Why this sculpture troubles me Don’t get me wrong. I have loved this bronzed sculpture, simply known as ‘Wipers’, ever since I first saw it near Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance. Yet, here’s what troubles me. This fearsome-looking soldier does not reflect the reality of what Great War soldiers experienced at dreaded places such as Passchendaele and the Somme. After reading countless veterans’ war diaries, I’m yet to find one that mentioned soldiers standing upright and square-on, staring defiantly at their enemy. Rather, most described soldiers cowering in shallow trenches, surrounded by bloated corpses, praying that the relentless German bombardments wouldn’t kill them. The embodiment of the ANZAC legend - a square-jawed and physically imposing man - does not feature in their diaries. The fighting qualities that supposedly define the mythical ANZAC — an indifference to danger, and fierceness in battle — are rarely mentioned. R...