Early Conscription in Australia



http://localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/img/article/264_1.jpg



Conscription was a contentious issue throughout Australia’s history. One of the earliest conscription schemes in Australia was the Defence Act of 1903. The legislation was passed by the new Commonwealth government and gave them to power to conscript for the purposes for home defence, although didn’t allow for soldiers to be conscripted for overseas service.

The Universal Service Scheme was the first system of compulsory military service in Australia. This legislation was first introduced by Prime Minister Alfred Deakin in 1909 and was met with a wide base of parliamentary support. At the invitation of the Prime Minister, a field marshal of Great Britain, Viscount Kitchener, visited Australia to inspect the existing state of defence for the young Commonwealth. He recommended the introduction of compulsory military training to protect the country’s land and waters, and in response, the law was passed in 1911. The scheme compelled all young men aged from twelve to twenty-six years old to undertake various periods of military training.

The scheme had a chequered rate of success. In June 1922, the junior candidates were abolished and later, after a general review of the defence policy, The Universal Service Scheme was abolished by the Labour Government immediately after they were first voted into parliament in October 1929.

Sources of Information:

http://localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/htm/article/264.htm

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/conscription/

http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs160.aspx

Video Analysis Post

 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4534269805888283048 
 

This video is about the involvement of Australian troops and conscription during World War I. We chose this video because it relates to our topic and gives first hand footage and a different perspective on the issue of conscription.

Conscription was widely used during the Great War. Only a few countries such as Australia and South Africa did not introduce full conscription during the War. Conscription was considered by Australia due to the pressure put on by Britain; this was because there were not enough soldiers signing up.  

The video talks about how William Morris Hughes visited the War front in 1916 and when he returned argued for conscription. He put the question of conscription to the people of Australia even though he could pass the act already. Separate referendums were held in the years of 1916 and 1917, although both were rejected by the people of Australia.

A Future Soldier's Perspective

A gasped breath tears through my compressed lungs, almost causing me to collapse in shock. My eyes are darting back and forth frantically across the page as I attempt to comprehend what I’m reading, trying to decipher the blurred words knitted together across the page. But it doesn’t make sense.

To Mr. Viktor Richards,

You have been ordered for induction into the Armed Forces of Australia.

I try to still the shaking of my hands and the weakening of my knees to no avail. The words repeat in my head like a haunting mantra: ordered for induction, ordered for induction, ordered for induction. I feel the thin piece of paper slip through my fingers and flutter to the ground gently, a mere leaf flying through the breeze.

I stumble backwards in shock and feel the backs of my knees hit the worn seat behind me. Sinking into the cracked leather, my eyes helplessly pass over the neat little coffee table that sits atop an awful green rug and over the pale pink floral wallpaper that hides the once white walls. Finally, they land on a small black and white square that rests innocently atop the stone fireplace. Lunging out of the seat, I grab hold of the photo of a little girl with two piggy tails on either side of her head, a gap between her teeth. Finally, I feel my legs crumble beneath me as I clutch the worn photograph desperately to my chest. 

Photo Sourced from: http://www.gallery2.384thbombgroup.com/d/10507-2/Draft_Notice_002.jpg

Conscription, World War I and Australia.

Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people into a national service, usually a military service. Many countries had conscription in place during the Great War and it is estimated that around 3 million men were drafted into the army this way.

When World War I first began, many Australians signed up to join the army. There were often more men than needed and many men were turned away. However, as the war went on and word of casualties and deaths on the war front spread, the amount of people enlisting decreased significantly. In order to meet the pressures put on by Britain of contributing more to the war, Australia tossed up the option of introducing full conscription.

After visiting the war front and Britain, the prime minister at the time, Billy Hughes, returned to Australia with the strong belief that conscription was necessary for Australia and would play a vital part in winning the war.  Billy Hughes attempted to introduce full conscription into Australia and as a result, two separate referenda were held. The referenda sparked a lot of controversy and debate among the citizens of Australia. Fortunately, the outcome of referenda was rejection of the introduction of full conscription.

Of the many countries that participated in the Great War, only Australia and South Africa did not introduce conscription.  

World War I Pro-Conscription propaganda poster

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/conscription/ww1.asp

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/conscription/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Australia

Origins of WWI (Introduction):

World War I (also called the Great War) started in 1914 and ended in 1918. It involved all the great powers at the time. On the 28^th of June 1914, the archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated. This was the beginning of a series of events which triggered World War I. At that time, Europe was already split into 2 main rival groups: The Triple Alliance and The Triple Entente.

The Triple Alliance: The Triple Alliance was made up of Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy*.

The Triple Entente: The countries of Britain, France and Russia made up the Triple Entente.

In addition to the alliance system, there were also other factors which contributed to the start of World War I.

Imperialism:  

·         Germany wanted to have a larger empire

·         Conflicts between countries regarding Germany’s quest to expand their territory.

Nationalism:

·         When Bosnia and other Serbian states were annexed it fuelled Slav nationalism.

Alliance-System:

·         Europe was divided into 2 rivals camps (Triple Alliance/Triple Entente).

Militarism:

·         The division of Europe caused the ‘Arms Race’ and ‘Naval Race’ to begin.

·         War and a strong army were seen as a necessity to maintain or gain superiority.

·         The German invasion of Belgium led to Britain’s involvement in World War I.

*Italy actually sided with The Triple Entente during the war.





European Alliances on the Eve of World War I. Alliance systems divided Europe into two great blocks with few countries remaining neutral.
Sourced from: http://maps.unomaha.edu/peterson/funda/MapLinks/EuropeOverview/kiv28.gif