Australia’s
role in the First World War, or the Great War as it was known until 1939, is
central to the development of modern Australia’s vision of itself in the world.
In many ways it has served to create what is in some ways a second founding of
the nation in the Gallipoli campaign and on the battlefields of France and
Belgium. The influence of the war experience in the First, and Second, World
War is evident in the way in which ANZAC day is, perhaps even more than
Australia day, the country’s national day.
When the war broke out in 1914, it was a certainty that, because of longstanding economic, family and defense ties, Australia, along with New Zealand, would stand alongside Britain. The then Prime Minister Andrew Fisher was quick to pledge the country’s support to “the last man, the last shilling”.
This was no idle promise and Australia paid a high price for their loyalty to their colonizers. From a pre-war population of 5m, 417,000 enlisted in the armed forces, of which 324,000 served abroad. By the end of the war, Australia had lost 60,000 dead and 155,000 men had been wounded. The economic price was also high. The national debt, which had stood at ₤6m in 1914, was £325m by the end of the war.It
is possible that the first shot of the war was fired in Australia, when a shot
was fired across the bow of the German merchant ship Pfalz as it tried to
escape from Port Arthur only a few hour after the declaration of war. In late
1914 the light cruiser HMAS Sydney sank the German warship Emden off the west coast
of the country. Also early in the war, Australian troops captured the German
radio transmitters in Rabaul and Nauru and conquered all of German New
Guinea.
At first the
Australian forces were intended only to defend Australia, but in 1915 the
Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) departed for Europe. Their first stop
was Egypt and it was because they were so close that they were chosen to take
part in the campaign to capture the Gallipoli peninsula, the key to shipping
into the Black Sea, from the Turks. The plan was for British, French and Anzac
forces to land on the peninsular at night at weak points in the Turkish
defense. However, strong winds blew the troops off course to better defended
spots and in the advantage was lost. What followed was months of bitter
fighting in which 20,000 British and 7,000 ANZAC soldiers were killed and which
ended in a successful withdrawal, but no gain for the Allies. It was at this
moment of history that Australia was propelled on to the world stage. From this
moment onward Australia began to think of itself as a country in its own right;
as being separate to Britain and no longer a colony.
Most of the ANZAC force was sent to Europe, but the Australian
Light Horse remained to fight Turkish forces in Palestine and Syria. They
defended the Suez Canal and advanced through Palestine and Syria. They also
took part in what was one of the world’s last great cavalry charges at
Beersheba.
The main ANZAC force arrived in Europe in 1916. The ANZAC
experience was similar to that of the other participants in the war; a high
death toll and little gain to be shown for it. Australian forces were present
at all the major battles of the war and sustained some terrible casualties. For
example, in 24 hours near Pozieres the 5th Division suffered 5,000 casualties.
At the battle of Bullecort, of the 3,000 men who advanced, 2339 were killed,
wounded or captured.
By 1917 most of the officers were not professional soldiers. The
most prominent example was General Sir John Monash, who was an engineer by
training. He commanded the allied forces at the battle of Hamel so well that
the general staff published the battle reports as a model. In August 1918, he
commanded 200,000 troops on what way called “Ludendorff’s black day”, a turning
point in the war. Monash was probably Australia’s greatest military figure.
Unlike in other armies in the war, the Australian soldiers were
all volunteers. They were also more individualistic and showed less respect for
the rulebook than other soldiers. The relationship between ranks was more
democratic and officer had to win the respect of their troops. All in all, they
paid a high price for fighting in the war. Of the 324,000 soldiers who served
overseas in the war 215,000 were killed or wounded. This was the highest
proportion of any of the countries in the war and was probably due to the
Australians fighting qualities, which meant that they were often used on the
frontline of the fighting.
At home, the war had a significant effect on the economy.
Negative effects included the end of British investment, the closure of many
shipping lanes and the stockpiling of Australia’s main export, wool. However,
the isolation that resulted from the war meant that Australia had to make some
things that had previously been imported. This led to the development of new
industries. In addition, the BHP smelting company, which is now a major
Australian company, saw a great increase in demand for iron and steel. The
needs of the war were stimulus for the beginning of full industrialization in
Australia.
At the signing of the treaty of Versailles, which marked the end
of the war, Australia signed as a separate country. This reflected the fact
that, at the cost of 60,000 dead, Australia had finally emerged from the shadow
of Britain. The Great War was, perhaps, the beginning of modern Australian
history.
Complete the sentences below (1 – 7) with words taken from
the passage.
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Write your
numbers in boxes 1 – 7 on your answer sheet.
1.
According to the passage Australia’s view of itself is directly
related to its involvement in the ………………………………………
2.
Soon after the war had begun, Australia’s Prime Minister offered
the ……………………………………….
3.
Australia had an early involvement in the war and it is even
possible that they were responsible for the …………………………………..
4.
When combating the Turkish defense, the British, French and
Anzac forces ended up attacking stronger points than they had originally
intended because of…………………………………
5.
The outcome of the bitter fight with the Turks was significant
for Australia because it enabled them to take their place on the …………………………………
6.
John Monash commanded the battle of Hamel so well that reports
of the battle were published in order to be used ……………………………………
7.
The Great War marked the beginning of modern Australia. They had
emerged as a separate country and would no longer have to live under
the……………………………………………
Questions 8-12
Classify the following statements as representing
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the
writer
NO if
the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to know
what the writer thinks
about this
Write the appropriate letters in boxes 8 – 12 on your answer sheet.
8.
Australia’s national
debt increased greatly as a result of the Great War.
9.
Australia made a great
contribution to the successful outcome of the First World War.
10.
The British forces
suffered a greater number of casualties than the Anzac forces during the months
of fighting with the Turkish.
11.
Overall, the British
had a higher proportion of soldiers killed or injured than Australia.
12.
Australian soldiers
were never disrespectful to their superiors.
- First World War / Great War
- country's support
- first shot
- strong winds
- world stage
- as a model
- shadow of Britain
- Yes
- Not Given
- Yes
- No
- No