AN Edith Cowan university history lecturer is looking for Fremantle families prepared to tell the grittier side of the story about their rellies who’d fought in WWI.

Leigh Straw, who recently gave a talk about the city’s criminal women at the Fremantle History Studies Day, says she’s looking for stories about old soldiers who came back with mental or physical injuries. “I am also interested in humanising the stories behind ex-soldiers who took their own lives,” Dr Straw told the Herald. Her interest was sparked when she was delving into a dark chapter in her own family’s history, as a relative who’d fought in the war ended up murdering a woman in a jealous fit.

Dr Straw plans to write a book based on the information she receives.

Anyone interested in sharing the darker side of their family history can contact her at l.straw@ecu.edu.au.