A20 CCH 02

2
Australia and World War I
Inquiry
questions
2.1 Why did Australia

become involved in World
War I?
2.2 What were the
experiences of Australians
in the Gallipoli campaign?
2.3 How and why was the
Anzac legend created?
2.4 What was the impact
of World War I on the
Australian home front
19141918?
In this topic you will learn about:
Australia as a member of the British Empire and Australias regional

context
Australias involvement in World War I
The Gallipoli campaign
The creation of the Anzac legend
The conscription issue in World War I
The experiences of
persons of German descent
women
Indigenous peoples
Australias commemoration of World War I
In this topic you will learn to:
44
Describe Australias relationship with Britain in 1914

Explain the reasons for Australias involvement in World War I
Identify the places where Australians fought in World War I
Describe the experiences of Australians in the Gallipoli campaign using
a variety of sources, including a database and website
Explain how and why the Anzac legend was created
Explain how and why the conscription debate divided Australian
society
Describe the experiences of groups (persons of German decent,
women and Indigenous Australians) during World War I in Australia
Outline the ways that Australia has commemorated World War I over
time
Chronology
1914 28 July: Austria declares war on Serbia
1 August: Germany declares war on Russia
4 August: Germany invades Belgium; Britain declares war on
Germany and Australia pledges support for the Empire
10 August: Recruiting begins in Australia
5 September: Andrew Fisher becomes PM
31 October: Turkey joins with Germany
1 November: Anzacs sail from Western Australia for Egypt
9 November: HMAS Sydney sinks the German cruiser Emden
December: First AIF troops arrive in Egypt
1915 25 April: Anzac landing at Gallipoli
6 August: Battle at The Nek starts
27 October: William (Billy) Hughes becomes PM
7 December: Beginning of Gallipoli evacuation
1916 JanuaryFebruary: AIF troops land in France
Australian troops begin fighting on Western Front and capture
Pozieres; Australian troops in action around Suez Canal
July: British offensives on Western Front leading to high casualties
JulyNovember: Battle of the Somme; heavy loss of Australian
lives
28 October: First referendum on conscription (defeated)
14 November: Labor Party splits and Hughes forms National Labor
1917 Australian troops involved in major battles at Bullecourt, Messines,
Ypres and Passchendaele
Australian troops in Palestine capture Beersheba
JanuaryJune: Number of Australians volunteering falls to fewer
than 5000 per month
AprilMay: 10 000 Australian troops killed in battles on the Western
Front
20 December: Second referendum on conscription (defeated)
1918 Australian troops defend Amiens and Villers-Bretonneux
March: Russia withdraws from the war
11 November: Armistice signed, ending World War I
45
Australia in the 20th Century
2.1 Why did Australia become involved in World War I?

Australia as a member of the British Empire
For at least 40 000 years before the arrival of Europeans, Australia was populated by
many different groups of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. Each group had
their own territory (or country) and language. In 1770, the English explorer Captain
James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia (then known by Europeans as New
Holland) for Great Britain. Eighteen years later, Captain Arthur Phillip arrived and
established a penal colony on Eora land that became known as Sydney.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, European countries such as Spain, France,
Holland and Britain conquered weaker countries in a race to develop large empires.
Colonialism and national pride went hand-in-hand. When Prussia and a number of
Germanic states united to form Germany in 1871, this new country also wanted an
empire of its own. Rivalry between the European powers over control of colonies
created tension and conflict. Source 2.1 shows how the world was divided into colonies
at the start of the 20th century.
In chapter 1 we learnt about Australias relationship with Britain around the time of
Federation. Little had changed by 1914. Australia was still part of the British Empire
Source 2.1
The European empires at the outbreak of World War I
HOLLAND
BRITAIN
CANADA
GERMANY
SPAIN
PORTUGAL
UNITED STATES
Azores
Bermuda
Tropic of Cancer
FRANCE
GIBRALTAR
MALTA CYPRUS
Br. Honduras
C.VERDE IS.
French West Africa

GAMBIA
WEST INDIES
Goa
INDIA
Macau
Hong Kong
SUDAN
PHILLIPPINES
SOCOTRA
SIERRA LEONE
Equator
JAPAN
BAHAMAS
Gold Coast
ASCENCION
Belgian Congo
German Micronesia
British East Africa

German
East Africa
Singapore
SEYCHELLES
German New Guinea

SOLOMON IS.
FIJI
NEW CALEDONIA
ST.HELENA
Tropic of Capricorn
German West Africa
MAURITIUS
AUSTRALIA
MOZAMBIQUE
Loyalty Is.
TRISTAN DA CUNHA
Colonial powers
Britain
Holland
France
Spain
Germany
Portugul
46
NEW ZEALAND
FALKLAND IS.
2000
4000
6000
8000
10 000 km
Chapter 2
and most viewed England as the mother country. Between 1906 and 1914, 250 000
migrants arrived in Australia with the majority coming from Britain. Approximately
98% of Australias non-Indigenous population was of British descent. Many Australian
institutions such as universities, professional associations and the defence forces were
modelled on those in Britain. Going home meant travelling to England, Ireland, Wales
or Scotlandcollectively known as the United Kingdom, Britannia or Great Britain.
Australias regional context

Australia was important to Britain as a supplier of raw materials and agricultural
products, as a market for British manufactured goods and as a strategic base in the
Pacific region. In the period before World War I, the colonial powers had conflicting
interests in our region, as shown in source 2.2. There was a fear among some
Australians that this conflict could lead to attempts by another power to conquer us.
The German Asiatic Squadron, part of Germanys rapidly growing navy, had bases in
Rabaul and the Caroline Islands.
Source 2.2
Colonial interests in the Pacific region
CHINA
USA
JAPAN
Tropic of Cancer
BURMA
PHILLIPPINES
North Borneo
ES
Bism N E
ark
Ar
ch
IN D IAN
SOUTH
Marquesas Is.
Fiji
Samoa
Loyalty Is.
New
Caledonia Tonga Friendly Is.
Norfolk Is.
O
Lord Howe Is.
P
O C EAN
AUSTRALIA
Ellice Is.
PACIF IC
OCEAN
Macquarie Is.
Working
historically
Tropic of Capricorn
Pitcairn Is.
NEW ZEALAND
TASMAN
SEA
SO UTHERN
AMERICA
British
New Guinea
Equator
Phoenix Is.
Rabaul
es
CO
Christmas Is.
In di
XI
ll I
s.
st
IA
Gilbert Is.
A
S I ch.
D ut
Ea
MELA
M
ar
sh
a
MALAYA
Hawaii
Mariana Is.
MICR
Caroline Is. O N
ME
OC EAN
Britain
France
Holland
USA
Germany
Comprehension
1
Write your own definitions of these terms:

a colonialism
b empire
c national pride
d rivalry
47

2
3
4
5
6
Explain the meaning of these terms in the context of Australia as a member of the British
Empire:
a mother country
b going home
c from British descent
If the Australian population was approximately 5 million people in 1914, how many were
of British descent?
What was the German Asiatic Squadron?
Explain what you think is meant by colonialism and national pride went hand-in-hand.
Explain how the events of 1871 would have increased tension between the European
powers.
Analysis and use of sources

1
2
3
4
Refer to source 2.1. Which country has the largest empire?

How useful is source 2.1 for explaining colonialism?
Copy source 2.2 into your workbook. Highlight Rabaul and the Caroline Islands.
Why is source 2.2 useful to historians investigating Australias regional context in 1914?
Perspectives and interpretations

How would a German persons view of the British Empire differ from that of most Australians in
1914?
Empathetic understanding
1
When World War I began in 1914, the poem Sons of Australia was written by Frank
Johnstone. It contained these lines:
For Britain! Good old Britain!
Where our fathers first drew breath
What made these lines meaningful to most Australians at the time?
Why did most Australians have such a positive attitude towards Britain in 1914?
Research
Your task is to research Australias relationship with Britain in 1914 and write a two-page report.
Using the example below, plan the steps you will take in order to complete the task. It must be
completed within 10 days.
When
What
Resources
3 March6 March
Determine what I need to find out

Locate and select relevant sources of
information
Make notes on
Inquiry questions related to the topic

Library books and internet
Note paper, pen, highlighters,
floppy disk
7 March8 March
Organise notes
Plan structure of report
Notes, photocopies and printouts

Highlighters
Computer/word-processor
9 March10 March
Draft report
Word-processor.
11 March12 March
Edit report
Write final copy
Word-processor and printer
13 March
Submit report
Final report
Communication
Using source 2.2, describe colonialism in the AsiaPacific region in the period around 1914.
48
Chapter 2
ICT
Word-process the research report. In the document you create, include at least three images
(pictures, maps, etc.) that relate to the written text. These will need to be imported into your
document from a website, CD-ROM or scanned image that you have located as part of your
research.

The outbreak of World War I
In August 1914, World War I began. On one side was Germany with its allies: Italy,
AustriaHungary and Turkey (the Triple Alliance). On the other were the countries
that formed the Triple Entente: Great Britain, France and Russia (source 2.3). Tensions
between the major powers had been rising since 1870, when the German state of
Prussia defeated France. Rivalry over colonies, the growth of opposing armies and
navies, and competing nationalistic aims all contributed to the outbreak of World War I.
The immediate cause of what became known as the Great War was a dispute in the
Balkans, triggered by the assassination of the Austrian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, by a
Serbian student in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This was used as an excuse by Austria to
declare war on Serbia. Serbia was backed by Russia, so this brought a member of the
Triple Entente into the conflict. France supported Russia. On the other side, Austria was
backed by Germany and this brought in the Triple Alliance.
Germanys strategy in case of war was known as the Schlieffen Plan. It involved
attacking France by advancing through neutral Belgium. When this occurred on 4
August 1914, Great Britain entered the war to support its Triple Entente partners.
When news of the outbreak of war reached Australia, Prime Minister Joseph Cook
greeted it with expressions of support for and loyalty to the mother country, as source
2.4 shows.
Source 2.3
Source 2.4
The opposing powers in 1914
Australia is in full support of the

British Empire
Triple Alliance
SWEDEN
GREAT
BRITAIN
DENMARK
Triple Entente
0
400 km
London
BELGIUM
Berlin
Joseph Cook, The Argus, 3 August 1914
AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
Paris
FRANCE
RUSSIA
GERMANY
Whatever happens, Australia

is part of the Empire right
to the full. When the Empire is
at war, so is Australia at war.
All our resources are in the
Empire and for the preservation
and security of the Empire.
SWITZ.
ITALY
Rome
SPAIN
Sarajevo
ROMANIA
SERBIA BULGARIA
GREECE
Istanbul
TURKEY
M e d i terranean Sea
AFRICA
49
The news of war coincided with a federal election campaign. As indicated in source
2.5 the then Opposition Leader, and soon to be Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher, was
fully supportive of Australias involvement. Source 2.6 is one recount of events.
The declaration of war and Australias involvement were seen, in general, with
optimism. Most saw Britain as being good and Germany evil. Source 2.8 contains
extracts from various newspaper editorials of the time.
Source 2.5
Our last man
Australians will stand beside [the mother country] to help and defend
her to our last man and our last shilling.
Andrew Fisher, The Argus, 1 August 1914
Source 2.6
Australia enters World War I
Australia had no legal right to declare war, or even to remain neutral in the face of an imperial [British]
declaration. All that the Commonwealth [of Australia] could decide for itself was the extent to which
it would participate in a war declared by Britain. That extent was the sole topic of discussion at the
meeting of Federal Cabinet on 3 August, the day Germany declared war on France and Britain
warned Germany not to violate Belgian neutrality. After the Cabinet meeting two cables were sent
to London: one offering to place the Australian fleet under Admiralty control and to despatch an
expeditionary force of 20,000 men, and then asking if any official communication could be made
stating the present position in Europe as to a state of war or peace. At 1.45 pm GMT on 4 August,
the day Germany invaded Belgium, the Colonial Office thanked the Australian Government for its
prompt offers of assistance.
G. Souter, Lion and Kangaroo: The Initiation of Australia, 19011919, Collins, 1976
Source 2.7
The 12th Battalion, AIF, marching through Hobart in 1914 before heading off to the war
Australian War Memorial H11609
50
Chapter 2
Source 2.8
a Great Britains position in relation to Germany has now been clearly defined. Since the neutrality of
Belgium has been violated by the latter Power, Britain is at war we are engaged with the mother
country in fighting for liberty and peace
The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 August 1914, p. 6
b Britain remained out of the quarrel as long as her honour and her interests permitted. She has drawn
the sword in defence of the weak the Imperial Government has recognised that there are duties to
civilisation that the Empire must stand solid.
Brisbane Courier, 6 August 1914, p. 6
c In one State after another, whether the Ministry in power happen to be Liberal or Labour, we have
seen ordinary opposed leaders, statesmen, politicians, partisans, electors voluntarily and by common
consent sink all their differences. There are no longer Liberalites or Labourites there are simply
Australians who have vowed to keep the Union Jack flying and to do their part by their loyal
friends in a just and righteous cause.
Hobart Mercury, 6 August 1914, p. 4
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
Show your understanding of the outbreak of World War I by completing these activities.
a List the countries that formed the Triple Alliance.
b List the countries that formed the Triple Entente.
c Name the German war plan.
d Who was assassinated in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 and how did this lead to World
War I?
Sequence these events in correct chronological order:
Australia offers 20 000 soldiers
Austria declares war on Serbia
Prussia defeats France
Germany attacks France by going through Belgium
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Explain why Australia became involved in World War I.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
What statement did Australian Prime Minister Joseph Cook make on the news of the
war?
What statement did Andrew Fisher make about supporting Britain?
Read source 2.6. Did Australia have any choices about its response to the outbreak of
war?
What evidence can you obtain from source 2.6 to explain Australias relationship with
Britain in 1914?
Look at source 2.7. How can it help historians understand the reaction in Australia to the
outbreak of World War I?
What reason is given in each of the extracts in source 2.8 for Britain going to war? Quote
evidence from each source to support your answer.
How do sources 2.8a, b and c help to explain why Australia became involved in World
War I?
51

