Australian Women In World War One Essay

FRONTLINE SOLDIER:

There were many different and important roles for men who went to fight during World War One. Some soldiers could be in the infantry whilst others worked as ambulance drivers, cooks, engineers and medics to name a few.

Many volunteers were able to use the skills learned from their jobs at home to help the war effort. They joined the Armed Forces which consisted of the Navy, Army and Air Force (Royal Flying Corps). They would join the service where their skills were most useful.

By 1916 the Armed Forces were so short of men that a law was passed forcing men to join up. This was called 'conscription'. Many men had never even left their home town or village before but soon they were in the thick of battles. At first, unmarried

men aged 18 to 41 were called up and then married men of the same age
The trench experience involved the terror of mud, slime and disease and the constant threat of shellfire. Heavy artillery and new weapons such as poison gas threatened death from afar; but hand to hand combat with clubs and knives killed many during the grisly business of trench raids. When troops were not fighting, they were locked into trench deadlock, at which point boredom also became a serious issue
Keeping clean, eating and smoking
time spent out of the line at least offered the opportunity for the frontline soldier to get clean. Communal baths would be set up and lice-infested clothing steam-cleaned. The chance to be clean was another essential prop to morale. Even more important to soldiers was the food that they ate. If supplies failed, or the quality was poor, the effects could be serious
Something that Brittan troops did was rotate through trench working to rest to recreational stuff so that fighting was an evenly shared thing among the soldiers.

MEDIC/NURSE
An example of a nurses experience under fire is from sister Kelly’s diary from a casualty clearing station on the western front.
“The noise was so terrific, and the concussion so great that I was thrown to the ground and had no idea where the damage was. I flew through the chest and abdo wards and called out: ‘are you alright boys?’ ‘don’t bother about us’ was the general cry.”
This diary entry shows how traumatic the scenes and happenings of the war were also, how committed the soldiers were and that they risked their lives for the country. Furthermore, This diary entry shows how the nurses wanted to help the soldiers and put their lives in risk for the sake of helping others.
“I shall never forget the awful climb on hands and feet out of that hole that was about five feet deep with greasy clay and blood (although I did not know then that it was blood). A bomb had fallen directly alongside the pneumonia ward (pre-antibiotic).”
'The tent had collapsed on forty six stretcher cases inside..."

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN
Women were able to serve in the Australian army as nurses and other medical workers, but only if they were already trained.

They served in places such as Egypt, Lemnos, England, France, Belgium, Greece, Palestine and India. About 2139 nurses served overseas between 1914 and 1919, while many worked in military hospitals in Australia. Seven women received the Military Medal during the war.

When the first World War 1 started, many Australian men – underage or not, volunteered themselves to protect and take pride in their country. The Australian women weren’t allowed into the war, unless they were actively involved as nurses that nursed the injured soldiers, and also if they were involved in other active service duties. Many people recognise the only contribution women had in war were the nursing of the wounded, but nobody truly acknowledges the woman that stayed back in Australia (home front) had a much more stressful and difficult job. These home front women had to deal with the consequences that the war brought; having the strength to manage children and keep everyone together as a family. Not only did they stress enough over the family responsibilities, but also the resource shortages in food and products etc. Most difficulty, the sorrowful women of Australia had to endure the painful fears they had of the future, and the grief and trauma of losing their loved

ones.
Around the time of World War 1, it wasn’t common for women to have a job.

In fact, the only women who did were the ones doing domestic serving roles with very low pay. At the start of World War 1, the number of woman who had jobs increased a bit, but mostly in the food, clothing and printing industries.

In 1942, the role of home front women changed incredibly as more men entered the army, so the women had to fill in for them. Even though they were working a ‘men’s job’ as a woman, it wasn’t a permanent position, as they’d have to resign once the men returned from the war. Also, they were paid quite poorly (lower rates) compared to what the men would usually be paid, but were thankful for the money they were

given.

Children's roles
Children were also keen to be involved in the war effort. Their enthusiasm was fostered by schools which introduced various activities to assist the men at war. Lessons were substituted with patriotic holidays that raised money which could be spent on activities such as welcoming returned soldiers home and celebrating victories. Children also raised funds from doing odd jobs such as digging gardens and cleaning chimneys. Of particular merit is the £422 470 that was raised by Victorian state schools during the war.
From the start of the war, boys and girls began to be socialised differently from each other. They were taught to imitate the roles of their parents. Boys were taught to take on the strong and disciplined attributes of the ideal stereotype of a patriotic father, becoming junior cadets at the age of twelve. Girls, on the other hand, were encouraged to behave like the popular stereotype of a mother. They were taught how to sew, knit and keep the home front intact.