Winner of the 2020 Hugh Martin Weir Prize

The University Library and Weir family are pleased to announce Emma Carson as the successful applicant for the 2020 Hugh Martin Weir Prize.

Emma is currently undertaking a PhD in History in the School of Humanities.

Her dissertation researches how wartime separation and military service impacted Australian married couples during World War II. In particular, she uses letters written between servicemen and their wives to observe how they maintained their relationships during the war years, constructed intimacy to combat loneliness, navigated power relations between the sexes, and discussed concerns about fidelity. Where possible, Emma will also employ evidence such as memoirs, diaries, existing oral histories, and marriage records to see how wartime separation and the ways that these relationships were maintained ultimately affected marriages in the post-war years.

The prize will be mainly used for research travel and presenting a paper at the University of New South Wales Canberra in October.

The Hugh Martin Weir Prize was established to encourage study and research, including use of the University Library collections, into any aspect of Australia's involvement in war, or the treatment of prisoners of war in any conflict, including the impact on those persons involved, their families, and/or their communities.