1
2
3
Source 2.6 is a secondary source. How could you check the accuracy of the information
it contains?
Decide whether each of the extracts in source 2.8 is objective or subjective.
How might the outbreak of World War I have been reported differently in German
newspapers?
1
Under the Australian Constitution, the federal government had power to defend the
Commonwealth, but not to send Australians to wars in which Australia was not being
directly attacked. Why, then, do you think the prime minister promised to send 20 000
men to fight in Europe?
What makes people patriotic?
Communication
Using the results of your research on source 2.6 from question 1 above, write an explanation
telling why a conflict in the Balkans led to World War I.
Research
1
2
3
Research the causes of World War I. Make a list of related questions that you would need
to research to complete your task, for example:
What countries were involved?
How did war break out?
The first paragraph of this chapter will help you to make up your list of questions.
Source 2.6 contains primary sources. What other primary sources can you find that relate
to Australia becoming involved in World War I?
Locate two maps of Europe: one showing Europe in 1919 after World War I and the
other showing Europe today. Compare these to the map of Europe at the time of the
outbreak of World War I (source 2.3).
ICT
Use the internet to find information about Australias initial involvement in World War I. A useful
site to begin your search is <www.awm.gov.au> (the Australian War Memorial). Make a list of the
addresses of five useful websites.
Why did individual Australians become involved?

Recruiting for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) began on 10 August 1914, and the
first soldiers left our shores on 1 November of that year. Around this time W.W. Francis
composed Australia Will Be There. Source 2.10 contains the lyrics of this popular song.
By the end of 1914, over 40 000 men had volunteered to enlist in the 1st AIF. Their
reasons for doing so were researched by two historians, J. Dawes and L. Robson.
After examining letters written by volunteers, they concluded that there were six main
reasons: patriotism, social pressure, spirit of adventure, self-interest, hatred of Germany
and a sense of duty. Source 2.11 contains extracts from Dawes and Robsons research.
It must be remembered, however, that not all Australians were enthusiastic about
being involved in the war. The Sydney Morning Herald of 3 August 1914 reported a
meeting of about 1000 socialists who passed a motion recording their opposition to
militarism and refusal to be stampeded into the ranks of the misguided who are eager
to slaughter the sons of working men on the Continent of Europe.
52
Chapter 2
Source 2.9
A Call From the Dardanelles.
Lithograph by H.M. Burton, 1915
Source 2.10
Australia Will Be There
There has been a lot of argument going on they say,

As to whether Dear Old England should have gone into the fray,
But right thinking people all wanted her to fight;
For when theres shady business, Britannia puts it right.
Rally round the banner of your country,
Take the field with brothers oer the foam;
On land or seas, wherever you be,
Keep your eye on Germany.
But England home and beauty have no cause to fear,
Should Auld acquaintance be forgot,
No! No! No! No! No! Australia will be there,
Australia will be there.
E. Scott, The Official History of Australia in the War of 19141918,
Vol. 11, Australian War Memorial, 1940
Australian War Memorial (V5167)
Source 2.11
Identified reasons for enlisting
1. Patriotism My motives for enlisting [were] A sense of duty to Australia [and] the desire to
help the Motherland in her hour of need.
2. Social Pressure We, that is my comrades and myself, thought it a dreadful state of affairs, not
to be in uniform at such stirring times Also the fair sex [women] in those days mostly shunned
fellows who were not prepared to shoulder arms in the defence of their country.
3. Spirit of Adventure As a young chap of 20 what motivated me more than anything was the
spirit of adventure Here was an opportunity to see the other side of the world.
4. Self Interest I was only receiving 30/- [$3] wages weekly and I knew that by enlisting I would be
paid 5/- [50c] per day and that would mean my mother didnt have to feed and clothe me.
5. Hatred of Germany (the Hun) My brothers and I often talked about the war and what life would
be like if Germany won and we came to the conclusion, that for our family and other free people,
we must go and help.
6. Sense of Duty My motive for enlisting was, as Australia was at war, it was my duty as a free
young able man to enlist.
J.N.I. Dawes & L.L. Robson, Citizen to Soldier, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1977
53
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
Write a definition of these terms:

a enlist
b patriotism
c the Hun
d AIF
Here are some lines from Australia Will Be There (source 2.10). Explain what you think
each means.
a For when theres shady business, Britannia puts it right
b Rally round the banner of your country
c Take the field with brothers oer the foam
d Australia will be there
Who were Dawes and Robson?

1
2
3
What was the purpose of Australia Will Be There (source 2.10)?

How useful is source 2.10 to you, as a historian investigating why Australia became
involved in World War I?
How useful is Dawes and Robsons research (source 2.11) to you, as a historian
investigating why Australians became involved in World War I?

The quotes in source 2.11 were by Australian males from an Anglo (British) background about
becoming involved in World War I. How might the perspective (point of view) of Australian males
from a German background have been different?
Having analysed sources 2.10 and 2.11, what do we learn about the values, attitudes and motives
of Australians living in 1914?
Communication
Imagine three 21-year-old males (Harry, Tom and Bill) sitting together in August 1914. Harry and
Tom have already enlisted in the AIF. Bill is uncertain whether he should join up. Using ideas from
source 2.11, write the conversation between the three in which Harry and Tom try to convince Bill
to enlist.
Research
Not all Australians greeted the news of the war with enthusiasm. Find information about
Australians who opposed the war. Can these people be categorised into groups (e.g. from
a particular religious background, those with a particular political point of view, those from a
particular country)?
ICT
Go to the Australian War Memorial website at <www.awm.gov.au> and find the Collection
Databases page (see source 2.12). Search this database to locate the full details of the
photograph shown in source 2.13. How many other photographs showing men enlisting can
you find?
54
Chapter 2
Source 2.12
Source 2.13
Australian War Memorial collection database webpage
Photograph from the AWM collection database
Australian War Memorial (H12823)
Where did Australians fight during World War I?

Although service in the Australian defence forces was voluntary, 40% of men aged
between 18 and 45 enlisted in the armed services. At the start of the war (August
1914), many believed it would be all over by Christmas. This was not to be; by 1918 at
the end of the war, 331 781 Australian troops had served overseas. Of these, 59 342 were
killed and 152 171 were wounded.
Australian troops served mainly in Turkey, the Middle East and on the Western Front
(France), as detailed in sources 2.14 and 2.15. The first shot fired by Australians in
World War I occurred in Port Phillip, Victoria, to prevent the German merchant ship
Pfalz leaving.
Source 2.14
Where Australians fought in World War I
When
September 1914
Where
German New Guinea
Details
Naval forces and 2000 troops captured German New Guinea
9 November 1914
Indian Ocean near Cocos Islands
HMAS Sydney sinks the German cruiser Emden
25 April20 December 1915
Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey
The British plan was to gain control of the Dardanelles (a narrow strip of water).
Australian and New Zealand (Anzac) soldiers, after training in Egypt, were part of
a combined forcesee pages 6071.
1916918
Sinai, Palestine
AIF helped gain control of territory in the Middle East
19161918
Western Front, France
AIF fought in major battles including the Somme and Ypres (very high casualties);
Australias Royal Flying Corps also involvedthe first time aircraft used in a war
55
Source 2.15
Where Australians fought in World War I
1916 18 Western Front
NORTH
London
1915 Gallipoli Campaign
HOLLAND
SEA
ENGLAND
Brussels
Dover
N
AN
Passchendaele
Ypres
Calais
Boulogne
'
Armentieres
EL
BELGIUM
G
EN
Gallipoli
Muns
Vimy Ridge
Arras
So
mm
eR
.
Amiens
CH
Constantinople
GERMANY
G
OUR
EMB
LUX
H
LIS
BLACK SEA
TURKEY IN EUROPE
Cambrai
St Quentin
SEA OF MARMARA
SAMOTHRACE
Suvla
Bay
IMBROS
The Dardanelles
Anzac Cove
Se
ine
FRANCE
R.
rne
Ma
LEMNOS
German controlled area

Western Front
Paris
BRITAIN
191618: Australia's
Royal Flying Corps flew
with Britain's airforce
Cape Helles
Verdun
R.
TURKEY IN ASIA
AEGEAN
SEA
RUSSIA
CHINA
FRANCE
TURKEY
JAPAN
September 1914:
Australians captured
German colony in
New Guinea
AFRICA
NEW GUINEA
Indian
Ocean
1916 18 Sinai and Palestine
Cocos Is.
AUSTRALIA
RUSSIA
BLACK SEA
TURKEY
CASPIAN
SEA
Gallipoli
NEW
ZEALAND
Aleppo
Baghdad
Port Said
Cairo
Damascus
Jerusalem
S I N A I
Suez
SI
AN
G ULF
November 1914: HMAS

Sydney sank German
Emden
RE
EGYPT
ER
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
A
SE
Australian troops gained a reputation for being gallant fighters, sticking by their
mates and having little respect for those in authority. World War I was the first
modern war where new technology such as machine guns, tanks, poisonous gas and
aircraft were used for the first time. Much of the war was fought in trenches over the
same piece of ground with little movement. Casualties on all sides were very high.
Compared to other members of the British Empire, Australias battle casualties (as a
percentage of number of troops) were the highestpartly due to British commanders
using Australian troops in the front line. Sources 2.162.23 provide further evidence of
Australias involvement in World War I and how battles were fought. Later in this topic
we will undertake a detailed inquiry of the Gallipoli campaign.
56
Chapter 2
Source 2.16
Casualties of British Empire forces
Country
Population
Australia
4 875 325
Canada
India
Number of
troops
331 781
Killed /died
of wounds
59 342
8 361 000
422 405
315 200 000
1 388 620
Wounded
152 171
Total
casualties
211 513
Casualties
to troops
64.8%
56 625
149 732
206 357
49.7%
53 486
64 350
117 836
9.1%
New Zealand
1 099 449
98 950
16 654
41 317
57 971
58.6%
South Africa
6 685 827
136 070
6 928
11 444
18 372
13.6%
48 089 249
5 399 563
702 410
1 662 625
2 365 035
47.1%
United Kingdom
C.E.W. Bean, The Official History of Australia in the War of 19141918, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 193842
Source 2.17
Source 2.18
HMAS Sydney, 1914
Australian Light Horse, Gallipoli, 1915
Australian War Memorial (EN194)
Australian War Memorial (J02704)
Source 2.19
The main street of Pozieres, France before WWI (left) and in 1916 (right)
Australian War Memorial (G1534(i) and EZ95)
57
Source 2.20
Source 2.21
Messines, Western Front, 1917
Australian nurses in Egypt, 1915
Australian War Memorial (E01418)
Source 2.22
Source 2.23
Ypres, Western Front, 1917
Gallipoli, 1915
Australian War Memorial (E00825)
58
Australian War Memorial (A5410)
Chapter 2
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
2
3
4
On what dates did the following occur?

a Sydney sinks Emden
b Australian troops capture German New Guinea
c Anzacs land at Gallipoli
Name three new weapons used in World War I.
Copy the map of the Western Front in source 2.15 and mark in these places:
Vimy Ridge, River Somme, Passchendaele, Verdun, Ypres.
Use source 2.16 to draw a bar graph showing the percentage of casualties suffered by
the Empire countries.

