Australian High Commission

Australia House is the oldest Australian diplomatic mission and is the longest continuously occupied foreign mission in London. King George V laid the building’s foundation stone in 1913 but it was not until August 1918 and the end of the First World War that he officially opened the completed building. The Australian High Commission represents the interests of the Australian Government in the UK and provides services to Australians. The Australian High Commission is a proud supporter of Never Such Innocence and is honoured to have hosted the charity's launch event in Australia House.

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Never Such Innocence

Never Such Innocence is a registered charity (number 1156148) in England and Wales and is a unique project fitting into the wider series of 2014-2018 centenary activities. Our aim is to ensure young people nationally are inspired, informed and included in the centenary activities.

The charity takes its name from Philip Larkin’s famous poem MCMXIV, which reflects on the changes caused by the First World War. The driving force behind Never Such Innocence is Lady Lucy French, great-granddaughter of Field Marshal Sir John French who commanded the British Expeditionary Forces from 1914-15.

The launch of Never Such Innocence was kindly hosted at Australia House in May 2014 with a gala dinner and theatrical performance, blending poetry, prose and music from the Great War, compiled by Dr Martin Stephen. Since our inception we have been dedicated to engaging the nation’s children in the First World War centenary through learning, poetry, art and music.

T: 0207 836 2603
11 Slingsby Place, London,
WC2E 9AB

Never Such Innocence.
Registered Charity Number 1156148 Company Number 8680319

Don’t know about you, but I’ve been doing the classic hold this hanger up, then hold that hanger up to pick my outfit for Friday! Still time to do some shopping! We can’t wait to see everyone’s fantastic outfits! Be sure to post them with #MotMC!

ONE MONTH LEFT TO GO! The deadline to enter our FREE international poetry, art, speech and song competition is Friday 24th May 2024! Open to young people aged 9-18 everywhere! Follow the link in our bio to enter. Artist credit: Indigenismo XXI by Rafaela (16-18, Ecuador)

@anotherartclub ran workshops in Helensburgh last week for Month of the Military Child at John Logie Baird Primary School, Colgrain Primary School, Rhu Primary School and Hermitage Primary School. We were really impressed with the cyanotype prints that were created by the pupils. Enter our Month of the Military Child Art Competition at the link in bio!

We are always so proud of our International Ambassadors. Recently, our Young Ambassador Mariam visited her old school in celebration of our Tenth Anniversary. “It was an absolute pleasure of mine to help celebrate the organisation by giving back to society. Earlier this week, I visited my old school to speak with them and enlighten them about Never Such Innocence, thus encouraging them to participate in the upcoming competitions and get a chance to express themselves as well! In commemoration of NSI’s 10th anniversary, as a Young Ambassador of the organization, I have created awareness for young people of the age category to put forth their talents and enter into contests, especially those organized by Never Such Innocence.”