Essay On How Did Australians Enlist In 1914 To Defend The Mother Country

To what extent did Australians enlist in 1914 to defend the ‘Mother Country’?

World War 1 plays a very significant part in Australia’s history. Over 50,000 men enlisted in 1914 after the war was declared in August. A lot of men enlisted in order to defend the empire and Britain as they felt like they had some form of attachment and to the Empire. Most Australians also saw themselves as British so they felt obliged to enlist in the war. When the empire called for people to enlist in the war many men and women thought it was their duty to the empire to do so. Although patriotic duty had a large appeal during the war, a lot of the other men enlisted for more personal reasons like to get an income, for a holiday out of Australia or for an adventure.

When the Empire is at war, Australia is at war.” (Sir Joseph Cook, 1914). This quote by the Australian Prime Minister shows that Australians felt a loyalty towards the ‘Mother Country’. “I will go, in my heart hating all the time the military spirit, rousing though it is...from love of empire, and for the good of civilization. I will train myself well in the use of military implements, and forms which are necessary for our purpose, without being carried away by the blind, ignorant, heroic spirit which inspires warlike men who fight for fighting's sake alone…” (Private Percy Samson)Samson was a teacher, who thought for a long while about if joining the army was the right thing to do. Eventually he decided that it was the right thing to do, for the British Empire. Many campaign posters, like the following, were put up in order to try and convince men that it was important that the fought for Britain and the Empire. This was a very effective way of getting men to enlist as they felt guilty if they

Australians saw this as an opportunity to leave with poor income that they had, to go see the world and go on a holiday. Many also thought that it would be a great chance to go back home to Great Britain. “I think it was high adventure: going to places we'd never seen before, the thought of the First World War and the high hopes and the great actions that were instilled in us in history, Gallipoli and the whole of France; and we couldn't get away quick enough actually. It was just to get over there and let 'em know how good we were, because we were all terribly sports minded and everybody knew how good we were at sports so we thought well, we can do just as well over there and have lots of fun as well”. (Sandy Rayward)Most volunteers were very eager to participate in the war as they were looking for an adventure and a chance to get away from Australia and the lives they lead here. They saw it as an opportunity to see places they had never seen and would probably never have the chance to see. “Perhaps the call to adventure was one of the greatest motivation,” (G.H Fearnside, 1939) for volunteers. The lure of adventure was very great at the beginning of the enlistments in 1914. Australian men had no idea how terrible the war really was or would be. Men thought it would be exciting to fight for their country and to be able to see places other than Australia. They