1
2
Sources 2.14 and 2.15 provide the same information about where Australians fought yet
are presented differently. Which source do you prefer and why?
Copy and complete this table.
Source
What is shown in this source?
How and why this source is useful to historians

studying World War I
2.17
2.18
2.19
2.20
2.21
2.22
2.23
What evidence is contained in sources 2.172.23 to support the statement World War
I was the first modern war where new technology such as machine guns, tanks,
poisonous gas and aircraft were used for the first time. Much of the war was fought in
trenches?

Sources 2.18, 2.20, 2.22 and 2.23 were official photographs.
1 Who would have taken them?
2 What would have been the purpose of these photographs?
3 Do they show the information contained in source 2.16?
Here is an extract from a letter written by an unknown German soldier on the Western Front in
1916:
We have now been two days in the front trenches we sit day and night we have
already lost about 50 men in two days, 6 killed and the rest wounded I have given
up hope of life
Using this extract and source 2.18, describe how you would have felt fighting on the Western
Front.
Communication
Find definitions of the following terms: stalemate, war of attrition, deadlock. Use these, and your
summaries from Research question 2 (on page 60), to write a report entitled Attempts to break
the stalemate on the Western Front.
59
Research
1
2
Locate three sources of information (books, websites, etc.) that would assist an
investigation of places Australians fought during World War I.
Locate information and make summaries on these topics:
a trench warfare
b Battle of the Somme
c tanks and World War I
d gas and World War I
e artillery used during World War I
ICT
Use the Australian War Memorial collection database to find records of Australians fighting in
World War I. How would you narrow your search to find photographs and private records?
2.2 What were the experiences of Australians in the

Gallipoli campaign?
Chronology
1915
1916
1919
1921
1941
25 April: landing at Gallipoli.

8 May: C. Ashmead-Bartletts account of the landing reported in Australian newspapers.
14 May: Charles Beans account of the landing published in Australia.
18 May: NSW Department of Education publishes Australians in Action: The Story of Gallipoli.
24 May: Empire Day; Anzac exploits are eulogised.
25 April: first Anzac Day held in New South Wales.
Publication of The Anzac Book edited by Charles Bean.
Charles Bean appointed Official War Historian.
Federal government proclaims Anzac Day a public holiday.
First volume of the official war history published.
Australian War Memorial opened.
Background to the Gallipoli campaign

Australia, being part of the British Empire, fought on the side of the Triple Entente
(Britain, France and Russia) and received its orders from the British High Command.
Early in January 1915, Russia made a request to Britain for help. The British High
Command devised a plan that would help Russia to take control on the Eastern Front
and lead to the capture of the Turkish capital of Constantinople (known today as
Istanbul). The plan involved British, French, Indian, Australian and New Zealand
forces; the latter two would become linked together as the Australian and New Zealand
Army Corps (A.N.Z.A.C.Anzac) and their landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula on
25 April 1915 became a significant event in their histories.
60
Chapter 2
The original aim of the Gallipoli campaign involved gaining control of the strait of
water known as the Dardanelles (source 2.24) by British navy bombardment of Turkish
forts on the Gallipoli Peninsula. This was important because:
Russias only all-weather ports in the Black Sea were entered from the Sea of
Marmora, via the Dardanelles. While Turkey controlled the Dardanelles, Russia had
limited movement of shipping. This meant supplies of Russian grain and oil could
not be shipped to Great Britain and France, and Russia could not receive supplies of
ammunition from her allies.
Without control of the Dardenelles, the Entente powers could not move troops
quickly to and from the Eastern Front.
Control of the Dardanelles and the capture of Constantinople would break the
deadlock on the Eastern Front, and then allow Entente troops to concentrate on
defeating Germany on the Western Front.
Britain and France felt it was necessary help Russia to repay it for supporting the
Triple Entente in August 1914. They could not afford to see Russia collapse or lose
her as an ally.
Source 2.24
Location of the Gallipoli campaign
Area occupied by 5 May
Area occupied by 28 May
Area occupied 6 Aug 20 Dec (Suvla-Anzac Forces)
Anzac deepest penetration 25 April
Major fortifications
Forts and batteries
Hills, features
Minefields
A, B & C Landing places
Suvla
Burnu A
S, V, W,
Suvla Bay
X, Y, Z
B&C
Nibguresi Pt
Salt
Lake
SAROS
Bulair
Gallipoli S t r a
ANAFARTA
HILLS
Gal
Anzac Cove Z
Brighton Beach
Gaba Tepe
SA
R
RA I BA
NG I R
E
HILL 60
North Beach
MAL TEPE
AEGEAN
Narro
ws
SEA
Y
W
M
o
Ba r to
y
Kum Kale
lipo
it
li
ES
ASIATIC TURKEY
ACHI BABA
Tekke Burnu X
Cape Helles V
DA R D A
Chanak
Krithia
GULF
t
oin t
st p flee
the d by
r
u
e
F ch
rea
Minefield laid
on 8 March
Adrianople
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
Erenkeui Bay
r
ho
us
sp
Bo
TURKEY
Constantinople
Scutari
SEA OF MARMARA
OS
SAR
GUL
Bulair
Gallipoli
Imbros
Chanak
Sedd-el-Bahr
Kum Kale
TURKEY
AEGEAN
SEA
61
In 1906, the British General Staff had considered a similar idea but decided it was too
risky. Nine years later, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, disregarded
this risk and convinced members the British government and General Staff to accept
the plan to undertake a mainly naval attack on Turkish forts on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
This acceptance occurred on 28 January 1915. In March, Lord Kitchener after consulting
Sir Ian Hamilton, modified the plan to include the landing of a large army. Thus, the
tragedy of Gallipoli was born.1 The noted Australian historian Manning Clark, stated:
It was a plan for romantics, a plan for those who believed a rich prize outweighed the
suffering, cruelty, and losses.2
The campaign begins

On 1 April 1915, troops of the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) who were based and
training in Egypt had their leave cancelled. Two days later they were moved to the
supposedly secret location of Lemnos. The campaigns aim was to land British and
French soldiers at Cape Helles and have them capture the Archi Baba range. Australian
and New Zealand soldiers were to land near Gaba Tepe then capture Hill 971 on Sari
Bair. The landing of the Anzacs was timed to be just before dawn. It was expected
these two highpoints would be captured on the first day.
At 4.30 am on 25 April 1915 the first Anzacs came ashore at Ari Burnu (later renamed
Anzac Cove), over 1 km north of the intended landing site. In the dark, British seamen
had miscalculated the current and position. The 16 000 men in this first wave
were faced with steep cliffs and deadly fire from Turkish guns. At the end of the first
day they had advanced between 500 and 900 metres inland at a cost of 2000 casualties.
Generals Birdwood and Bridges considered evacuating immediately, but General
Hamilton refused and ordered the Anzacs to dig yourselves right in and stick it out.3
Sources 2.25 to 2.28 are original photographs showing aspects the Anzac campaign,
source 2.29 is an oil painting, and source 2.30 comes from C.E.W. Beans official
history.
Source 2.26
Source 2.25
Anzacs landing at Anzac Cove taken 11 am on 25 April 1915
Anzacs landing at Anzac Cove, taken on the morning of

25 April 1915
1 C.E.W. Bean, Official History or Australia in the War of 191418, Vol. 1, p. 201
2 Manning Clark, A Short History of Australia, p. 206
3 C.E.W. Bean, Anzac to Amiens, p. 112
62
Australian War Memorial (P00035.001)
Chapter 2
Source 2.27
Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean (18791968)
Charles Bean, usually referred to as C.E.W. Bean,

was Australias official war correspondent during
World War I. He was present at the landing on
25 April 1915 and accompanied the AIF throughout
the remainder of the war. From 1921 to 1942,
Bean was appointed editor of the 12 volume
Official History of Australia in the War of 1914
1918. He wrote six of the volumes and is credited
with creating the Anzac legend (see topic 2.3).
Bean was a strong supporter of the establishment
of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Source 2.28
Source 2.29
Anzacs in trenches on Gallipoli Peninsula, taken on 25 April 1915
Bodies of Anzacs killed on Gallipoli Peninsula, taken in May 1915
Australian War Memorial (J00374)
Source 2.30
The Beach at Anzac, painted by Frank Crozier in 1919
Australian War Memorial (2161)
63
Source 2.31
Extracts from Volume 1 of C.E.W. Beans official history The Story of ANZAC, first published in 1921 and later
revised (these extracts come from the 9th edition published in 1939)
By 2.35 a.m. the rowing-boats were full, and dropped back in long strings behind the battleships. At
2.53, the moon now being very low, the ships moved slowly ahead, towing the boats behind them
At 3.30 the battleships stopped, and the order was given to the tows to go ahead and land
There was some difficulty in getting into line. The night was so black that it was often impossible
to see the next tow either side, much more the whole line of them. Some of the tows appear to have
sandwiched themselves into a wrong place in the line. But there could be no waiting or indecision
Half an hour after the ships had been left, the first faint signs of dawn began to show Every
brain in the boats was throbbing with the intense anxiety of the moment: Will the landing be a
surprise, or have we been seen? The naval officer in charge of the right-hand tow was to have
given direction, but it was too dark to see at times The naval officer in the southernmost found that
the whole line, except the tow next to him, was heading for a different part of the shore
The voice of Commander Dix broke the silence. Tell the colonel, he shouted, that the dam fools
have taken us a mile too far north.
Just thenat 4.29 a.m.on the summit of another and rather lower knoll a thousand yards south
there flashed a bright yellow light There was deathlike silence for a moment From the top of Ari
Burnu a rifle flashed. A bullet whizzed overhead and plunged into the sea They were discovered
The rowing-boats with the troops were paddling the last short space to the land It was at 4.30
a.m. on Sunday, April 25th that the Australians landed at Ari Burnu They raced across the sand,
the bullets striking sparks at their feet, and flung themselves down, as instructed, in the shelter of a
sandy bank
The fire was increasing fast. A machine-gun was barking from some fold in the dark steeps north
of the knoll The seaman who, as if he had been landing a pleasure party, was handing Captain
Butler his satchel out of the boat, fell back shot through the head bullet after bullet was splintering
the boats or thudding into their crowded freight. Every now and then a man slid to the bottom of the
boat with a sharp moan or low gurgling cry
The men were ashore and mostly alive, but the place was clearly the wrong one. Anyone who
depended upon a set plan for the next move was completely bewildered Some officers thought
that the knoll of Ari Burnu as Gaba Tepe itself. A high rugged slope pressed down on to the beach.
A fierce rifle-fire swept over the men a rough line about six companies strong began the difficult
ascent they were faced by a steep bank as high as the wall of a room As they climbed higher
towards the plateau, the sides became steeper and steeper
The first men were now reaching the plateau from there a heavy fire still met the Australians
appearing over the rim of the plateau.
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
2
3
4
5
6
What do the initials A.N.Z.A.C. stand for?

Explain the decision of the British to provide assistance to Russia.
Who convinced the British to attack the Gallipoli Peninsula?
Sequence the following events in correct chronological order: General Hamilton orders
the Anzacs to dig yourselves right in; first Anzacs land at Ari Burnu; Russia asks Britain
for assistance; Anzacs moved to Lemnos; Churchills plan to attack Gallipoli accepted.
Who was Charles Bean?
Explain the effect of the Anzacs being landed at the wrong place on the success of the
Gallipoli campaign.

1
2
64
How can source 2.24 be used to support the view that the Gallipoli campaign was risky?
Why is source 2.25 useful to historians investigating the landing at Gallipoli?
Chapter 2
3
4
5
What is happening in source 2.26?

