The importance of War Widows Day
War Widows Day holds profound significance as it recognises and connects war widows, acknowledging their bravery, resilience, and sacrifice. It is a day to honour the silent figures who have stood steadfast behind Australia’s peace and security, ensuring that their stories are heard and their contributions remembered. The importance of this day lies in its role to shine a light on the sacrifices of war widows, whose strength and endurance have often gone unnoticed for over a century.
In this article, we shine a light on their lives, shaped by our Defence Force and service and we honour their stories of love and sacrifice.
Meet some of Australia’s first war widows
Sybil Dale was living in Canberra and just 18 years old when her husband was killed at Gallipoli in August 1915. The couple had a daughter, Valda, who was only four months old, born mere days before her father set sail for war.
When Jessie Reid’s husband was killed on the Western Front in June 1917, she was also left a war widow and single mother to three young children, all aged under four. She dedicated the next 20 years of her life to raising her children on her own while living in Victoria.
Glenda Love was another woman whose husband, Alfred, died during the First World War. Their daughter, Esther, was eight years old at the time. Alfred wrote in the back of his war diary, “In the event of my death, I wish this book to be sent to my Dear Wife to let her know that my last thoughts were of her and of Essie, my darling daughter.”
These are the stories of some of Australia’s first war widows. While the exact number of Australian war widows over the past 100-plus years has never been tallied, a good estimate would be in the hundreds of thousands.
Yet despite this significant number, little is known about you, Australia’s war widows. There have been few books written about you, no documentaries or television series created to tell your stories, and only a handful of monuments have been erected to honour your support, grief, and sacrifice.
For more than 100 years, your stories have remained largely unseen and untold, and your sacrifice has stayed unrecognised. Until now.
War Widows Day
In 2022, War Widows Day – 19 October – was declared an observed day in NSW and QLD, followed shortly by recognition in the ACT, SA, and WA.
The purpose of War Widows Day is to recognise war widows and widowers in our communities, honouring your contributions and sacrifices in defence of Australia. War Widows Day is the only day on some state commemorative calendars that specifically recognises the role of veterans’ families in your lifelong service and commitment to your loved ones and our nation. This makes it unique and significant.
The feedback we hear from our members is that War Widows Day is incredibly special to them. Members Di and Fran spoke to us about last year’s War Widows Day: Di described the service at the cenotaph at Martin Place as “beautiful and emotional,” while Fran said, “It was a very touching and moving day.”
With more than 40,000 war widows around Australia, and most states and territories now recognising your contributions, we believe it is time for War Widows Day to receive further recognition. We call for every Australian to mark War Widows Day this year. Have a coffee with a war widow you know, support one of our fundraisers or attend our War Widows Day Ceremony in Sydney. It is essential that we see and value our war widows, for all they have sacrificed and that we hear their stories.
We warmly invite you to join us at the War Widows Day ceremony at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, Sydney. The ceremony will commence on 19 October at 10:30am. This is a public event, and everyone is welcome to come and show their support for the incredible war widows of our nation. No registration required, if you require a seat, please email us or call us on (02) 9267 6577.
