The crisis of World War One was met by a strong response from the Aboriginal people, who chose to enlist in the military, despite the numerous barriers and racially motivated regulations that prevented them from enlisting. Their involvement was driven by a number of social, political and economic motivations, which showcased a profound sense of patriotism to Australia and a desire for racial equality. Aboriginals would take on numerous different roles in the war, and fight in various important battles. This response by the Indigenous Australians heavily contributed to the Australian war effort, and played a factor in the overall Entente victory. Aboriginal soldiers came from a heavily marginalised group in Australia, restricted by multiple …show more content…
One of the main motivations for Aboriginal people to enlist was a sense of patriotism and loyalty to the country of Australia. Despite having systemic discrimination and exclusion from many different parts of Australian society, these Aboriginals still felt an allegiance to their country and wanted to fight to protect it. Gary Oakley, a Gundungurra man who enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy, once stated that “We’re not citizens, yet we’re willing to die for this place, we’re willing to die for non-Indigenous Australians, have a think about that one”. This quote clearly suggests that Aboriginals were still willing to fight for their country during the crisis of war, even though their country constantly marginalised them. Aboriginals also chose to fight in the war due to various economic incentives. In the early 1900s, Indigenous Australians lived in squalor and poverty, with limited access to employment and resources. However, if Aboriginals were …show more content…
The Defence Act of 1903, which was introduced as a result of the Boer War in South Africa and was amended in 1909, had introduced compulsory military training for males aged 12 to 25, but it included a section that prohibited military training and wartime conscription for “persons who are not explicitly of European descent.” This resulted due to the broader systemic racism that was present in early 1900s Australia. Due to the strong response to the crisis of war by the white population of Australia, there was no need for any Indigenous soldiers in the war. However, there were still some cases of recruiters and medical examiners choosing to ignore the regulations and allowing some Aboriginals to enlist. As a result, Aboriginal soldiers were believed to be present at all of the major theatres of war in World War One. One such case of Aboriginal enlisting was Douglas Grant. Douglas Grant was an Aboriginal man born in 1885 who enlisted as a private in the 34th Battalion in January 1916. However, he was soon discharged due to his Aboriginal heritage. Despite this, he then enlisted again and fought for the 13th battalion in France. Douglas Grant is just one of many cases of Aboriginals being able to avoid conscription and fight in the war. However, in 1917, the laws around conscription of Aboriginals would again be changed. As