While they’ll never be forgotten, Australia’s dwindling population of WWII veterans hints at an impending loss of so-called “living memory.” For war historian Robin Prior that’s a menacing prospect, which invites the rise of extremism and denialism. As Anzac Day approaches, he notes that it has been the first-hand accounts of going to war by older veterans which have been their most important contribution to the annual commemoration. “It’s those direct, speaking-to-camera opportunities which are disappearing; telling us that they fought for democracy, that they fought to maintain our way of life,” Prior told AAP. “When the veterans themselves are no longer around to talk about it, it’s dangerous.” It’s an issue which has already raised its head in the US where, in the absence of Holocaust survivors, right-wing extremists have questioned the authenticity of their persecution. “What we’ve seen there is an absence of people who can still look directly at a camera …
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