The two Franks, one blind and the other paralysed, became a familiar sight in Mosman, indeed a sort of living war memorial. They had a motor bike and side car which Cluett, an engineer by training, had modified so that he could drive it while sitting in the side car, with Morris on the bike saddle.

If we’re going to gather information about Mosman’s WWI servicepeople, first we have to find out who they were. The names on the Mosman War Memorial and George Franki’s research provide us with a great starting point, but there may be many others waiting to be identified.

We all know that the Trove newspaper database is a rich resource for historical research, but how can we make best use of it for this project? A quick search on ‘Mosman’ for the years 1914-1918 returns more than 20,000 articles — clearly we need a more strategic approach!

The Build-a-thon is fast approaching. It’ll be a jam-packed day of thinking, linking, learning and making. Not sure what to expect? Well neither are we — there’s a basic outline below, but the day will be shaped by your interests and enthusiasms.

Maggie Patton gave us a look at some of the original WWI materials held by the State Library of NSW last Friday. As a collection it’s historic in its own right; the Library was collecting letters and diaries of Australian soldiers even before the armistice went into effect on 11 November 1918.