Australians fighting for Britain in World War I

Authors Avatar

“Australians fought in the First World War as Britons fighting for Britain.”

Discuss.

The First World War brought a new sense of nationalism to Australia. Prior to the war, Australians, although not content to be classed as Britons, had grappled with their identity.  Federation injected some degree of national pride into Australia’s people.  However, the war became a further catalyst for the Australian people to reinforce their sense of patriotism and to prove they were equal, and even superior to, the British.  Through two referendums, Australians voted against conscription, but continued to fight voluntarily as a duty to their dead and to their allies – not as Britons, but as Australians. In fact, it is this war from which we draw inspiration when we recite anecdotes of our soldiers’ heroism and mateship.  It is as if Australia underwent a transformation when it embarked on its journey to take part in a war fought on the other side of the world.

In the years leading up to the formation of the Australian Commonwealth, a sense of ambiguity existed within its people about their national identity.  They declared themselves Australian but a lack of foresight and motivation deterred them from breaking away from the firm grip of Britain.  In 1888, James Bilkington described a “strong Australian sentiment” and noted that the people were “more Australian than English”.  But at the same time, he also found that issues such as “differences of policy” and “conflicting interests” between the states stood in the way of a united country (67).  Furthermore, the wealthy echelons of society during this time disparaged most aspects of Australian life by unfavourably comparing it to that in Britain.  As an example, in 1892 W. J. Sowden pointed out that this elite group “belittle[d] everything Australian” and boasted during their dinner parties “that there was nothing ‘Colonial’ upon their tables” (Smith 49).  However, the sarcasm which underlines Sowden’s comments suggests that not all Australians echoed these views.

Join now!

Despite those earlier views, the colonies and their people set aside their differences and formed the Federation of Australia in 1901.  This new country emerged as the land of opportunity and democracy.  In the same year The Worker published an editorial which announced that the new country provided freedom from the confines of British traditions and class systems.  Although not suggesting that Australians viewed themselves as British, the newspaper declared that “Australia has ever been an exemplar to the old lands” and advocated that the motto of “Advance Australia” be continually emphasised to remind people of their true identity.  In ...

This is a preview of the whole essay