Conscription was political dynamite in the home, office or
factory and it is difficult to convey this these days by writing or speech. -
H. M. Hall.[i]
You know who are voting 'NO'. The advocates of the "NO' vote include every single enemy of Britain open and secret in our midst. They include the violent and the lawless, the criminals who would wreck society and ruin prosperity. Will you dishonour Australia by joining their company? - Prime Minister W. M. Hughes.[ii]
'Compulsory deportation of our manhood overseas means race suicide. Our national policy: maintain White Australia. This cannot be done if our manhood is deported. Vote No! Vote No! Vote No!!! [iii]
The period of 1916 and 1917 proved to be one of the most highly contentious and divisive times in Australia's political history. The political warfare which occurred in these years was due to the cultural, religious and social divisions caused by the question of conscription. This issue was raised in order to combat the declining rate of recruitment for service on the Western Front in the First World War. Two plebiscites were called by the federal government of Prime Minister William Morris Hughes in October 1916 and December 1917, both of which were eventually defeated. The implications of the results of these two referenda were the emergence of the newly formed National Labor Party, the separation of the Australian Labor Party and the division of Australian society.
Before the question of compulsory military service developed into such a divisive issue, the majority of Australians supported Great Britain's war against the Central Powers of Germany, Austrio-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Australian soldiers had previously served in New Zealand's colonial wars, the Boxer Rebellions in China, and Britain's imperial conflict against the Boer's in South Africa where over 16,000 Australian's volunteered.[iv] Given these past displays of loyalty to Imperial Britain a great number of men of military age voluntarily enlisted. The Labor leader and Australian Prime Minister at the beginning of the war pledged 'Australia's last man and last shilling' to Britain.[v]
However, as the war slowly progressed a degree of war weariness replaced the initial patriotic surge. Faced with the grim realities of war in the theatres of war in Europe and the Middle East, recruitment numbers began to decline rapidly. The high casualty rates sustained by Australians soldiers, the prolonging of the war and a decline in enthusiasm contributed the decline in volunteer rate. Simultaneously the Easter Rising in Ireland alienated Australia's Irish Catholic populations from Great Britain's imperial cause. The Easter Rising was an armed rebellion mounted by Irish Republicans who intended to end Great Britain's dominion of Ireland. Queensland at this period possessed the largest population of Irish Catholics compared to any other state or territory in the country who viewed the summary executions of many Irish Republicans as inherently aggressive. This deepening feeling of alienation from the British cause would have dramatic ramifications on the results of the conscription plebiscites, allowing the Irish a conduit to articulate their dissatisfaction.[vi] Working-class ideologies were prevalent in Queensland due largely to the blue-collar industry which financed the state's economy such as the sugar cane and dairying industries. The combination of these factors combined to restrict the federal and state government’s ability to sustain the war effort.
In November 1915, Prime Minister Hughes embarked on the fated tour of Great Britain to promote Australia’s war effort. Whilst on tour, he noticed similar trends had occurred in Britain and New Zealand. By 1916 both of these countries had introduced compulsory military service into law in order to maintain a steady flow of troops to the frontlines. Upon Hughes return to Australia, the failure of a number of campaigns to mobilize new recruits, and the strategic situation convinced him that compulsory military service would be essential to maintain Australia’s divisions in the field.[vii]
[i] H. M. Hall, ‘Reminiscences of Chermside Conscript Camp, Brisbane’, Oxley Ms, 9.
[ii]Jauncey, L. C., The Story of Conscription in Australia. (South Melbourne; Macmillian of Australia, 1968).
169, 221; Inglis, K. S., ‘Conscription in Peace and War 1911-1945’, in R. Forward and B. Reece eds, Conscription in Australia, (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1968). 38.
[iii] Anti-Conscription leaflets 1916, C. Bertie, ‘Collection on the War 1914-1918’, vol. I, Mitchell Ms.
[iv] Jauncey, The Story of Conscription in Australia. 103; Tanner, T. W., Compulsory Citizen Soldiers, (Waterloo, NSW: Maxwell Printing Co., 1980) 20.
[v] Withers, G., Conscription: Necessity and Justice, The Case for an all Volunteer Army, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson), 4.
[vi] Raymond Evans, Loyalty and Disloyalty: Social and Ideological Conflict in Queensland During the Great War, (Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1981), 230.
[vii] Fitzhardinge, L. F,. The Little Digger: A Political Biography of William Morris Hughes (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1979). 173.
