When Hugo Throssell joined the 10th Light Horse Regiment in 1914, soon after the outbreak of the First World War, he was emblematic of the young Australian nation at that time: full of youth, vigour, courage and idealism. These traits were to see him awarded a Victoria Cross after the savage fighting for Hill 60 during the Gallipoli campaign. Badly wounded, Throssell was sent to England to recover. By 1919, Throssell – once hailed as an Australian hero – was ready to publicly denounce the war. His stance was to forever alienate him from former comrades and the political establishment. The war affected him in other ways too, as he found himself unable to hold down a job and increasingly prone to episodes of depression. In 1933, Throssell killed himself, leaving behind his beloved wife and only child. In his triumph and tragedy he remained as emblematic to his country as he'd been in those heady days of 1914, an example of courage and sacrifice whose youth and future had been forever darkened by the experience of war.