How does the content of source 2.28 help you to understand the landing at Gallipoli?
What is shown in source 2.29? How does it help our understanding of the Anzac
landing?
6 Source 2.29 is a primary source (made at the time of the event) and source 2.30 is a
secondary source (an interpretation of an event made at a later time). How accurate and
useful is source 2.30 to historians studying the Gallipoli campaign?
7 What is the origin, content and purpose of source 2.31?
8 What is fact and what is opinion in source 2.31?
9 What care should historians take when using source 2.31 to draw conclusions about the
Gallipoli landing?
10 How do sources 2.252.29 support the content of source 2.31?

1
2
3
4
Manning Clark said this about the Gallipoli campaign: It was a plan for romantics, a plan
for those who believed a rich prize outweighed the suffering, cruelty, and losses. What
do you think he meant by this?
C.E.W. Bean wrote the official history of Australias involvement in World War I. How
would an official history be different from an unofficial history?
Newspaper reports of the landing at Gallipoli included photographs like source 2.26 but
not source 2.29. Why would have this have occurred?
How would a Turkish perspective of the Anzac landing be different from the perspective
presented above?
Bean wrote: Every brain in the boats was throbbing with the intense anxiety of the moment:
Will the landing be a surprise, or have we been seen? If you had been an Anzac making the
landing on 25 April 1915, what would have gone through your mind?
Communication
1
2
3
Write a paragraph that could be used as caption for source 2.26 which summarises the
landing at Anzac Cove.
Prepare a two-minute speech that explains the background to the Gallipoli campaign.
You will notice the sections headed Background to the Gallipoli campaign and The
campaign begins include footnotes. These are references to sources used as evidence to
support the point of view in the text. Using the knowledge and understanding you have
gained about the early part of the Gallipoli campaign, write a one-page description of
the landing of the Anzacs at Gallipoli. Use sources to support your ideas and include at
least four footnotes.
Research
1
2
Locate and list five sources of information on the Anzac landing at Gallipoli.
Locate information on each of the following personalities and write a half-page report
on each:
a General I. Hamilton
b Lord Kitchener
c Winston Churchill
d General W. Birdwood
e Mustafa Kemal
Contact your local RSL sub-branch and ask if they have a library or collection of
memorabilia related to the Anzac landing at Gallipoli. Do they have the 12 volumes of
the Official of Australia in the War of 191418 that you could examine?
65
ICT
Most word-processing software has the ability to create footnotes. (Examples of footnotes appear
on page 62.) In Microsoft Word you do the following:
In Print Layout View, click where you want to insert the footnote.
On the Insert menu, select Footnote. (In some versions of Word you may need to select
Reference then Footnote)
In the pop-up box, select Footnotes.
Under Numbering, select the option you want.
Word inserts the note number in the text and places the cursor next to the note number
at the end of the page.
Type the details of your source reference.
Type your answer to Communication question 3 using a word-processor and the footnote feature,
then print your final copy.
The Gallipoli campaign: May to July

A stalemate is where
neither opponent can
advance or improve
their position.
66
The plan to quickly capture the Gallipoli Peninsula and advance to Constantinople did
not become a reality. Anzac and other British Empire soldiers, along with those from
France, became involved in a stalemate.
Turkish soldiers, under the brilliant leadership of Mustafa Kemal, fought desperately
to protect their territory. Attacks and counterattacks were made by each side, usually
with heavy losses of life. In a Turkish assault on 19 May, 160 Australians and over 3000
Turks were killed, and it was estimated that nearly one million rounds of ammunition
were fired in the course of the days battle. In another attack that month involving the
2nd Australian Brigade and New Zealanders, 1000 men lost their lives in one hour. It
was not unusual for the Anzacs and Turks to agree to a ceasefire to allow the burying
of the dead (see source 2.32).
In the weeks and months that followed, attacks and continuous sniper activity
occurred at many locations, including those now known as Baby 700, Johnstons Jolly
and Russells Top. The position of these and others is shown in source 2.33. Often the
distance between opposing trenches was less than 10 metres. Stories of bravery, such
as that of Lance-Corporal Albert Jacka (see source 2.34) were communicated back to
Australia. Jacka became the first Australian in World War I to be awarded the Victoria
Cross and was promoted to lieutenant and later captain. He was used in recruitment
drive to increase enlistments in 1917, as shown in source 2.35.
Chapter 2
Source 2.32
Ceasefire to allow burying of dead, 24 May 1915
Source 2.33
The locations of the Anzac campaign
HILL 60
SUVLA BAY
8 km
HILL 971
TABLE TOP
CHUNUK BAIR
FISHERMAN'S HUT
EAC
OLD
OUTPOST
NO. 1
WAL
KE
BABY 700
THE
SPHINX
ARI BURNU
THE NEK
P
TO
CHESSBOARD
'S
LL POPE'S
E
SS
HILL
RU
BLOODY ANGLE
QUINN'S
POST
PLUGGE'S
E
PLATEAU
DG
RI
Y
'S
LL
AN
G
GU
L
LA
E
C
N
A
STEELE'S
M
RP
POST
HELL
HA
400
SPIT S
PLATEAU
SCRUBBY
KNOLL
CO
ANZ
AC
place
IDGE
MO
NA
SH
UR
VA
LL
PO TNE
EY
ST Y'S
E
COV
landing
BATTLESHIP
HILL
R'S R
NOR
TH B
Actual
GE
AN
IR R
I BA
SAR
JOHNSTON'S
JOLLY
OW
EN
'S G
ULL
Y
LONE PINE
BROWN'S DIP
THE CUP
E
PI
NE
RI
DG
LT
O
SNIPER'S
RIDGE
E'S
RI T
RY OS
P
ANDERSON'S
KNOLL
LE
95 MN
km OS
TON
BRIGH
place
BO
BEACH
N'
landing
TASMANIA
POST
RI
DG
Planned
GABA TEPE
CAPE HELLES
20 km
1000 m
67
Source 2.34
Source 2.35
Captain Albert Jacka, VC, MX and bar
Enlist in the Sportmens Thousand
Australian War Memorial (P02939.001)
Australian War Memorial (ARTV00026)
During the months of June and July, the Gallipoli campaign was characterised by
ongoing trench warfare. The Anzacs undertook tunnelling and sapping as a means
of improving their attacking position. This was hard work, made worse by the smell
of rotting corpses, the summer heat, a lack of fresh water, limited rest and plagues of
flies. Although food supplies were ample, there was little variety, with the same rations
(see source 2.36) served day after day, month after
Source 2.36
month. Both the Anzacs and Turks learnt to keep
Daily rations for Anzacs, May 1915
their heads down or face death from a snipers
bullet.
The periscope rifle (see source 2.23 on
Preserved meat (canned Bully Beef)
12 oz
page
58)
was developed as a way of avoiding
1
Biscuits
1 /4 lbs
raising ones head above the top of a trench;
Bacon
4 oz
however, Bean recounts incidents where Anzacs
Cheese
3 oz
1
and Turks would compete in target shooting
Onions or potatoes
/2 lb
5
contests then return to the business of war.
Tea
/8 oz
1
Mortars and crude bombs made from empty
Jam
/2 lb
Sugar
3 oz
jam tins and old shell cases were used by both
1
Salt
/2 oz
sides. Apart from the dangers of enemy bullets and
1
Mustard
/20 oz
bombs, the Anzacs health began to deteriorate. In
1
Pepper
/36 oz
a report prepared by General Monash in July 1915,
In addition, 2 oz of tobacco per week was provided.
based on information from four Australian medical
(For every 2 oz of a product provided to each soldier,
officers (see source 2.37), he highlighted the
1 ton [approx. 1250 kg] needed to be landed on
problems caused by monotonous food, insufficient
Gallipoli)
sleep and life on the battlefield.
Sapping is extending
a trench or tunnel
from within.
C.E.W. Bean, Official History of Australia in the War of

191418, Vol. 2, p. 363
68
Chapter 2
Source 2.37
Report on the health of the Anzacs, July 1915
(1)
(2)
(3)
the mens health was below normal and was getting worse;
no further steps could be suggested towards improving sanitation or hygiene;
the principal symptoms were:
gastric derangements,
bronchial affections,
rapid pulses,
loss of weight,
heart dilation;
the predisposing causes were:
irregularity of rest and meals,
restricted dietary (as regard to variety),
hot weather,
flies,
dust.
(4)
C.E.W. Bean, Official History of Australia in the War of 191418
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
To demonstrate your understanding of historical terms used in this section, copy and
complete the crossword puzzle below.
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
ACROSS
1
3
4
6
7
8
9
12
An attack made in response to an enemys attack

Deadlock in battle
Highest British award for bravery (two words)
Type of bomb used in trench warfare
Type of scope for seeing above
Name given to meat in Anzacs rations (two words)
Food, etc. provided to soldiers
Abbreviation for Australian and New Zealand
Army Corps
13 Turkish leader in charge of Gallipoli campaign
DOWN
1
2
3
5
8
Turkish city that British planned to capture

Bullets
Type of trench tunnelling
Temporary stop in fighting
Australian war correspondent and official
historian (surname)
10 Hidden gunman
11 First Australian to win a VC (surname)
69

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Did the battles in May which cost many lives give either side an advantage?
Explain why Albert Jacka would have been used in recruitment campaigns.
Why would sapping be slower than digging a new trench from the surface?
Explain what made sapping hard in the summer months.
Apart from rifles, name two other weapons used by the Anzacs in the trenches.
Explain the purpose of the periscope rifle.
Although the Anzacs had adequate rations, why did they dislike them?
Why was the Anzacs health deteriorating around July 1915?
Use the conversion chart below to calculate the metric size of the daily rations in
source 2.36. The first one is done for you.
Imperial Measure
Metric (Approx)
1 oz (ounce)
30 g (grams)
1 lb (pound) = 16 oz
480 g
Ration item
Preserved meat (canned Bully Beef)
Biscuits
Bacon
Cheese
Onions or potatoes
Tea
Jam
Sugar
Salt
Mustard
Pepper
Imperial quantity
12 oz
11/4 lbs
4 oz
3 oz
1
/2 lb
5
/8 oz
1
/2 lb
3 oz
1
/2 oz
1
/20 oz
1
/36 oz
Metric (Approx)
360 g

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
What is shown in source 2.32? What had happened before this?

How does source 2.33 help your understanding of the Anzac campaign at Gallipoli?
What is shown in source 2.35 and what is its purpose?
How does source 2.35 try to persuade men to enlist?
What care should historians take when using source 2.36 as evidence to show the
Anzacs had a good diet and plenty of rations while at Gallipoli?
When was source 2.37 created and why?
How does source 2.37 support the opinion that conditions at Gallipoli created health
problems for the Anzacs?

1
2
3
To what audience was source 2.35 designed to appeal?

In what ways would a Turkish soldiers experience at Gallipoli be similar to and different
from that of an Australian soldier?
Usually when a war is reported, the enemy is made out to be evil and inhumane. Bean,
in volumes 1 and 2 of the Official History of Australia in the War of 191418 included
examples of the Turks being honourable. What does this show about Bean? Why would
he have done this?
1
2
70
Describe how the Anzacs would have felt after experiencing the battles that took place in
May at Gallipoli.
Describe the life of a sapper at Gallipoli.
Chapter 2
3
4
What do you think would have been the attitude of the Anzacs towards the Turks at this
time?
How would have news of the situation at Gallipoli influenced a) men, b) politicians and
c) families of soldiers living in Australia in MayJuly 1915?
Communication
1
2
3
4
5
Copy source 2.33 onto a new page in your workbook and highlight the following
locations: Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu, Johnstons Jolly, Baby 700 and Russells Top.
Using dot-points, make a summary of the dangers and hardships faced by the Anzacs
at Gallipoli.
Use your answers to the previous six questions to complete the following task:
You are an Anzac at Gallipoli in July, 1915. Write a letter home describing your
experience and feelings.
Design a poster that would encourage Australian men aged 19 to 30 to enlist to help
their mates at Gallipoli.
Explain how and why the Gallipoli campaign became a stalemate.
Research
1
2
3
Select a topic from the list below and describe how you would research information on it.
mortars used at Gallipoli
improvised weapons (e.g. periscope rifle)
interaction between the Anzacs and Turks during ceasefires
British commanders at Gallipoli
AIF commanders at Gallipoli
Many of the Anzacs kept diaries during their time at Gallipoli. How would you locate
these primary sources? What care would you need to take when using them as a source
of information on the Gallipoli campaign?
If you had to write a biography of Albert Jacka which had five chapters, what would be
the title of each of your chapters? What would be covered in each chapter?
ICT
Here are the addresses of three websites with information related to the Anzacs:
<www.anzacday.org.au>
<www.anzacs.org>
<www.dva.gov.au/commem/anzac/index.htm>
After visiting each site, answer the following questions:
1 Which site did you find the easiest to navigate?
2 Which site is the most useful for an investigation of the Gallipoli campaign?
3 What care must a historian take when using information from websites?
4 If you were creating the homepage for a site called GallipoliCampaign, what would you
put on it? Draw your design.
The Gallipoli campaign: August to December

On the Macmillan website you will find information and sources on:
battles at Gallipoli from August to December, including the attack on The Nek
weapons
food rations
health of the Anzacs
virtual site study
Go to <www.macmillan.com.au>, and read the text and sources and complete the
working historically activities.
71
2.3 How and why was the Anzac legend created?

