How Did Australian Soldiers Affect Australian Soldiers

The Western Front was fought between 1914 and 1918 where the Australians contributed in many different battles. After the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. Australian forces contributed to 26 battles across Germany, Belgium and France, however often ending in stalemate. Australians contributed through the enhancement of warfare and tactics, conditions and cures and the commemoration of fallen soldiers. The Australians contribution the battle of the Western Front is second to none and is highly recognised in the current community.

Source 4 mentions two common sayings to do with Australian realisations entering the war, "here Australia became a nation" and Blightly [Britain] is a failure, take me to Australia" (Stanley, 2011). The service of 320 thousand Australians stimulated the first growth of a self-conscious Australian nationalism. At the landing at Gallipoli Australian troops expected to learn from the British but instead looked down on them as amateurs and were disappointed with their performance, efficiency and supplies. "Real sense of inequality of sacrifice" (Carrodus, Delany, Easton, Howitt and Smith, 2014). Source 5 makes notice of the fact that by the middle of 1915 the reality of war began to dawn. Australians became disillusioned with the news of deaths upon deaths and war waged on with no visible end. Endless, helplessness, unfairly treated feelings. Australia was divided due to the working class feeling exploited and the middle and upper classes being affected less by the war. "It was a hollow mockery for citizens to celebrate the glories of ANZAC Day unless they were prepared to fulfil their promises and do their duty to the men who had fought and suffered through the war." (Brand, 1925). Source 6 is a quote from a recent time after WW1, it shows the pride Australians had in their soldiers, that they thought they were brave and to

The First World War was the first war that Australian’s ever fought as a Federated nation. World War one was a time of great change for Australia. World War one had an enormous impact on Australian society and I will be support this argument by looking at how the loss of troops meant that more men had to be enlisted to fight and how the role of women changed during the war. I will also be examining the use of propaganda used to influence the civilian population. World War I had a significant and lasting impact on Australian society.

Prior to World War 1, Australians on the whole suffered due to their geographical isolation, which technology had yet to defeat. Transport was solely by arduous sea journey, which restricted travel and communication with the rest of the world. The mass transfer of Australian youth to fight in Europe enabled the world to see for the first time the unique culture which was developing in this far away land. Recognition and respect was quickly given for the courage, good humour and strength in adversity displayed by Australian soldiers. The easy going egalitarian troops challenged the military norms of their British counterparts. While this

During the early war period, there was a rush of Australian men enlisting to defend their mother country. The inherent sense of pride and patriotism that pervades Australian culture today was part of the driving force behind these men’s intentions. The First World War was propagated as an opportunity to seek adventure and see new exotic places, all the while defending their country. Peer pressure played a major role in inspiring these young men to enlist as they were told to “do their nation proud”. Conclusively, there were a variety of factors contributing to a young man’s urge to enlist but the hastened timeframe and imminent “call to adventure” caused the rush of people to enlist between 1914 to 1915.

The Gallipoli campaign was described as the baptism of the newly federated Australia, and a chance for Australian soldiers to prove themselves to the world. They were not ultimately victorious, but the soldiers came to represent the character traits of the new country: fit and healthy, duty bound and courageous, good humored and egalitarian. The ANZAC image allowed Australians to both demonstrate loyalty to Britain, and claim an identity of their own. There is much to challenge the factual accuracy of the ANZAC image.

New weapons and defensive techniques were implemented here, a huge turning point for battle tactics and causes of death for the remainder of WW1. Hazardous gases were used alongside new machinery such as military tanks to form a stronger defensive stance, and although trenches were used in Gallipoli warfare, they became increasingly more popular in attacking techniques at the Western Front. The major Battle of Fromelles was also a great struggle for Australian soldiers as their enemies held higher grounds where possible, and there was little experience in working the artillery fire as it was the first ever battle for the AIF (Australian Imperial Force). Additionally, the Australian troops were placed majoritively on the front line at all times by the British. This accounted for the large number of losses and sacrifices of the ANZACs at the Western Front battles compared to the soldiers of other nations who also fought alongside the British. A quote from Lieutenant Hugh Knyvett, 59th Battalion, 15th Brigade (1916) expressed the great hardships that the soldiers were soon to face on the Western Front, unprepared and inexperienced. Knyvett is a credible source as he was one of the soldiers who fought on the Western Front, and was a Lieutenant during these battles. Knyvett says: “We had not been two days in the trenches before we knew that we were destined for an attack on the trenches opposite and we had not had time even to know the way about our own lines” (Wilkinson 2011). In addition, a letter sent home by John Alexander Raws, a credible SA Soldier who also took part in WW1 (1916) furthermore displays what hardships presented itself on the Western

