Australia was a part of the British Empire when Britain declared war on Germany on the 4th of August 1914. When Andrew Fisher, The Australian Labour Party Leader exclaimed the following statement that “Australia would back Britain ‘to the last man and the last shilling’, many young Australians received the impression that the war was all for a good cause and being a part of it would benefit a person’s reputation. Australia was the only country in the war that did not utilise conscription and instead let their citizens enlist. Despite this, many Australians rushed to enlist themselves. The diaries and letters of many soldiers expose that many joined the Australian Imperial Force so they could help Britain, and the young men were also raised to believe that every man should freely fight and die for their country or empire. The Australians were also eager to show Britain that they were courageous people and they truly deserve to be recognised as Briton. Other soldiers had volunteered for personal reasons such as to travel the world, have an adventure, or negative reasons such as to escape work, unemployment, poverty, family problems or financial problems. They all went to war with the false understanding that the war will be over in a matter of weeks. Private A. J. McSparrow stated the following in a letter he wrote on the 18th of March 2015 “I have [enlisted] … and I don't regret it in the very least. I believe it is every young fellow's duty … besides every paper one lifts it has something to say about young fellows being so slow in coming forward … we are the sort of men who should go.”. A vast majority of young Australians were also pressured into enlisting, as many were frowned upon for not doing so.
|