Legends are stories,
usually based on
historical facts passed
down through
generations, which
tell of heroic exploits.
Throughout the ages, legends have played an important role in human society. The
exploits of the Anzacs became legend in Australian history and culture, but this was not
by accident. Below are sources which can help answer the question How and why was
the Anzac legend created?
Source 2.39
C.E.W. Bean (front) and
E. Ashmead-Bartlett in 1915
Source 2.38
The Anzac legend
The Anzac Legend tells of the disastrous Allied landing at Gallipoli in 1915 and the
role of Australian and NZ soldiers in the campaign on the Turkish peninsula between
April 1915 and January 1916. It is a legend because it converted military defeat
into moral victory. The outcome of the operation mattered not; of much greater
significance was the conduct of those who tried to realise unobtainable objectives
The descriptions of the first landing, especially that of the English journalist Ellis
Ashmead-Bartlett, were rapturously received in Australia. Australian soldiers had
been put to the most severe test and had triumphantly survived. Australian as a
nation had stepped onto the world stage Within a month of the landing, on Empire
Day, the story of the great event in which they had taken part was already being told.
The Australian war correspondent, C.E.W. Bean, collected stories from the soldiers
and on the spot shaped them into The Anzac Book (1916)
Success or failure on the field of battle, though, was not at the heart of the
legend The men of Anzac symbolised not only the strength of character of the
men who took part in the landing, but also their living legacy. The way they lived and
died presented a high ideal describing the way we should face life and death
The Anzac Legend is part of nation-building through story-telling. It is
commemorated on Anzac Day with sacred themes: loyalty, endurance, sacrifice,
love, death [but] has no place for women in it, and ignores Aborigines too.
J. Winter, in The Oxford Companion to Australian History, 1998, pp. 2830
Source 2.40
Gallipoli and the Anzac legend
At the time of Gallipoli, two individuals were to have an enormous influence on the development of
the Anzac legend. Charles BeanAustralian official war correspondentand E. Ashmead-Bartletta
British reporterwere present at the landing on 25 April 1915. Bean went ashore, while Bartlett
watched the landing from a battleship. Their reports of the battle became the basis of the legend.
Bean was to be the strongest promoter of the Anzac legend. Australia was a young nation.
The country had only been federated for 14 years at the time of Gallipoli. Bean argued that the
consciousness of Australian nationhood was born in a baptism of blood on the shores of Gallipoli.
Bean and others rapidly constructed public histories of Anzac which were to significantly affect
Australian society and culture for generations. On his way back to Australia after the war, Bean wrote
a proposal for the creation of a national war memorial to forever hold the sacred memory of the AIF.
He also pushed for an official war history personally writing six volumes. The first two, entitled The
Story of Anzac, were published in 1921 and 1924. Earlier, in 1916, Bean edited a publication entitled
The Anzac Book. This collection of anecdotes, poems and writings by soldiers at Gallipoli promoted
the digger image.
The legend was appealing and carefully constructed. In his dealings with the Department of
Repatriation, Bean gave specific instructions that he was not to be sent files containing evidence of
cowardice or desertion on the part of Australian soldiers.
72
Chapter 2
Source 2.41
The digger legend
A mate
Heroic
Tough
Laconic
Can face
death
bravely
A bit of a
larrikin
Dislikes authority
Courageous
A real man
Can survive
against all
odds
Source 2.42
Cabled report of Ashmead-Bartlett
A terrible fusillade
The boats had almost reached the beach when a party of Turks entrenched ashore opened a terrible
fusillade with rifles and a Maxim.* Fortunately most of the bullets went high. The Australians rose to
the occasion. They did not wait for orders or for the boats to reach the beach, but sprang into the sea
and formed a sort of rough line. They rushed the enemys trenches, although their magazines were
uncharged. They just went in with cold steel.
It was over in a minute. The Turks in the first trench either were bayoneted or ran away, and the
Maxim was captured.
The Australians found themselves facing an almost perpendicular cliff of loose sandstones, covered
with thick shrubbery. Somewhere about half way up the enemy had a second trench, strongly held, from
which a terrible fire poured both on the troops below and the boats pulling back to the destroyers for a
second landing-party.
A race of athletes
Here was a tough proposition to tackle in the darkness, but those colonials were practical above all
else, and went about it in a practical way. They stopped a few minutes to pull themselves together, get
rid of their packs, and charge their rifle magazines. Then this race of athletes proceeded to scale the
cliff without responding to the enemys fire. They lost some men, but did not worry, and in less than a
quarter of an hour the Turks had been pushed out of their second position, and were either bayoneted
or fleeing
Heroism of the wounded
The courage displayed by wounded Australians will never be forgotten. Hastily placed in trawlers,
lighters,** or boats, they were towed to the ships. In spite of their suffering they cheered the ships from
which they had set out In fact, I have never seen anything like these wounded Australians in war
before.
Though many had been shot almost to bits, without hope of recovery, their cheers resounded
They were happy because they knew they had been tried for the first time, and had not been found
wanting.
* a machine gun
** small, flat-bottomed craft used for moving supplies to or from a larger boat
Australians in Action, NSW Department of Education, pp. 710, 13
73
Source 2.43
Cabled report of C.E.W. Bean
The Australians make history
When all is said, however, the feat which will go down to history is that first Sundays fighting, when
three Australian brigades stormed, in the face of fire, tier after tier of cliffs and mountains apparently
as impregnable as Govetts Leap. The sailors who saw the Third Brigade go up those heights and over
successive summits like a whirlwind, with wild cheers and bayonets flashing, speak of it with tears of
enthusiasm. The New Zealanders are just as generous in appreciation
it may be said that the Australian Infantry has made a name which will never die
Australians in Action, NSW Department of Education, p. 28
Source 2.44
Anzac Day, the birth of a nation
The price of nationhood must be paid in blood and tears ... Anzac Day, which we have celebrated
for the first time ... means more to us than an immortal charge up the cliffs of Gallipoli. Whilst it
reminds us of the valour of our dead heroes ... it reminds us too, in a much greater degree, of the
day Australians really knew themselves. Before the Anzacs astonished the watching nations, our
national sentiment was a flabby and sprawling character. We were Australian in name, and we
had a flag, but we had been taught by our politicians not to trust ourselveswe were constantly
admonished by our daily journals to remember that we were nothing better than a joint in the tail of
a great Empire ... it was assumed that Australia only lived by the grace of England.
Anzac Day has changed all that. The Australian flag has been brought from the garret* and
has been hoisted on a lofty tower in the full sight of its own people ... we are at last a nation, with
one heart, one soul, and one thrilling aspiration. There is mourning in our homes and grief in our
hearts, and the flower of our youth will not return to us, but there runs through the Commonwealth
a lifting spirit such as it never knew before. Australia is no longer merely a prosperous country in
which it is good to live. The blood of our dead heroes was shed afar from us, but their spirit has
come home across the seas to dwell for ever amongst us, to whisper that we have taken our place
among nations, and to inspire us to be ever faithful and ever true to the land that gave us birth and
to the glorious banner that waves over it.
* attic
Freemans Journal, Sydney, 27 April 1916
Source 2.45
The Spirit of Anzac
The Spirit of Anzac was suggested by official war historian C.E.W. Bean to have stood, and still
stands, for reckless valour in a good cause, for enterprise, resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship and
endurance .
But the Spirit of Anzac is not confined to the battlefield. It lives on in the schools, on the sports
fields, in fact all over these great countries of Australia and New Zealand The Spirit of Anzac is not
something we can see but a powerful driving sensation that can only be felt
The Spirit of Anzac is invincible. It is the flame that burns forevermore in the heart of every true
Australian and New Zealander. Today we stand safe and free, clothed with all the privileges and rights of
citizens in these great free countries. And all these thingsliberty, security, opportunity, the privileges of
citizenshipwe owe to the men who fought, endured, suffered, and died for us and for their country
Lt-Col A. Burke (retired), www.anzacday.org.au/spirit/spirit2.html, 2004
74
Chapter 2
Source 2.46
Anzac Day ceremony, c1938, at the Cenotaph, Martin Place, Sydney
State Library of NSW (Home and Away2734)
Source 2.47
Source 2.48
Bean and the Anzac legend
Anzac legend makers
The notion that the Anzac legend was

created by C.E.W. Bean or was a figment
of his imagination seems to be coming
fashionable among a younger generation of
historians Eliminate Beans writing from
the story, and the same picture emerges
of bravery, recklessness, a cynical or
disrespectful attitude towards authority
outside battle, stern discipline under fire, and
so on.
The creators of the Anzac legend were,
of course, the men themselves
J. Robertson, Anzac and Empire: The Tragedy and Glory of
Gallipoli, 1990, p. 263
Recent critics of the Anzac legend have

not sought to belittle the Australian soldiers.
Rather, we have argued that, by explaining
the Australian experience of war in terms of
national character and achievement, Bean
and his successors have narrowed the
range of our understanding of Anzac, and
have excluded or marginalised individual
experiences that do not fit the homogeneous
national legend these historians [also]
neglect the ways in which the soldiers story
was regulated and shaped in particular ways
by Anzac legend-makers
A. Thompson, Anzac Memories: Living with the Legend,
1985, p. 218
75
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
2
3
4
What is a legend?
What is the Anzac legend?
Who was Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett?
What was Beans role in creating the Anzac legend?

Copy and complete this table to in order to identify any useful information in each source to
explain how and why the Anzac legend was created. The first one is done for you as an example.
Source
number
Primary or
secondary?
Useful information contained for

explaining how
Useful information contained for

explaining why
2.48
secondary
mentions how Ashmead-Bartlett and

Bean had a role in creating the legend
created to convert a military defeat into

moral victory
created to present a high ideal describing
the way we should face life and death
2.50
2.51
2.52
2.53
2.54
2.55
2.56
2.57
2.58

1
2
Whose perspective is not presented in the Anzac legend according to source 2.38?
In what way is the interpretation of source 2.48 different from 2.47?
1
2
What was Beans motive for writing the way he did about the Anzacs?
How would Beans experience at Gallipoli have influenced the way he wrote his history of
the Anzacs?
Communication
1
2
Write an answer to the question Explain the impact of the Anzac legend on Australian
life. Before doing so, design the marking guidelines to be used to assess your answer.
Working with a partner, swap your answers to question 1 and mark each others work.
Research
How would you locate sources 2.38 to 2.48?
ICT
Undertake a search on the internet to find three websites which include information on Anzac
Day ceremonies. How does the information you locate relate to the Anzac legend?
76
Chapter 2
2.4 What was the impact of World War I on the

Australian home front 191418?
Chronology
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
Conscription is
the compulsory
enlistment and service
in the armed forces.
Internment means
placing in prison,
detention or
confinement.
Australia enters World War I.

