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Soldiers from the 4th Division near Chateau Wood, Ypres, in 1917. In Australia, the outbreak of World War I was greeted with considerable enthusiasm. Even before Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, the nation pledged its support alongside other states of the British Empire and almost immediately began preparations to send forces overseas to engage in the conflict.
The history of Australia from 1901 to 1945 begins with the federation of the six colonies to create the Commonwealth of Australia. The young nation joined Britain in the First World War, suffered through the Great Depression in Australia as part of the global Great Depression and again joined Britain in the Second World War against Nazi Germany in 1939.
In Australia two referendums in 1916 and 1917 resulted in votes against conscription, and were seen as opposition to an all-out prosecution of the war. In retaliation, the Australian government used the War Precautions Act and the Unlawful Associations Act to arrest and prosecute anti-conscriptionists such as Tom Barker, editor of Direct Action ...
Australian casualties totalled 26,111, including 8,141 killed. [72] For Australians and New Zealanders the Gallipoli campaign came to symbolise an important milestone in the emergence of both nations as independent actors on the world stage and the development of a sense of national identity. [73]
The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 is a 12-volume series covering Australian involvement in the First World War.The series was edited by C. E. W. Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes and was published between 1920 and 1942.
The Australian Army was the largest service in the Australian military during World War I. The First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was the Army's main expeditionary force and was formed from 15 August 1914 with an initial strength of 20,000 men, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany.
Three states (Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria) and the Federal Territory voted "Yes" and three (South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland) voted "No". Western Australia was by far the most pro-conscription polity, with 69.7% of voters voting "Yes". South Australia was the most anti-conscription state, with 57.6% voting "No".
The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire in France. [1] At its peak the Australian Corps numbered 109,881 men. [2]