Discovering Daphne: identity of wartime diarist uncovered
By State Library of Queensland | 15 July 2025
Daphne Baetz, author of the 1940s pocket diaries, and her husband, Clinton Hage.
The author of two wartime diaries in State Library of Queensland’s collection has been revealed, a decade after their discovery at a Woolloongabba flea market.
In her early 20s, Daphne Grace Baetz filled the pages of her pocket diary with stories from the bustling Brisbane social scene of the mid-1940s. Daphne wrote witty, sharply observed accounts of nights out at dances, clubs and theatres during an era when Brisbane was a base for tens of thousands of American troops fighting the war in the Pacific.
University of Queensland historian Associate Professor Geoff Ginn came across Daphne’s diaries while strolling through a market after dinner with friends in 2015. Recognising their significance as a first-hand account of wartime Brisbane through a young woman’s eyes, he purchased them for $50 with the intention of donating them to State Library for preservation. His students transcribed and analysed the diaries as part of a research project.
A Christmas gift tag – ‘To Dear Daph. From Lola.’ – in the back of one of the diaries indicated Daphne may have been the author’s name. But her identity was unknown until specialist librarian Robyn Hamilton was interviewed on 9News, the Today show and ABC Radio for Anzac Day 2025. With amateur genealogists poring over the digitised diaries in State Library's catalogue, it wasn't long before Daphne's name was uncovered.
Daphne Baetz (right) with her friend Lola Mead-Hughes (left) and an unidentified woman in front of the Old Museum Building at Bowen Hills, photo supplied by the Taylor family.
A childhood photo of Daphne and her brother Henry, who was killed in a flying battle over the Atlantic Ocean while serving with the RAAF during World War II, photo supplied by the Hage family.
Who was Daphne?
Daphne Grace Baetz was born in Eidsvold in 1925. She was one of 7 children – one of her brothers, RAAF Flight Sergeant Henry Baetz, was killed in action off the coast of England on 21 December 1943, aged just 20.
Daphne writes of meeting her future husband, Clinton Eric Hage, at Cloudland in October 1947. Married in 1951, they lived in the Brisbane suburb of Carina and had 5 children.
Their twin daughters, Jill Ehlers and Sue Pemberton, remember their late mother as lively, lovable and social.
‘She was a fun person who had a really lovely laugh,’ Sue said. ‘People used to comment that they loved coming to the family home. They were in the family home for 50 years and used to have a lot of parties. They would gather around the organ and sing songs.
‘Mum was always front and centre. She was just beaming out there. When she was in church, she used to sing at the top of her voice, and she was not in tune at all.’
Daphne wrote in her diary of the day peace was declared and getting her photo in the paper – she was photographed waving from the back of a packed RAAF truck in evening paper The Telegraph and was part of the victory parade crowd on the front page of The Courier-Mail.
Her grandchildren have been reading the diaries online and lighting up the group chat with fond memories of their Nan, who died in 2017, aged 91.
‘Mum and Dad were always very hands-on grandparents, and they minded our kids when we went to work,’ Sue said. ‘They were very close. The grandchildren have taken a keen interest in the diaries, making little jokes back and forward, like “that sentence is so Nan.”’
Jill and Sue believe the diaries were lost in a garage sale after their father died in 2011 and their mother was no longer able to live independently in the family home. They are thankful the diaries have been found and preserved for Daphne’s descendants and future generations researching wartime history.
In December, Daphne’s family will gather at Fingal Head to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday. ‘We used to spend every holiday for years in our caravan at Fingal and it holds a special place in our hearts,’ Jill said.
Daphne through the years, with her husband, Clinton Hage, photos supplied by Hage family.
Daphne (circled) in The Telegraph on 15 August 1945. She wrote in her diary about riding around on a military truck during Victory Day celebrations in Brisbane.
Solving the mystery
Robyn, Lead, Collection Building at State Library, said the diaries were a precious first-hand account of wartime Brisbane. ‘As documents, the diaries tell us so much about what life must have been like in Brisbane during and after World War II,’ Robyn said.
‘We feel privileged to have been able to preserve them and bring that time in Queensland's history to life through Daphne's words and experiences. Women’s lives and stories are often absent from the documentary record or are brief, so diaries like Daphne’s help bring them to the fore.’
Amateur genealogist Julie Robinson contacted State Library after unlocking the mystery on Anzac Day. Julie said the key was Daphne’s entries about being a bridesmaid at her friend Lola’s wedding. Julie looked up the births, deaths and marriages register, which listed D Baetz in the bridal party.
Confirming the details through Ancestry, she cross-referenced them with several significant dates recorded in the diary – an ‘engagements’ calendar in the front of one diary had what Julie realised were the birthdays of Daphne’s mother and father, and Daphne’s birthday was one of the dates circled on a calendar in the later diary. State Library contacted the family via Ancestry.
As Julie was confirming Daphne’s identity, Lola's granddaughter Naomi Taylor had verified her family's connection to the mystery and contacted Geoff at The University of Queensland.
Twin sisters Jill Ehlers and Sue Pemberton look at their late mother Daphne’s wartime diaries, which are part of State Library's collection. Photo by Josie Huang.
Sue and Jill with Robyn Hamilton (Lead, Collection Building), researcher Julie Robinson and Associate Professor Geoff Ginn. Photo by Josie Huang.
A story for future generations
Next semester, the diaries will have come full circle in Geoff’s History in Action class at UQ. Geoff plans to use them as a starting point for his students to examine other diaries in State Library’s collection for their own research.
He said it was rewarding to see Daphne identified as the author, thanks to Julie’s and Naomi's efforts, and learn more from her daughters about the personal side of a powerful social document.
‘There's a social history quality about this that everyone from Brisbane who's interested in that period would be interested in,’ he said. ‘Seeing the very personal connection with members of the family, that was really lovely.’
Next week: Lola’s story
Find more remarkable wartime stories on the Anzac Square Memorial Galleries website.
Tracing your family tree? Our free family history research resources can help you get started. State Library and some Queensland public libraries have subscriptions to Ancestry (Ancestry Library Edition) and FindMyPast, meaning library members can use them for free on site.
World War II diaries of a young Brisbane woman
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