War Precautions Act gives federal government extra powers.
BHP steelworks begins operation at Newcastle.
Formation of the Returned Soldiers Association (later to become the RSL).
W.M. (Billy) Hughes becomes prime minister.
13 July: Conscription debate begins.
Split in Federal Labor Party.
28 October: First referendum on conscription defeated.
Introduction of 6 oclock closing for hotels.
NSW Aboriginal Protection Board given power to remove Aboriginal children from their parents.
Creation of Prices Adjustment Board to control rising prices.
Daylight saving introduced.
General strike by workers.
Womens Peace Army organises protest over high cost of living.
20 December: Second referendum on conscription defeated.
Department of Repatriation established.
Formation of the Country Party.
Womens Legal Status Act passed in NSW.
11 November: End of World War I.
While Australian soldiers and nurses were overseas, life at home was changing as a
result of the impact of the war. In 1914, most Australians were united in support of our
involvement in the war. However, two years later, the country was divided over the
issue of conscription.
The traditional role of women was also affected by the war. With many men fighting
overseas, women were given opportunities to work in areas usually seen as male-only
roles. This did not mean they were treated equally. For example, the weekly wage for
a male teacher was between $3.00 and $4.60 whereas a female doing the same job
earned $1.15 to $1.90.
Fear of migrants of German background and hatred of The Hun led to the
internment of enemy aliens and people with German-sounding names changed them
to sound more English.
For Indigenous Australians, little changed in terms of political and social rights. A
number of Aboriginal people enlisted in the AIF but those who remained at home
continued to be dispossessed.
77
How and why the conscription debate divided Australian

society
The conscription issue
When World War I started in 1914, there was a rush among men to join up. By
December, over 50 000 had enlisted. Following the news of the Gallipoli landing in
1915, there was a wave of patriotic spirit that led to increased numbers
of volunteers. Monthly enlistments were 10 526 in May 1915, rising to
Source 2.49
12 505 in June and 36 575 in July.
Voluntary enlistments
As the grim realities of war became known to Australians, however,
AugDec 1914
52 561
the number of men volunteering each month began to decline. The
JanDec 1915
165 912
initial enthusiasm gave way to fear and to questioning why Australia
JanDec 1916
124 355
was involved in a war that did not directly threaten the countrys
JanDec 1917
45 101
safety. The government calculated that 5500 new recruits were needed
JanNov 1918
28 883
each month to ensure the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) maintained
Total
416 812
its strength. Further, Prime Minister Hughes had promised Britain that
Number who served overseas
331 781
Australia would supply 16 500 troops per month. With enlistments
declining, it seemed conscription would be necessary.
Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Source 2.50
Source 2.51
Universal Service League Manifesto, 1915
W.M. Billy Hughes
Australia has done much. But she has not done enough Our
first duty is to send more men to the front it is now evident that
voluntary effort is not meeting [this duty]
The objects of the Universal Service League are:
1 To advocate the adoption of compulsory service at home or abroad,
in the battlefield or elsewhere; and to support the Government
2 To secure the passage of legislation for the above purpose, and to
assure the Federal Government that such legislation will command
the loyal support of the people of the Commonwealth.
3 To adopt any other measure calculated to promote the object of the
league.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 September 1915, p. 17
Under the Australian Constitution, the federal government had the power to
conscript men to defend the country. It did not have the power to enforce compulsory
military service in overseas wars. In 1911, the federal government introduced the first
compulsory training scheme for boys. Although 636 000 enlisted, 34 000 refused to do
so and 7000 had detentions imposed as a penalty.
The issue of conscription was first raised in the federal parliament in July 1915 by
Sir William Irvine, the representative for Flinders, Victoria. The Labor Government
dismissed his ideas, as it was felt voluntary enlistments were sufficient. In September
1915, the Universal Service League was formed. Its aim was to see the introduction
of compulsory war service for all fit men. This view was supported by Prime Minister
Hughes (Labor), although his party was opposed to it. The pro-conscriptionists argued
that all men should do their duty and shirkers should not be allowed to avoid military
service.
78
Chapter 2
There was discontent among Labor Party members regarding Hughess calls for
conscription. Many were becoming disillusioned by the war and the high rate of
casualties. Furthermore, trade unionists and other Labor supporters were beginning to
question the prime minister.
Knowing of these concerns, Hughes bypassed parliament and went directly to
the people to find out their views on conscription. A referendum (it was technically
a plebiscite) was to be held on 28 October 1916. The lead-up to this vote was
accompanied by conflict and division among Australians.
Working
historically
Comprehension
Choose a, b or c as the correct statement in questions 16.
1 Under the Australian Constitution at the time of World War I:
a the government could not conscript anyone for military service
b the government could conscript men to defend Australia
c the government could conscript men to fight overseas
2 At the outbreak of war:
a Australian men were keen to enlist
b Australian men were not enthusiastic about the war
c only conscripted men went off to fight
3 During the months of May to July 1915, enlistment:
a decreased
b remained steady
c increased
4 The Universal Service League:
a was for conscription
b was opposed to conscription
c did not have a view on conscription
5 Many trade unionists and Labor Party members:
a supported conscription
b questioned conscription
c agreed with Prime Minister Hughes
6 The first referendum on conscription was held on:
a 28 October 1914
b 28 October 1915
c 28 October 1916.

1
2
How useful is source 2.49 for understanding the conscription debate?

In source 2.50, what is fact and what is opinion?
1
If you had been a 25-year-old male living in Australia during World War I, how would
have you reacted to the idea of introducing conscription?
Communication
Explain why there was a need to introduce conscription.
Research
Locate information on and write a definition of plebiscite. How is a plebiscite different from a
referendum?
79
ICT
Use a search engine to locate the Australian Electoral Commission website. Navigate this site to
conduct a historical inquiry into referendums in Australias political history. You will find answers
to such questions as What is a referendum?, How many have been held?, How many have
passed etc.
The conscription debate

The issue of conscription during World War I divided Australians into two groups:
those who believed the government should have the power to make military service
compulsory, and those who opposed this power. Not only was Australian society
divided, but the debate over conscription actually split the Labor Party. Some members,
including the prime minister, left the party and formed a new onethe National Labor
Party.
Objectors
A capitalist is a
business person who
uses resources to
make profits.
A number of groups were opposed to conscription. Many trade unionists and socialists
saw the war as one of greed in which wealthy capitalist bosses were fighting over
resources. They were using workers, not the rich, as soldiers. Conscription would only
help the rich to stay rich and cost the workers their lives.
Source 2.52
Source 2.53
The response of trade unions
Carlton Catholic Workers Associations view
This congress declares the action of the Prime Minister in

seeking to enforce conscription upon the workers of Australia
destroys their freedom and calls upon workers of the
Commonwealth to hold simultaneous mass meetings
This congress declares that the Prime Minister and ex-leader of
the Labor party is unworthy of the confidence of Australian unionists
Melbourne Trades Hall meeting, reported in The Argus, 25 September 1916, p. 6
Source 2.54
Dr Daniel Mannix, the Catholic Archbishop
of Melbourne, during World War I
80
This branch of the Catholic Workers

Association declares its emphatic
hostility to conscription of human
life for military service abroad, and
pledges itself to use all lawful means
at its disposal to defeat conscription.
The Argus, 25 September 1916, p. 6
Others who objected to conscription referred to the Constitution

and the Australian way of life. They believed conscription would be
acceptable if Australia was being directly attacked by a foreign power
but, in the case of World War I, this was not so. The war was taking
place in Europe, thousands of kilometres away and posed no threat to
Australians. If Australians wanted to volunteer, that was their choice,
but no Australian should be forced to fight in another countrys war.
Conscription in this case was undemocratic and un-Australian.
Another group opposing conscription were the Irish Catholics led by
Daniel Mannix, the Archbishop of Melbourne. They saw the war as part
of British domination, especially of Roman Catholics, and denounced
conscription.
Australia was therefore divided in many ways over conscription:
rich and poor; Protestant and Catholic; Labor and Liberal. Even within
families, there were arguments over conscription.
Chapter 2
Source 2.55
Archbishop Daniel Mannix on conscription
[At the meeting, Dr Mannix] hoped that the

majority of Catholics, and non-Catholics also,
would be on the side of freedom for Australia
He declared himself wholly against conscription
[Mannix said that] young men and old men
had been asked to rush to Europe to avenge
the wrongs of Belgium, but there was another

small nation that had wrongs more ancient than
those of Belgium, whose scars were deeper
than Belgiums scars a standing disgrace
to the whole British Empire [was the
condition of] Ireland [and] the Irish people
The Argus, 9 November 1916
Source 2.57
Source 2.56
A recruiting poster drawn by Norman Lindsay, c. 1918
Prime Minister Hughes, September 1916
In the House of Representatives yesterday Mr Hughes

made a passionate appeal for support for the Governments
scheme for maintaining reinforcements for the army.
He said the Imperial Government [Britain] looked to Australia
to keep her troops who were in the firing line at their full strength.
To accomplish this it would be necessary to provide 32,500 men
in September, and 16,500 in each of the three following months.
The Government proposal, he said, provided the speediest
and most certain method for securing these reinforcements.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 September 1916, p. 17
The first referendum
Source 2.58
The Two Ballot Boxes
Argus, 27 October 1916
The first referendum on conscription was lost by only 72 476

votes (1 087 557 Yes and 1 160 033 No). The campaign had
been passionately fought by both sides. The pro-conscriptionists
called everyone who voted No disloyal to the Empire.
The defeat of conscription in the first referendum led
to a major split in the Labor Party. On 14 November 1916,
Hughes and 23 colleagues walked out of a party meeting. He
formed a new political party called the National Labor Party
and, with the support of the Liberals, was able to continue
in government. In January 1917, the National Labor Party
and members of the Liberal Party joined together to form
the Nationalist Party. This new party contested the May 1917
elections, calling itself the Win the War Party, and won easily.
Hughes was returned as the prime minister. The Australian
Labor Party was left in a powerless position.
Meanwhile, the war dragged on and the enlistment rate
of volunteers continued to decline. Around 4500 recruits per
month were joining the AIF. Hughes was hoping to recruit
16 000 men per month and asked: Why should able-bodied
Australians be allowed to live in comfort while many of their
countrymen are fighting and dying in France? He decided to
hold a second referendum on conscription.
81
The division among Australians was reignited. In August 1917, 70 000 trade unionists
in New South Wales went on strike. They opposed government actions that were
decreasing their working conditions. The strike became part of a struggle between the
wealthy capitalists (often loyal to the British Empire, Protestants and well educated)
and the workers (usually of Irish-Catholic background).
The second referendum
A propagandist is a
person who spreads
a message that is
designed to persuade
the audience to
believe a point of
view.
In the lead-up to the second referendum (20 December 1917), Archbishop Mannix was
even more vocal. In Melbourne, a crowd of between 30 000 and 60 000 people gathered
to listen to him speak against conscription. At Bendigo, Prime Minister Hughes
countered with a speech outlining why conscription was necessary and how it would
operate. He gained strong support from many womens organisations, such as the
Womens National League and the Womens Christian Temperance Union.
H.E. Boote, editor of the Australian Worker, publicised the No campaign. He
was a successful propagandist and produced the only newspaper to push the anticonscription case so fully.
In Queensland, the only state to have a Labor government, Premier Ryan
accused Prime Minister Hughes of using censorship to prevent the views of the
No campaigners being heard. Ryans anti-conscription speech had been censored
in newspaper reports. To counter this, Ryan had special pamphlets of his speeches
published and distributed. When Hughes found out, he ordered soldiers to raid the
Source 2.59
Source 2.60
Results of the 1916 referendum
The Antis Creed
Are you in favour of the Government

having in this grave emergency, the
same compulsory powers over citizens in
regard to requiring their military service,
for the term of this War, outside the
Commonwealth, as it has now in regard to
military service within the Commonwealth?
I believe the men at the Front should be sacrificed

I believe we should turn dog on them
I believe that our women should betray the men who are fighting for them
I believe in the sanctity of my own life
I believe in taking all the benefit and none of the risks
I believe it was right to sink the Lusitania
I believe in murder on the high seas
State
Yes
No
NSW
356 805
474 544
I believe in the Sinn Fein
VIC
353 930
328 216
I believe in the massacre of the Belgian priests
QLD
144 200
158 051
SA
87 924
119 236
WA
94 069
40 884
TAS
48 493
37 833
2 136
1 269
1 087 557
1 160 033
Territories
Total
Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers, 191719, Vol. 4
I believe in the murder of women and baby killing

