Anzac Voices - the conscription referendum 1916
This article was originally published in QANTAS Spirit of Regional Australia magazine.
The Australian War Memorial is currently redeveloping its First World War galleries in anticipation of the centenary from 2014. During this period, the Memorial is staging an exhibition, called ANZAC voices, which tells the story of the First World War using letters and diaries, supplemented by objects, photographs, and works of art. Many of the items in this exhibition have never been exhibited before, and include treasures, such as letters from John Simpson Kirkpatrick, General Sir John Monash, and an Indigenous soldier, Lance Corporal Charles Blackman. It will also be the first time items recovered from the Pheasant Wood mass grave at Fromelles in 2010 have been put on public display.
ANZAC voices explores how Australians experienced many aspects of the First World War, from food and health to political issues such as conscription. The 1916 conscription campaign is illustrated through the story of two brothers, James and Ernest Allen from Gin Gin in Queensland.
The vote on 28 October 1916 came about because of Prime Minister Billy Hughes’ determination to introduce conscription to meet a shortfall in volunteer recruiting, made worse by heavy casualties in France. James was pro-conscription, and just before he embarked for service overseas from Sydney, he and some friends attacked an anti-conscription rally. On 5 October 1916, he wrote:
The boys are all cheerful and mad for gore. They started operations in a minor way last night by charging an anti-conscriptionist meeting. A fair fight followed, but the civies hadn’t a possible [chance] though they resorted to diabolical hun methods. Throwing hot ashes and vitriol, some of our lads got burnt a bit, but routed the meeting. On the other hand, Hughes P.M. got a magnificent reception, every conceivable place was packed and the meeting was very orderly. So I think the referendum as good as law.
He and two of his brothers, Ernest and Josiah, embarked for the war a few days later. Ernest later wrote from the front about the 1916 conscription referendum; while he does not state what his feelings are about conscription, in March 1917 he noted:
The boys are pleased it failed & say they would be sorry to see their friends enlist to come over to fight. One thing the cold is awful & your fingers are numbed all day in spite of woollen gloves.
Serving soldiers voted in favour of conscription, by a margin of 72,399 to 58,894 in the first referendum and 103,789 to 93,910 in the second. Soldiers who supported conscription saw it as a way to make others “do their bit”. However, Ernest’s experience suggests there were many front-line soldiers who were against conscription.
James, Ernest, and Josiah all served with the 49th Battalion on the Western Front. James and Josiah were killed at the battle of Messines on 7 June 1917. Ernest was killed at Villers-Bretonneux on ANZAC Day the following year.
With a further decrease in enlistments, Prime Minister Billy Hughes again called for a referendum to take place on 20 December 1917. The result of this campaign was a larger majority for the ‘No’ vote than the previous referendum and conscription was defeated again. Despite the continuing reduction in enlistments through the rest of the war, there were no further referenda and conscription was not introduced into the Australian Imperial Force.
By Dianne Rutherford
Co-curator ANZAC voices
ANZAC voices is on display at the Australian War Memorial until 30 November 2014.