This Anzac Day, thousands of Australians will flock to sites such as war memorials and cenotaphs to remember those who fought, suffered and died in war. But meanwhile, another type of memorial – commemorative trees – are often neglected and forgotten.

Such trees often form an avenue of honour, lining streets or footpaths in hundreds of Australian cities and towns. Many were planted more than a century ago in response to the first world war. In some cases, families planted a tree to remember a particular fallen soldier – creating a physical place to grieve when their loved one’s body was buried on the battlefield a world away.

But as Greg Moore writes today, history has obscured the significance of many of these trees. Some have been bulldozed for roadworks or urban development. Others have wearied with age. You may walk along an avenue of honour every day without even realising it.

Across Australia, dedicated people are fighting to have Avenues of Honour identified, protected and restored. Perhaps you have once such avenue in your area? If so, the article tells you how to join the preservation effort.

Also today, Fiona McLeod reminds us how nurses in the first world war, like the soldiers they cared for, were victims of battle. Death on the Western Front was ugly, chaotic and painful. Tragically, many nurses were left worn down and shattered by the horrors they witnessed.

Finally, Véronique Duché tells how troops found solace during the first world war by writing and reading magazines created by soldiers, for soldiers. Produced in trenches, on ships, in camps and in hospitals, these magazines entertained soldiers and kept their minds occupied. In doing so, they were a much-needed form of therapy and comfort in very difficult times.

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