With the war only so recently concluded, the aftermath and recovery process was still uppermost in the minds of the city in early 1919. Celebrations and commemorations were held; letters recorded council employees returning from active duty and to work, with a number showing the effects of war service; and, poignantly, news continued to come of deaths, despite the joy of the end of war two months earlier. The conflict had long-lasting repercussions for the city of Melbourne and its inhabitants, and war affected many returned soldiers and their families for the rest of their lives.