea, there are a number of KATCOMS (Korean Augmentation Troops Commonwealth), attached to units of 1 Commonwealth Division and are “keen soldiers and are glad of the chance to live and train with the Australians”. At grenade training is Private Kim Hyo-Hyung. [Cropped] photo by Donald Albert (Tim) Meldrum, 15 February 1955, Korea (MELJ6075).
2. Guarding the border: a view across the Imjin river to North Korea. Photo by Lee Grant, Incheon, Korea, 2014.
3. Private First Class Jeong Ji-Hun (정지훈), 23, currently enlisted for compulsory ROK military service at 76 Artillery Regiment of the 6th Infantry Division: a unit established in 1949 known as “Blue Star”, now responsible for ‘zone defense’ in the DMZ. Photo by Lee Grant, Dongsong, Korea, 2019.
4. Private Kim Jin-Tai, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army (left) and an unidentified member, possibly 12039 K. J. (Kev) Power, of the Assault Pioneers Support Company, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) sitting behind a Vickers .303 medium machine gun. Approximately 100 Korean Augmentation Troops, Commonwealth (KATCOMs) were attached to Australian units. Photographer unknown (donated by W. Barty) c. 1953, Korea (P03035.002).
5. Korean Camo: an early example of military camouflage (most likely from the 1950s) painted on the wall of a military regiment in the DMZ. Photo by Lee Grant, 2019, DMZ, Korea
6. During the United Nations (UN) Forces offensive against heavily fortified Communist forces, Australian soldiers are seen here taking up positions on a battle scarred hill as a Korean ration and ammunition party moves through. Note the items of personal kit on the ground beside the unidentified soldier digging at right. Photo by Philip Oliver Hobson, October 1951, Korea (HOBJ2420)
7. Mine warning sign in the DMZ: at 250 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide, there are an estimated 2 million landmines on each side of the border. Recent efforts by both North and South Korea to clear landmines have helped to ease ongoing tensions between the two countries. Photo by Lee Grant, DMZ, Korea, 2019.
8. Sergeant Major Kim Dong-Won (김동원), 47, a career soldier since 1993, serves in the 7th Artillery Regiment, 6th Division. Photo by Lee Grant, DMZ, Korea, 2019.
9. Military border armed guard post: one of the many hundreds found along both land and sea borders in South Korea. Photo by Lee Grant, Gangwon-do, Korea, 2014.
10. A diorama of war at the Historic Park of Geoje POW Camp. Originally a United Nations Command (UN) POW camp that held North Korean and Chinese prisoners captured by UN forces during the Korean War, the site was turned into a historic park and museum in 1997, providing visitors a curious insight into the POW camp experience. Photo by Lee Grant, Geoje-si, Korea, 2012.
11. Korean Martyrs: War graves at the Seoul National Cemetery. The Korean War was relatively short but exceptionally bloody. An estimated 5 million Koreans died during the war. More than half of these – about 10 percent of Korea’s pre-war population – were civilians. The rate of civilian casualties was higher than in World War II and Vietnam. Photo by Lee Grant, Seoul, Korea, 2019.