You know who are voting 'NO'. The advocates of the "NO' vote include every single enemy of Britain open and secret in our midst. They include the violent and the lawless, the criminals who would wreck society and ruin prosperity. Will you dishonour Australia by joining their company? - Prime Minister W. M. Hughes.[ii]
'Compulsory deportation of our manhood overseas means race suicide. Our national policy: maintain White Australia. This cannot be done if our manhood is deported. Vote No! Vote No! Vote No!!! [iii]
The period of 1916 and 1917 proved to be one of the most highly contentious and divisive times in Australia's political history. The political warfare which occurred in these years was due to the cultural, religious and social divisions caused by the question of conscription. This issue was raised in order to combat the declining rate of recruitment for service on the Western Front in the First World War. Two plebiscites were called by the federal government of Prime Minister William Morris Hughes in October 1916 and December 1917, both of which were eventually defeated. The implications of the results of these two referenda were the emergence of the newly formed National Labor Party, the separation of the Australian Labor Party and the division of Australian society.
Before the question of compulsory military service developed into such a divisive issue, the majority of Australians supported Great Britain's war against the Central Powers of Germany, Austrio-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Australian soldiers had previously served in New Zealand's colonial wars, the Boxer Rebellions in China, and Britain's imperial conflict against the Boer's in South Africa where over 16,000 Australian's volunteered.[iv] Given these past displays of loyalty to Imperial Britain a great number of men of military age voluntarily enlisted. The Labor leader and Australian Prime Minister at the beginning of the war pledged 'Australia's last man and last shilling' to Britain.[v]
However, as the war slowly progressed a degree of war weariness replaced the initial patriotic surge. Faced with the grim realities of war in the theatres of war in Europe and the Middle East, recruitment numbers began to decline rapidly. The high casualty rates sustained by Australians soldiers, the prolonging of the war and a decline in enthusiasm contributed the decline in volunteer rate. Simultaneously the Easter Rising in Ireland alienated Australia's Irish Catholic populations from Great Britain's imperial cause. The Easter Rising was an armed rebellion mounted by Irish Republicans who intended to end Great Britain's dominion of Ireland. Queensland at this period possessed the largest population of Irish Catholics compared to any other state or territory in the country who viewed the summary executions of many Irish Republicans as inherently aggressive. This deepening feeling of alienation from the British cause would have dramatic ramifications on the results of the conscription plebiscites, allowing the Irish a conduit to articulate their dissatisfaction.[vi] Working-class ideologies were prevalent in Queensland due largely to the blue-collar industry which financed the state's economy such as the sugar cane and dairying industries. The combination of these factors combined to restrict the federal and state government’s ability to sustain the war effort.
In November 1915, Prime Minister Hughes embarked on the fated tour of Great Britain to promote Australia’s war effort. Whilst on tour, he noticed similar trends had occurred in Britain and New Zealand. By 1916 both of these countries had introduced compulsory military service into law in order to maintain a steady flow of troops to the frontlines. Upon Hughes return to Australia, the failure of a number of campaigns to mobilize new recruits, and the strategic situation convinced him that compulsory military service would be essential to maintain Australia’s divisions in the field.[vii]
[i] H. M. Hall, ‘Reminiscences of Chermside Conscript Camp, Brisbane’, Oxley Ms, 9.
[ii]Jauncey, L. C., The Story of Conscription in Australia. (South Melbourne; Macmillian of Australia, 1968).
169, 221; Inglis, K. S., ‘Conscription in Peace and War 1911-1945’, in R. Forward and B. Reece eds, Conscription in Australia, (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1968). 38.
[iii] Anti-Conscription leaflets 1916, C. Bertie, ‘Collection on the War 1914-1918’, vol. I, Mitchell Ms.
[iv] Jauncey, The Story of Conscription in Australia. 103; Tanner, T. W., Compulsory Citizen Soldiers, (Waterloo, NSW: Maxwell Printing Co., 1980) 20.
[v] Withers, G., Conscription: Necessity and Justice, The Case for an all Volunteer Army, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson), 4.
[vi] Raymond Evans, Loyalty and Disloyalty: Social and Ideological Conflict in Queensland During the Great War, (Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1981), 230.
[vii] Fitzhardinge, L. F,. The Little Digger: A Political Biography of William Morris Hughes (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1979). 173.
This website has been constructed for the purpose of a collaborative research project for the Queensland Museum and the University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus and permission is given for this to be used by future students. Author : Nicholas Christison, 04/11/2013. [email protected]