I believe that Nurse Cavell got her desserts
I believe that treachery is a virtue
I believe that disloyalty is true citizenship
I believe that desertion is ennobling
I believe in Considine, Fihelly, Ryan, Blackburn, Brookfield, Mannix, and all
their works
I believe in egg-power rather than man-power
I believe in holding up transports and hospital ships
I believe in general strikes
I believe in burning Australian haystacks
I believe in handing Australia over to Germany
I believe Im worm enough to vote No
Those who dont believe in the above creed will vote Yes
Reinforcements Referendum Council, Melbourne, 1917
82
Chapter 2
Queensland Government Printing Office. Ryan then ordered state police to guard the
printing office. The incident was the most major clash between the federal and state
governments in the history of Australia.
Next, Hughes established a Commonwealth Police Force in order to protect himself
and to enforce law and order in Queensland. The Reinforcements Referendum Council
produced the Antis Creed (source 2.60), which attacked the anti-conscriptionists.
Source 2.61
Source 2.62
Women and the war
Womens part
Miss Martyn said that the women

associated with recruiting had done
splendid work, but they felt that the time
had come for more vigorous means
For the last four days she and others had
been urging in country towns in the East
the necessity for conscription The
honour of Australia was in the balance. The
women who advocated conscription would
lose friends and have to endure criticism.
Wives and mothers! Do you realise the

wonderfully powerful influence you will
have in turning the scale in favour of
a Yes or No vote on December 20?
Are you thinking seriously, gravely and
deeply why you should vote Yes or No?
You mothers know the thrills of joy, and
the delights of youth and lifeand the glory
of parenthood. Dont cast your vote for Yes
and thus forcibly sever the young manhood
from their inherent rightto decide their
own destiniestheir innate right to a full life.
The Argus, 9 November 1917, p. 7

Kate Dwyer, The Australian Worker, 10 December 1917, p. 4
Source 2.63
Hughes on the result of the first referendum
October 28 1916 was a black day for

Australia: it was a triumph for the unworthy,
the selfish and anti-British in our midst. It was
a triumph for those reckless extremists who

had captured the Labor organisations hailed
by Germany and the enemies of Britain
The Age, 13 November 1917, p. 7
Source 2.64
Protest in Melbourne, 1917
83
The results
When the referendum was over and the votes counted, the No vote had won again.
This time, the difference was larger than the first referendum: 1 015 159 Yes to
1 181 747 No.
The conscription debates had divided Australians, split the Australian Labor Party
and caused tensions between religious and social groups. Although the defeat of
Germany came in November 1918, the legacy of the conscription issue remained alive
in Australian society throughout the post-war era.
Source 2.65
Results of the 1917 referendum
Are you in favour of the proposal of the Commonwealth Government for reinforcing
the Australian Imperial Forces overseas?
State
Yes
Soldiers vote
No
Soldiers vote
NSW
341 256
(36 138)
487 774
(35 316)
VIC
329 772
(29 576)
332 490
(25 778)
QLD
132 771
(13 866)
168 875
(12 924)
SA
86 663
(9 701)
106 364
(8 087)
WA
84 116
(11 006)
46 522
(8 374)
TAS
38 881
(3 502)
38 502
(3 431)
1 700
1 220
1 015 159
(103 789)
1 181 747
(93 910)
Territories
Totals
Note: the soldiers vote indicates how men in the armed forces voted
Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers, 191719, Vol. iv, p. 1469
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
2
3
4
5
6
Who were these people?

a William Billy Hughes
b Daniel Mannix
Why did trade unionists and socialists oppose conscription?
When did the first referendum take place and what was the result?
Explain the impact of the conscription debate on the Labor Party.
When did the second referendum take place and what was the result?
Why did Hughes create the Commonwealth Police Force?

1
2
3
84
How do sources 2.52, 2.53 and 2.55 help explain the division caused by the conscription
debate?
In source 2.56, Hughes does not use the word conscription. How does he try to
persuade the reader?
Look at source 2.57.
a What is this source?
b Why is the question mark used?
c What does the colour red represent?
d What symbol is used to represent Germany?
e How is the creature representing Germany drawn?
f What is the purpose of the source?
Chapter 2
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Look at source 2.58.

a What is used to represent the No ballot box?
b What is used to represent the Yes ballot box?
c What message does this source communicate to the voter?
Sources 2.57 and 2.58 use images rather than words to achieve their purpose. Why
would the creators of these sources use this method to persuade their audience?
How does source 2.59 help your understanding of the first conscription referendum?
How does source 2.60 help to explain how the conscription debate divided Australian?
List the various groups mentioned in this source.
How do sources 2.61 and 2.62 show the impact of the conscription debate on women?
In what ways is the point of view expressed in source 2.63 subjective?
Source 2.64 is a photograph of a protest.
a Who is shown in the photograph?
b What might they be protesting about?
c How useful is this source in an investigation of the conscription issue?
How does source 2.65 assist your investigation of the conscription issue?

1
2
3
Whose perspective is presented in source 2.63?

Not all Australian women living during World War I had the same perspective on
conscription. Comment on the different perspectives given in sources 2.61 and 2.62.
Why did Australians from an Irish-Catholic background have a different perspective on
conscription from the loyalists?
1
2
Why would Australians been in favour of introducing conscription?

What do the arguments against conscription show about the values of Australians
at the time?
Research
1
This question will assess your ability to:

locate, select and organise relevant historical information from a number of sources
use sources appropriately in an historical inquiry
In your workbook, copy out the table below. Next, complete the table using sources
2.52, 2.53 and 2.55 to 2.64. The first one is done for you.
Source
Type
Relevant information contained in source about division in Australia
2.52
Newspaper report of
trade union congress
meeting, 1916
Trade unions opposed the Prime Minister because he was unworthy of the
confidence of Australian unionists. Conscription seen as against the workers
of Australia
2.53
2.55
2.56
2.57
2.58
2.59
2.60
2.61
2.62
2.63
2.64
85

2
The Antis Creed (source 2.60) lists several anti-conscription groups, including:
IWW (Industrial Workers of the World)
Sinn Fein
Mannix
Select one of these and research their activities at the time of World War I.
Source 2.57 is the work of Norman Lindsay. Locate information on this Australian artist
and write a one-page report of his work during World War I.
Communication
1
2
3
Draw a mind map to explore the arguments for and against conscription in Australia
during World War I.
Use the information in sources 2.59 and 2.65 to compare the results of the conscription
referenda (for example, did the Yes vote increase or decrease? Did the votes for Yes
and No change in any states? Which states had a majority for Yes?)
Using your answers to Research question 1, your completed conscription mind map, plus
other information you can locate, explain how and why the conscription issue divided
Australians. Your answer should be at least 400 words.
ICT
1
2
Find three sites on the internet containing useful information about the conscription
debate in Australia during World War I. List the web addresses and write a paragraph to
explain why you chose each site.
Use the Australian War Memorial collection database <www.awm.gov.au> to find
examples of posters for and against conscription during World War I. For each example
you find, explain who was the intended audience for the poster.
What were the experiences of women during World War I?

Chronology
1915
1916
1918
Formation of Womens Peace Army.

Provision for equal pay for women in Commonwealth Public Service is dropped.
Queensland Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act includes provisions for equal pay for women;
not put into practice.
Commonwealth Government bars womens entry into clerical division of the federal Public Service.
Minimum womens wage is set at 50% of minimum male wage in New South Wales and South
Australia.
Impact of World War I

World War I had a variety of impacts on the role of women in Australia. Some were
positive, others were not. The war marked the beginning of significant developments
in employment opportunities. Growing numbers of women began to move into office
work, often doing this to escape domestic service or factory work. Generally, new
avenues for work resulted from vacancies created by men who had enlisted. Women
became accountants, bookkeepers, clerks and typists (then known as type-writers.)
But they were usually paid considerably less than men for performing the same work.
Most men wanted women to remain the subordinate sex.
86
Chapter 2
Source 2.66
Women were not allowed to join the armed forces

during World War I. Nor, unlike British women,
were they permitted to work in munitions factories.
But women did serve as nurses, as they had done
during the Boer War (1900). Three thousand female
nurses were sent overseas in the Australian Army
Nursing Service. They were stationed in all main
theatres of war and on hospital ships. Thirteen
nurses were killed and others were wounded during
the war.
Women supported the war effort in other ways.
Some became volunteer workers with organisations
such as the Red Cross that, among other things,
provided comfort parcels for servicemen. Others
did unpaid work for patriotic funds. All the
activities undertaken by these womenproviding
comfort, mothering men and knitting sockswere
not threatening to men. They were seen to be part
of natural female roles. But not all women were in
favour of Australias participation in the war.
Be a Business Girl, c 1917
The Womens Peace Army

In 1915, a group of women, including Vida Goldstein, Adela Pankhurst and Cecilia
John, formed the Womens Peace Army. Anti-imperialist and pacifist, the Womens
Peace Army strongly opposed Australian involvement in the
war. Other developments were to enlarge the role of women as
Source 2.67
political activists in this period.
The Sock Knitter by Grace Cossington Smith shows a
During 1916, as discussed on page 81, the Hughes Labor
woman knitting socks as part of the war effort.
Government introduced a referendum on conscription. Members
of the Womens Peace Army and women in the organised
labour movement became prominent in the anti-conscription
campaign. A short time before the referendum, 80 000 people
attended a womens No-Conscription demonstration in
Melbourne. (At the time, the federal government was situated
in that city; Parliament House in Canberra did not open until
1927.)
Womens Legal Status Act
Grace Cossington Smith, The Sock Knitter, (1915).

Oil on canvas, 61.6 x 50.7 cm, Purchased 1960.
Collection: Art Gallery of NSW AGNSW.
Heightened political activism and the movement of women

into non-traditional (that is, mens) jobs helped feminists in
their demands for equality. After much lobbying, the Womens
Legal Status Act was passed in New South Wales in 1918. This
gave women in that state the right to stand for election to state
parliament, be jurors, enter the legal profession and become
justices of the peace.
However, women were still discriminated against in many
ways. Different rates of pay for men and women continued to
be a major source of social inequality for womena situation
that continues today.
87
Source 2.68
Womens roles during World War I
A farm of 14 acres has been taken at Mordialloc already some thousands of bulbs have been
planted; a well is being sunk and a windmill erected Six young women will be in training under
the capable direction of Cecilia John and Ina Higgins. The former is a poultry expert, and besides, as
good as a man, she can drive a car, paint a house, erect poultry sheds Miss Higgins is a trained
and certified flower and fruit expert the trainees have no fees to pay; they give their work, receive
a home
The Woman Voter, 13 April 1915
Source 2.69
In defence of womens rights
The procession created a sensation, as this was the first time in history that Australian women
had made any sort of political demonstration in defence of their own rights. Then the speakers,
unemployed women, spoke of their situation: Dear Sir, we are here because we want work, not
charity. My father wouldnt let me learn a trade or go in for any profession, because he said, the
home is the womens place, but I lost my home because the landlord doubled the rent For those
of us who have no other source of income, two days work isnt enough
The Woman Voter, 3 June 1915
Source 2.70
Source 2.71
Womens work
The case for the girl: rights in business world
What can a helpless female do?

Rock the cradle and bake and brew,
Or if no cradle, your fate afford,
Rock your brothers wife for your board;
Or live in one room with an invalid cousin,
Or sew shop shirts for a dollar a dozen.
Or please some man by looking sweet,
Or please him by giving him things to eat,
Or please him by asking him much advice,
And thinking what ever he does is nice.
Visit the poor (under supervision),
Doctor the sick who cant pay a physician,
Save mens time by doing their praying,
And other odd jobs theres no present pay in
The Woman Voter, 28 October 1915
The remarkable adaptability and

success with which the girl has
shouldered the new tasks thrust
upon her by the war have rapidly
won her a higher status in the
business world, she is today no
longer limited in her ambition
to the more trifling duties, and
there is practically no field of
business endeavour in which

she cannot hope to succeed.
That this new condition is
no more than her right, a thing
essentially due to her in the
present circumstances, is the
opinion of Mr C.H. Holmes
headmaster and manager
of Stotts Business College
The Herald, 27 May 1916
Source 2.72
Temporary womens work
Wherever a woman took a post on the understanding that she was to

fill it temporarily until a man returned from war, she is a coward and a
swindler and a little treacherous knave if she does not relinquish it.
The Triad, 10 February 1919
Working
historically
88
Comprehension
1
2
3
4
5
What was one of the reasons for the increased employment opportunities for women?
Were women paid at the same rate as men? Why?
What roles did women play in overseas wars?
In what other ways did women support the war effort?
Did all Australian women support the war effort?
Chapter 2

1
2
3
4
Examine source 2.66. What does this source tell us about the changing nature of
womens roles during World War I?
What was happening at the time source 2.67 was created?
Use sources 2.68 to 2.71. How are these sources useful to a historian investigating the
impact of the war on Australian women?
When was source 2.72 created? What were Australian soldiers doing at this time?

