AS we get closer to Anzac Day, and especially as we commemorate the Anzac’s, we are reminded of our local hero’s. Post Office Gallery’s current exhibition Bendigo enlists: the First World War 1914-18 pays tribute to some of our local stories.
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"That this Council expresses its unswerving loyalty to the British throne, and its full approval of the action of the Commonwealth and State Governments in their endeavours to assist the British Government in the great war now in progress. It expresses its assurance to heartily render every support in its power to the Government in the despatch of the Expeditionary force."[1]
Bendigo City Councillors enthusiastically responded to the news that Australian soldiers were to be sent to serve in Europe. Bendigo’s affection for the Empire resonated through their impassioned motion.
On August 4 1914 Great Britain declared war on Germany. Only two days later, on August 6, the British Government accepted Australia’s offer of troops, signaling the beginning of Australia’s involvement in the First World War. There was a general consensus that with war came danger. However, within a day or so of the declaration of war, ‘thousands responded … the youth of whole neighbourhoods … enlisted en masse and marched off together to the “great adventure’’’.[2] After all, Europe was half a world away, and to the young men of Australia, ‘the adventure of a lifetime beckoned … journeying to the other end of the earth was infinitely exciting’.[3]
On 14 August, Bendigo’s first officers were accepted for service. Captain HH Hunter, Lieutenant S de Ravin and Second Lieutenant C Finlayson of the 67th infantry were included in the 7th Battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel Elliott. Thousands of recruits followed. The continual barrage of imperial propaganda consolidated a deep and emotional attachment to the British Empire. Patriotic fervour swept through them. In addition, Australian soldiers were the best paid of any army in the world.[4] There was most definitely financial motivation to enlist – especially in a city like Bendigo. For Bendigo, 1914 had been a year of great struggle. It was experiencing one of the most severe droughts in Australian history, and one of the worst local mining accidents occurred at Hustler’s Mine. The prolonged drought resulted in the failure of a season, ultimately, the effect of the drought was considered far more serious than the outbreak of war at the time.[5] The wage of a farmer in the early 20th century was only about half of what a soldier would earn. The impression that war was romantic and exhilarating, with an added bonus of a reliable and substantial wage seduced men – sometimes farmers struggling at home – to answer the call of duty.
However, it was not long before the war began to overshadow all else. The enticement of patriotism, of respect and financial gain soon began to fade as the war progressed ‘and the full brutality of its nature became apparent’.[6]
When the casualty lists began to appear, everybody realised … the gravity of the crisis in the world’s affairs, and the serious nature of the struggle to which the Empire was committed. Here and there in Bendigo, homes were plunged in mourning as the telegraph wires flashed the intelligence that a brave son had given his life.[7]
Various local stories of men and women in the First World War can be viewed at Post Office Gallery, open daily from 9am – 5pm. The exhibition runs until June 21. Entry by donation.
[1] Minutes of the Bendigo City Council, VPRS 16269, P1 unit 9, 7 August 1914, p275
[2] Carthew, N, 2002, Voices from the trenches, New Holland Publishers, p5
[3] Ibid
[4] Beaumont, J (ed), 1995, Australia’s War 1914–18, Allen & Unwin, p5
[5] Mackay, M, 1938, Annals of Bendigo 1851–1867, Cambridge Press, p406
[6] Beaumont, J (ed), p5
[7] Mackay, M, p413