Anzac Remembrance Day
WORLD WAR ONE
CAUSES OF WORLD WAR 1
The more immediate cause for the war was tensions over territory in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary competed with Serbia and Russia for territory and influence in the region and they pulled the rest of the Great Powers into the conflict through their various alliances.
AUSTRALIA AT WAR
The Australians departed by ship for the Gallipoli peninsula, together with troops from New Zealand, Britain, and France. The aim was to assist a British naval operation
The Western Front at the Battle of Fromelles (19th of July 1916), Australia experienced its worst day in history (not just military history). A total of 5,533 casualties (with 2,000 dead) in one night. The catch cry of the battle was "Don't forget me cobber" due to the fact that so many soldiers were left wounded in no man's land. For the 3 days and nights after the battle, men risked their lives to go into no man's land to save 300 of their wounded mates.
300,000 Australians served on The Western Front in atrocious conditions, many of them having survived the Gallipoli campaign. 53,000 died in France and Belgium. About 18,000 have no known grave. There were 152,171 Australians wounded - many soldiers being wounded more than once. In the most successful period of the Australian campaign, March-5 October 1918, the AIF made up less than 10 percent of the entire British forces. It captured 23 percent of the prisoners, 23.5 percent of the enemy guns and 21.5 percent of the ground taken from the Germans. It must be remembered that Australia at that time had a population of only five million, and before The Western Front, Australia had 26,111 casualties (with 8,141 killed) at Gallipolli.
The impact on Australia after world war 1 was that much of the Australia economy, government and society was transformed. many women had to replace men in the work force. But they were not paid reasonably. Across Australia, a surprising number of stone obelisks, statues and memorial halls were raised to commemorate the fallen/died.