Australia’s involvement in “The Great War’ of 1914 to 1918 had profound consequences for Australian troops fighting in the conflict, their families, and more widely, on the young nation itself. Conflict erupted in Europe in 1914 after years of political instability and tension, and as a member of the British Empire, Australia became involved in a war fought far from its shores. The extensive and far reaching impacts of the war were felt immediately, increased during the years of conflict and lasted for decades after. Assessing the ‘worst’ of many bad years is difficult, as there are so many factors to consider, but there is a great deal of evidence supporting the contention that 1917 was the ‘worst year’ of the war for Australia and its soldiers. This can be measured not only in terms of the numbers killed and injured in 1917, but also on the political and social effects felt at home.
World War One began on 28th July 1914 when Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia after Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian terrorist nationalist group. As a result, Germany declared war on Russia and France, and attacked France by marching through Belgium. In doing this, Germany caused Britain to enter the conflict because Britain had an alliance with Belgium. Australia quickly pledged support for Britain as it was still part of the British Empire. Australia was now at war with Germany, Italy and Austro-Hungary. The declaration of war led to thousands of Australian men enlisting in the army to go overseas and fight in a war which did not directly threaten their own country.
The war ended on 11 November 1918, but not before 58790 Australians had died , a significant number for a nation with a population of only 5 million people. 1917 was the worst year for the soldiers in terms of casualties, affect on mental health and morale, and it was also the worst year for those living in Australia, as it caused significant social divide and had significant impacts on families and workers. It is difficult to assess what could be regarded as ‘positive’ outcomes of the conflict for Australia in terms of any land gained from the enemy or battles that were won, as these had no immediate benefit on the country.
1917 was the worst year of the war in terms of its impact on Australian soldiers. Twenty one thousand seven hundred and thirty six Australian soldiers died in 1917 , a third of all the Australian deaths in the war. This higher death rate compared to previous years would have caused far more soldiers to be mentally impacted through a range of mental health issues caused by the prolonged exposure to violence and loss of friends. A study by the Institute for the Study of Labour found that exposure to allied or civilian death leads to significant increase in risk for mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the end of the war, at least 15000 mentally or physically impaired soldiers returned to Australia. It can therefore be concluded that 1917 was one of the worst years for the mental health of the soldiers as it was the year in which the most Australian soldiers died.
1917 had the lowest Australian enlistment rate of the war up until that point ; this lack of new troops and reinforcements would have significantly contributed to soldiers’ lack of morale. The significant losses and loss of morale sustained in 1917 can be seen in letters home from Australian soldiers to their families. Such a letter by Pte. Earle Neaves describes the horrors of the war and the hopelessness of the fighting, “…the lads I came over with are gone but 7 of the 150 remain”, “…it’s simply murder…indescribable.” This description of the trenches and the mindset of the soldiers shows the adverse effects that 1917 had on them. The high number of soldiers who died for only a few minor victories would also have severely affected the morale and mental health of the soldiers. The Australian and British troops did have some success in 1917 such as at the battle for Bullecourt and the battle for Messines , however, these victories came at a high cost with the allies sustaining 10000 and 14000 casualties in each battle respectively. The result of the battles for Bullecourt was an allied victory, but the costly victory was “of little or no strategic importance,” as described by the Australian War Memorial (AWM) . There were several other similarly costly victories in 1917 such as the battle for Menin road, the battle of Polygon Wood and the battle of Broodseinde. While these were victories for the Australian army, they did not necessarily have any real impact on Australia as a country, or on the soldiers who may have believed they had little or no reason to be fighting. From the point of view of the Australian soldiers they were simply fighting and throwing away their lives for the benefit of another country. A study examining PTSD in soldiers from the United Kingdom found that low morale increases the risk of PTSD, and indicates that many of the events of 1917 which caused low morale would have increased rates of PTSD in Australian soldiers. This combined with the increased risk of PTSD due to loss of allied soldiers resulted in 1917 being the worst year of the war in terms of its impact on the mental health of Australia Soldiers.
World War One had many serious social impacts on Australians on the home front due to the large number of men away on the front lines and the considerable losses the Australian army sustained. 1917 saw the 2nd referendum on conscription, a fierce debate which continued to create social divide as both pro and anti-conscription sides fought using propaganda in the form of shocking poems and advertisements. The impact on Australian women throughout the war was great as the thousands of enlisting men left many mothers alone who were forced to look after families without any support. Women had to take on ‘men’s jobs’ and often struggled in providing for their families , which was magnified by shortages of resources due to the war; for many average Australians, the cost of living in the war increased . 1917 also had a terrible impact on families in Australia, as it was the year in which most soldiers died, making the struggles of working class families permanent as many of the soldiers who had left for war were not coming back. Even for families whose fathers did return home, life was often far worse than it had been before the war. Many of the soldiers who did manage to return suffered from mental health issues such as PTSD which led to increases in domestic violence and divorce rates. While all of the social distress caused by the war cannot be placed solely upon the events of 1917, it was the year in which the most damage was done.
1917 was the year which had the worst economic impact on Australia, although the economic damage caused by 1917 was not fully felt until after the war. The gap between the working class and the upper-class continued to grow as many lower-class families struggled significantly with so many men fighting on the frontline. The economic struggles which World War One caused for the working class were demonstrated by the strike of 1917. It was the largest strike in Australian history as 100,000 workers took part to protest minimal wage increases which were not substantial enough to combat the inflation caused by war. The economic effects of the war continued to affect Australia for a long time after the war had concluded; in 1938, war pensions had cost Australia £148 million and £8.57 million in medical care and there were still 77000 incapacitated soldiers and 180000 dependent on pensions . As 1917 was the year in which most soldiers died it is reasonable to assume that it was the year in which most casualties were sustained and therefore the year most responsible for the economic impact that World War 1 had on Australia.
In conclusion, 1917 was in many ways the worst year of the war for Australia and Australians, through its impact on both Australian soldiers and their families. This was mainly due to the significant loss of life and the casualties that Australia sustained in 1917, which affected other soldiers, soldiers’ families and the Australian economy, and caused a range of problems for Australia which persisted for decades to come.