1
2
3
4
Source 2.71 quotes Mr C.H. Holmes. Why would he be keen to see women enter the
business world?
How does the view of Mr C.H. Holmes differ from the one expressed in source 2.72?
From your analysis of the sources provided, what was the attitude towards women in
during World War I in Australia?
Explain the attitude expressed in source 2.72. Is it fair?
Communication
1
2
3
Explain the factors that contributed to the passing of the Womens Legal Status Act.
What does source 2.72 suggest to you about the experiences of women at the end of
the war compared to during the war?
From evidence you have found in the sources, outline how the experiences of women
changed during World War I.
Research
1
Find definitions for the following terms. (The first one is done for you.)
a feminist: someone who wants equal rights and opportunities for women
b patriarchy
c matriarchy
d misogynist.
Locate information on Vida Goldstein.
What were the experiences of Indigenous peoples during

World War I?
At the time of World War I, the federal and state governments were operating a policy
of protecting Aboriginal peoples. Under various Acts of Parliament, governments
controlled the affairs of Aboriginal peoples, including where they could live, how they
could earn a living and how they should raise their children. Aboriginal peoples were
not recognised as citizens; therefore they could not (in most cases) vote.
Aboriginal protection policies often led to Aboriginal peoples being segregated from
white society. They were placed on reserves and controlled by Protection Boards.
Source 2.84 provides extracts from Victorias Aborigines Act 1915. In 1916, the
Aborigines Protection Board in New South Wales adopted a new set of rules. Source
2.85 is an example of a rule made for young, female Aborigines.
Most white Australians treated Aboriginal people as second-class citizens. In the
outback, Aboriginal men were used as cheap labour on farms and cattle stations. On
the missions or reserves, Aboriginal people were either viewed as a dying race or were
educated to be the servants of the European Australians. Many Aboriginal children were
removed from their families and sent to training homes or to work for white families.
89
Source 2.73
Source 2.75
Aboriginal peoples rights restricted by the Aborigines Act 1915
Minimum estimated
Aboriginal population of
Australia, 17881920
6. The Governor may make regulations and orders:

(i) For prescribing the place where any aboriginal or any tribe of aboriginals may reside:
(ii) For prescribing terms on which contracts for and on behalf of aboriginals may be made
(iii) For apportioning amongst aboriginals the earnings of aboriginals under any contract
(iv) For the care, custody and education of the children of aboriginals.
Aborigines Act 1915, 6 George V, No. 2610, Victoria
Source 2.74
Girls at 14 leave the reserve
All girls reaching the age of 14 years shall leave the reserve. In order to effect this result, the
mothers shall be given the option and opportunity of themselves placing their girls out in situations
[for example, as domestic servants] to the satisfaction of the Boards officers. If they fail to do this
within a period of one month, after being notified, the Boards inspectors shall have the power
to [send] such girls to Sydney or to Cootamundra Home for a period of training as arranged by
the Secretary.
Year
Population
1788
314 500
1861
180 402
1881
131 666
1891
110 919
1901*
94 564
1911
83 588
1921*
75 604
* The population counts for 1901

and 1921 are estimates only and
only include full-blooded
Aboriginal people.
Aborigines Protection Board, Report, 1916
Working
historically
Comprehension
1
2
3
4
5
What was the government policy for Indigenous Australians at the time of World War I?
Read source 2.73 and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
a Aboriginal people had responsibility for the care and custody of their own children.
b Aboriginal people had responsibility for educating their children.
c Aboriginal people could decide where they would live.
d Aboriginal people had control over money they earned.
In New South Wales, what happened to Aboriginal girls at the age of 14?
What happened to Aboriginal girls if they were not placed in approved jobs by their
mothers?
Where were girls sent for training?

1
2
Why are sources 2.73 and 2.74 useful to historians investigating the experiences of
Indigenous Australians at the time of World War I?
What evidence is there in source 2.75 that Aboriginal peoples were a dying race?
1
2
What do sources 2.73 and 2.74 show about attitudes towards Aboriginal people at the
time?
How would you have felt if, at the age of 14, you were removed from your family?
Communication
Describe the experience of Aboriginal peoples under the policy of protection at the time of World
War I.
Research
1
90
Use the library and internet to locate information to answer the following:
a When was the Cootamundra Girls Home established?
b Why was it established?
How would you investigate the stolen generations at the time of World War I? Outline a
plan to research this topic and report on the results.
Chapter 2
What were the experiences people of German descent during

World War I?
Chronology
1911
1914
1915
1916
1917
Population of German-born residents in Australia is 33 381.

War Precautions Act passed giving federal government power to deal with threats to Australias
security.
Turks attack a trainload of picnickers at Broken Hill and kill four passengers. Attorney-General
W.M. Hughes uses this incident to argue for the need to intern enemy aliens.
Riot among internees at Holsworthy internment camp, New South Wales.
Federal Nomenclature Act is passed; 42 towns and districts with German names had their names
changed.
The enemy within the gates
To be interned is
to be confined to a
concentration camp
or prison.
When war was declared in 1914, there was fear among many Australians that people
of German or other enemy descent living in Australia could not be trusted. It was felt
they would be spies or sabotage the war effort. The federal government passed the
War Precautions Act in October, 1914 in order to gain powers to deal with threats to
Australias security, including enemy aliens.
Some Australians with overseas origins and a number of naturalised residents were
interned in Australia during World War I. The vast majority were Germans, along
with a relatively small number of Austro-Hungarians and a tiny group of Turks and
Bulgarians. Internments were carried out as a security measure, but very few of those
interned were a threat to national security. Internment camps were located at Enoggera
in Queensland; at Bourke, Trial Bay, Holsworthy, Berrima and Molongolo in New South
Wales; at Langwarrin, Point Cook and Melbourne in Victoria; Claremont and Bruny
Island in Tasmania; Torrens Island in South Australia; and on Rottnest Island in Western
Australia. These camps housed both internees and prisoners of war.
Over half of the internees in World War I were recent migrants who were
unemployed due to wartime disruptions to trade. Hundreds of these people voluntarily
interned themselves. Total numbers of internees, however, made up around 12% of all
classified enemy aliens. Of approximately 35 000 aliens, about 6000 in total were sent
to internment camps. The rest were disregarded by authorities.
Source 2.76
The Hun
[Germans] are a race alone and apart, interlopers and squatters in Europe The very name
Ger-man or Alle-man means Wolfman invented by Germans to inspire terror The Hun love
for inhuman atrocities has been fostered by this savage tribal cult of the wolf and the carrion raven.
A Brisbane soldiers magazine, quoted in Raymond Evans,
Loyalty and Disloyalty: Social Conflict on the Queensland Homefront, 191418, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1987, p. 55
Piecemeal is little by
little or gradual.
Official responses to enemy aliens were initially piecemeal. On the Western

Australia goldfields, Austro-Hungarians were targeted by authorities. Wartime treatment
of these immigrants reflected pre-war racial tensions. Hostility towards foreigners was
also influenced by propaganda that portrayed aliens as subhuman and evil (see, for
example, source 2.57 on page 81). In addition, Australian successes and failures in
battle contributed to changes in attitudes towards and the treatment of those perceived
to be the enemy within the gates.
91
The Germans bore the brunt of Australian antagonism towards aliens. As indicated
in sources 2.77 and 2.78, this happened in a number of ways.
Source 2.77
Reasons for introducing the Nomenclature [naming] Act 1917
something should be done in order to remove from the map of this State names of enemy origin
which [have] become obnoxious to the people of the State generally. It is not surprising that in the
early days of South Australia, when so many people were coming from Germany, Prussia, and other
parts of the old world, that they should bring fond memories of their native land to the place to which
they were emigrating, and that they should delight to hear the familiar names of townships, cities, and
districts These names have become well known to us, and names like Blumberg, Lobethal, Rhine, and
many others, which have been enumerated in the reports of the Nomenclature Committee. As many
of these have become obnoxious, it was felt that everything possible should be done to remove what
might be described as a preservation of racial instinct so far as enemy countries were concerned. For that
reason it is proposed in the measure to remove names of enemy origin and substitute others.
South Australian Parliamentary Debates, 26 September 1917, pp. 3445
Source 2.78
Source 2.79
Origins of Germans interned during World War I
Fate of all aliens under government control,

World War I
Origin
Number
Number
German residents in Australia
3 272
58.3
Australians of German origin
393
7.0
Paroled
4 260
38.21
Hong Kong
280
5.0
Liberated
1 124
10.08
Singapore
270
4.8
Deported
5 276
47.32
Died
202
1.81
Not known
288
2.58
11 150
100.0
Ceylon
300
5.3
Prisoners and prisoners of war
1 100
19.6
Total
5 615
100.0
Reprinted from Australians: A Historical Atlas, 1987,

by kind permission of the Macquarie Library
Total
Reprinted from Australians: A Historical Atlas, 1987,

by kind permission of the Macquarie Library
Source 2.80
Definition of racism
Racism
1. the belief that human races have distinctive characteristics which determine their respective
cultures, usually involving the idea that ones own race is superior and has the right to rule or
dominate others.
2. offensive or aggressive behaviour to members of another race stemming from
such a belief.
The Macquarie Dictionary, 2003, Macquarie Library Pty Ltd (online edition)
92
Chapter 2
Source 2.81
German prisoners at the Holsworthy internment camp lining up to get their meals, 1914
Australian War Memorial (PO595/174/095)
Working
historically
Comprehension
Use sources 2.762.79 to answer the following questions.
1 How many Australians of German origin were interned during World War I?
2 How many Germans residing in Australia were interned? What percentage was this of all
Germans interned?
3 What was the main fate of German aliens during the war?
4 Turn one of the tables into a graph.
5 What happened to the largest group of aliens?
6 How many aliens were under government control during World War I?
7 Why did the Nomenclature Act want to remove the foreign names of Australian towns
and districts?

1
2
3
What was the purpose of source 2.76?

What was the aim of the Nomenclature Act 1917 (source 2.77)?
Source 2.81 is a photograph. How useful is it for investigating the experiences of people
of German descent living in Australia at the time of World War I?

Read the definition of racism from the Macquarie Dictionary in source 2.80.
1 In what way are the sentiments in source 2.76 racist?
2 In what way are the intentions of the Nomenclature Act (source 2.77) racist?
Communication
Describe the experiences of people of German descent living in Australia during World War I.
Research
Here are some examples of German names changed during World War I:
frankfurts (hot dogs) became saveloys
german shepherds (dogs) became alsatians (after a place between Germany and France)
Locate other examples of towns, foods or other things that had their names changed during
World War I.
ICT
Use the internet to find out more about the experiences of people of German descent living in
Australia during World War I.
93

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2

Australia and World War I

2.1 Why did Australia

In this topic you will learn about:

Australia as a member of the British Empire and Australias regional

In this topic you will learn to:

Describe Australias relationship with Britain in 1914

Australia in the 20th Century

2.1 Why did Australia become involved in World War I?

French West Africa

British East Africa

German New Guinea

German West Africa

Australia and World War I

Australias regional context

Write your own definitions of these terms:

Australia in the 20th Century

Analysis and use of sources

Refer to source 2.1. Which country has the largest empire?

Perspectives and interpretations

Determine what I need to find out

Inquiry questions related to the topic

Notes, photocopies and printouts

Word-processor and printer

Australia and World War I

Australias involvement in World War I

The opposing powers in 1914

Australia is in full support of the

Joseph Cook, The Argus, 3 August 1914

Whatever happens, Australia

Australia in the 20th Century

Andrew Fisher, The Argus, 1 August 1914

Australian War Memorial H11609

Australia and World War I

Analysis and use of sources

Australia in the 20th Century

Perspectives and interpretations

Why did individual Australians become involved?

Australia and World War I

There has been a lot of argument going on they say,

Australia in the 20th Century

Write a definition of these terms:

Analysis and use of sources

What was the purpose of Australia Will Be There (source 2.10)?

Perspectives and interpretations

Australia and World War I

Australian War Memorial collection database webpage

Photograph from the AWM collection database

Australian War Memorial (H12823)

Where did Australians fight during World War I?

Indian Ocean near Cocos Islands

HMAS Sydney sinks the German cruiser Emden

25 April20 December 1915

Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey

AIF helped gain control of territory in the Middle East

Western Front, France

Australia in the 20th Century

1915 Gallipoli Campaign

German controlled area

November 1914: HMAS

Australia and World War I

315 200 000

HMAS Sydney, 1914