Guide to the papers of Sir George Pearce

The papers of Sir George Pearce are held within the Private Records collection at the Australian War Memorial's Research Centre. They document Pearce's life from 1909-1934 and chiefly cover his experiences as Australian Minister for Defence in 1908-09, 1910-13, 1914-21 and 1932-34. The papers occupy two shelf metres and comprise a range of record types: diaries, letters, photographs, reports, legal papers and official documents. The largest component of the collection focuses on correspondence between Pearce and military and political figures in Australia and overseas during the First World War. These include Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson, Australian Prime Ministers William Hughes and Andrew Fisher and Field Marshal Lord Birdwood. Topics discussed cover events such as the development of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), conscription, defence, repatriation and demobilisation. Later correspondence with Hughes and Fisher document Pearce's visit to Austria in 1919 to sign the Peace treaty and his delegate role on the League of Nations.Post-war papers and correspondence focus on Pearce's role as the Minister for Home and Territories, 1921-1926 and include international conferences on disarmament and the role of the League of Nations.