Poem – Great Uncle

I wish I had met great-uncle

Who fought in the war

With his friends and brother

In the Australian Army Corp.

 

He left this home

Went to a far away land,

A land called Egypt,

with lots of Golden Sand

 

They trained in Cairo,

learnt how to fight,

and I can imagine

They must have been quite a sight

 

He was told to fight at Fromelles

How disastrous it would be

All of the men there

Could clearly foresee

 

That they would lose

the battle and many men

He would think of his family

Every now and then.

 

He survived the battle

How lucky he was.

He only did realised this

When he stopped and paused.

 

He fought in other battles

Such as Ypres and Polygon Wood

So young, too young

Just 18, just reached adulthood.

 

But when it came to Villers-Bretonneux

he had a plan,

Get through the war

And be the best man he can

 

He was out on night patrol

When he was shot near the heart

He died almost instantly

What a horrible way to depart.

 

He was buried in France,

Amongst comrades and friends,

With other Commonwealth soldiers,

other sons, husbands and dads.

 

I want to visit his grave,

Just go there and sit,

I want to be close to you

Even just for a little bit

 

I want to tell you

How proud I am of you

The things you did

I hope to never go through

 

He is such a brave man,

An inspiration to me,

and now I want you to know,

I want your spirit to be free.
Ella Bibby 5/9/2017

 

 

How did World War One contribute to Australia’s sense of Nationhood

World War One definitely did contribute to Australia’s sense of nationhood.The word nationhood can be defined as ‘the state of being a nation, or a large group of people united by a common language, culture or economic lifestyle’. Some of the things that assisted Australia’s sense of nationhood was the bravery shown at the Gallipoli landings, the sense of loyalty shown at Fromelles and the determination of the soldier in the First and Third Battles of Passchendaele.

At dawn on the 25th April 19115, the ANZAC’s landed just north of ANZAC Cove. Their mission was to take control of the Gallipoli Peninsula and clear the way so that the Royal Navy could capture the Turkish capital of Constinaple (now Istanbul). The ANZAC’s were met with a strong Turkish force and any hope of advance was shut down. During the first 5 days of the offensive, 643 men had been killed in action and another 213 more died from wounds or disease.

The Battle of Fromelles was the worst 24 hours in Australia’s history. 5,533 Australian soldier were either killed or wounded in action. Many of the soldiers that were higher in command knew that the campaign would be costly. Even Major H.C.L Howard predicted that the attack would prove to be ‘a bloody holocaust’. Some of the soldiers could have refused to fight but proved to be stay loyal to their commanders and army.

The determination of Australian forces during the two battles of Ypres is to be commended. In the eight weeks of fighting, 38,000 Australian soldiers were either killed or wounded. It is even harder to believe that hardly any progress was made. In fact, only a couple fo kilometers were gained. The intention of this attack was to drain German manpower. This instance is the perfect description of determination because the soldiers could have given up at any time but didn’t.

When we think of Australian’s in World War One, we think of bravery, determination, and loyalty. This was the first time that Australia could show that they were united and they made a great impression. This helped Australia’s sense of nationhood because they would be remembered for their strength, loyalty, bravery, and determination.