Re-reading Bean's last paragraph

The last paragraph of C.E. W. Bean's Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 is one of the best known passages in the whole twelve volumes. With its rhetorical phrases and patriotic diction, the last paragraph strongly expresses links between Anzac and the nation. This article reveals that the 'last paragraph', published 1942, was in fact the first to be written, in 1919. it further details how Bean's original ideas were suppressed by both his publisher, George Roberston, and Prime Minister Billy Hughes. Such findings raise questions about Bean's motivation in writing the Official History, and the subsequent reception of the work.