WHY AUSTRALIA BECAME

INVOVLED IN WAR

Australias entry into World War One

When World War One broke out,

Australia had been a united (federated)
country for only 13 years. Although
Australia was self-governing, it was still
a dominion of the British Empire and
was obliged to follow Britains
instructions in many areas of
government. When Britain declared war
on Germany, Australia and other
countries in the British Empire were
also drawn into war.
Very few Australians had been
engaged in wars and, possibly because
of this, there was a perception that was
glorious, exciting and heroic. A wave of
enthusiasm for the war effort swept
through the country and men rushed to
enlist in the armed forces, which at the
time were known as the Australian
Imperial Force (AIF). Around 50 000
men enlisted by the end of 1914.
According to popular opinion expressed
in newspapers at the time, many of the
men enlisting for war were concerned
that it might be over before they got to
Europe.
The reasons for enlistment were varied
and complex. Some men were driven
by desire to show what their young
nation could contribute to a world of
conflict. Others went to war because of
loyalty to the mother country, some
joined out of a spirit of adventure and
for the opportunity to leave home and
see the world. For some, their incentive
was to earn a good income, and the
promise of regular pay motivated many
unemployed men to volunteer.
Propaganda stories (often
exaggerated) of German atrocities were
used in recruiting campaigns.

Why Australians Enlisted - Sources

Source 1:
I wasnt eighteen. I was working on the
lathe, next to another chap I said to
 him why dont you enlist? I said, Ill
enlist if you do. I went right up to
Victoria Barracks and enlisted. We left
the factory and I had to get my fathers
signature. Well, I forged that.
Stan DAltera, in A Thomson, Anzac
Memories, Oxford University Press, p. 27.

Source 2:
I couldnt help myself. Mum was a
widow and she needed me to help run
the farm. But I read what Andrew
Fisher said and I went, Fishers
message to England was that Australia
would stand beside her to the last man
and the las shilling.
Unnamed soldier, in P Adam-Smith, The
Anzacs, Penguin. p.17

Source 3:
I have joined the Australian Army its not
bad money here, 5 shillings a day and
clothes and food...nearly as good as
cabinet making and not half as hard.
You may (think) it funny (my) turning
such a good job, but this (employer)
had only about three days work left for
us so I (thought) I would join the
army.
Corporal RE Antill in a letter to his parents,
1914, defencemagazine.

Activities - Complete in your HSIE

workbook

1. What were the reasons men

enlisted to go to war?
2. Based on the sources, what
were the difference attitudes
and motivations of the writers?
3. Describe the attitude of most
Australians to war before 1914.
Why might they have held this
attitude?

Australias Entry into World War Two

When World War II began, it was not

greeted by Australians with the same
level of enthusiasm as they had shown
in 1915. Because of this public
reaction, then Prime Minister Robert
 Menzies was initially reluctant to
commit to Australian troops to fight in
Europe, despite Australias declaration
of war. Australias military was in a
depicted state, and Menzies wanted to
ensure that Australia could defend itself
if the need arose.
The first Australian Imperial Force (AIF)
has been disbanded after World War I.
In 1939, the Australian army consisted
of only around 3000 professional
soldiers and a voluntary militia called
the Citizen Military Force (CMF) which
could only serve in defence of
Australia. These units were mainly
equipped with weapons brought home
from World War I by the first AIF.
Despite his doubts, Menzies authorised
the creation of a second AIF in
September 1939. The Australian
government had promised 20 000
soldiers for the British war effort, but
initially struggled to fulfil this
commitment. Soldiers in the AIF were
paid less than those in the CMF. In fact,
AIF wages were even lower than the
dole. For this and many other reasons,
most members of the CMF were
reluctant to transfer to the AIF. The
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was
more attractive to many Australians,
because it seemed more exciting and
offered higher wages. It took three
months to fill the 6th Division of the AIF,
a contrast to the three weeks it took to
raise 20 000 men at the start of World
War One.
The fall of France in 1940 changed
Australias perception of the war.
Recruitment rates surged and three
new divisions of the AIF were formed.
After the Fall of Singapore, when
Australia felt directly under threat for
the first time, Australias perception of
the war again changed. The whole
population mobilised to support the war
effort. Women were encouraged to
enter the workforce, industry was
regulated, and coastal defences were
extended and reinforced.
 Activity - Complete in your HSIE
workbook
Create a Venn Diagram to show the
similarities and differences between
Australias entry into War in World War
I and World War II.