In Australia, during World War One, conscription was one of the most divisive and bitter arguments of the time, however, it can be argued that conscription had a huger impact on Australia in World War Two than in World War One due to its implementation. By 1916, two years after World War One had begun, most of

The Australian home front during WWI was drastically altered politically through the conscription vote that Billy Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia, believed necessary. 50,000 Australian men had signed up for the war before the year of 1914 had come to an end – which was a rate of over 10,000 per month – but the enlistment numbers dropped way down to 6,000 for the month of the Gallipoli landing in 1915. Once again, however, the numbers rose sharply on the home front after the news of the landing came back home, as many wished to avenge their fallen countrymen, and nobody could question the solemnity of the conflict. With five whole divisions overseas, Australia had to stay committed to their recruitment for the

Unlike other countries fighting in the war, Australia did not enforce conscription. Its armed forces relied completely on volunteers and at first there had been more volunteers than the army could accept. However by mid-1916, when news of casualties of the front began to reach home, support for the war declined sharply. In 1916, William Morris Hughes returned from inspecting the Western Front and was convinced that Australia should introduce conscription for the war effort. This led society to become divided into two major groups, the pro conscriptionists and anti conscriptionists.

The enthusiasm of many Australians led to the numerous volunteers participating in world war one in the defence of their British mother country against the Germans during world war one in Gallipoli, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

In August 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, an immense wave of support flooded Britain from her ally, Australia. All Australian political parties, community leaders, newspapers and churches were on-board with this major movement to help the mother country. All believed it was a morally right and necessary commitment . World War I, 1914 – 1918 had a significant and long lasting impact on the Australian home front. ‘The civilian population ’ had to undergo many changes to cater for the war. At this time women’s push for a larger role in the war effort caused a significant and long lasting impact on the Australian home front, which has helped shape workplace gender equality today. Conscription also impacted the Australian home front, meaning, compulsory enlistment of people in military service. As well as the massive impact on Australia’s economy from the many trading cancellations through abandoned or cut off allies, which has helped build Australia’s economy to what it is today.

There were many impacts on the Australians home front throughout World War 1. World War I also known as the Great War took place from July 28th 1914 to November 11th 1918. These impacts included the Australian Commonwealth Government passing the War Precautions Act that gave the government many wartime powers including which were not supported by the constitution; the impact women made towards the war effort; how people with heritage from countries in the triple alliance who were living in Australia were known as enemy aliens and were often sent to internment camps; and the many different effects on the Australian economy. These different impacts on the Australian home front that created a change in how Australian society worked.

Nevertheless, the Australians pledged around 420,000 people to the Great war with around half of them becoming casualties. The Australians were a dominant force in WWI, specifically in the Western Front with over 290,000 people fighting in the Western Front at one point in their military involvement. This secondary source shows the grave at Polygon Wood, Polygon Wood was a military campaign in the Third Battle of Ypres. The British and Australian Campaign was of devastating effect with over 20,000 casualties and no ground was actually taken in the calamitous campaign. Thousands lost their lives and this source demonstrates the gravity of Australia’s actions and the sheer numbers and effort that Australia poured into a War that they would have no benefit from. Australians not only pledged time on the Western Front but many lost their lives, Australia not only contributed with the thousands of lives that they sacrificed for the greater good but also for saving lives of millions that they did not

Almost a million Australians, both men and women, served in the Second World War. The Australian military composed of both air, land and sea defence forces. There were two land forces: the Citizen Military Forces, also called the Militia, which was built up to provide services to defend Australia, and a Second Australian Imperial Force for overseas service. The air defence was named as the Royal Australian Air Force and the sea defence was known as the Royal Australian Navy.