{
  "id": 19385011,
  "title": "‘I am wretchedly sad’: Bertha Monash’s letters and women on the first world war home front",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/i-am-wretchedly-sad-bertha-monashs-letters-and-women-on-the-first",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-10T19:16:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/i-am-wretchedly-sad-bertha-monashs-letters-and-women-on-the-first-world-war-home-front-295749"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bertha Monash, the daughter of renowned Australian battle commander John Monash, was just 21 when the First World War began. Like many other Australian women, she enthusiastically participated in the war effort through voluntary work, such as knitting socks, sewing shirts, organizing fundraising events, and creating comfort parcels for wounded soldiers. However, Bertha's most consistent contribution was her volunteer work as a civilian orderly in a south Melbourne rest home for returned wounded soldiers.\n\nThrough her letters to her father, Bertha's experiences shed light on the emotional struggle faced by women on the home front during the war. Despite her dedication to the war effort, Bertha was plagued by intense emotions due to being surrounded by her father, cousins, and friends on the front lines. Her intense sadness, loneliness, and fear were often masked by a facade of happiness.\n\nBertha believed that appearing cheerful and brave would positively impact those around her. She developed a strategy to maintain her spirits by filling her days with work, as she believed staying busy was the best way to cope with her sorrow. However, as the war progressed, her emotional burden grew heavier.\n\nBy the time the war ended in November 1918, Bertha was physically and emotionally exhausted. Although she expressed gratitude for the end of the war, she acknowledged that many women, including herself, felt immense sadness and hardship. The toll of the war on these women was enormous, with many losing loved ones and enduring anxiety and fear. Bertha's letters provide a poignant reminder of the often-overlooked emotional toll experienced by women at home during the war, highlighting the need to recognize their struggles alongside the men fighting on the battlefield.",
  "summary": "The letters Bertha wrote to her father John Monash reveal the agonising struggle of women on the home front.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}