The last battle : soldier settlement in Australia, 1916-1939 / Bruce Scates and Melanie Oppenheimer ; foreword by Jay Winter.

Collection type	Library
Author	Scates, Bruce, author.; Oppenheimer, Melanie, author.; Winter, J. M. (Jay Murray), writer of introduction.;
Call Number	362.86 S287
Document type	Monograph
Year	2016. 016
Pagination	xii, 298 pages : illustrations (some colour), facsimiles, portraits ; 26 cm.
Publisher	Cambridge University Press,
Note	Record machine-generated from publisher information. "With research assistance by Will Frances, Catherine Tiernan and Selena Williams ; Steph Green, Laura James, Jo Kildea, Margrette Kleinig, Alice McConnell and Rebecca Wheatley"--Title page. Includes bibliographical references (pages [251]-286) and index. When Australian soldiers returned from the First World War they were offered the chance to settle on 'land fit for heroes'. Promotional material painted a picture of prosperous farms and contented families, appealing to returned servicepeople and their families hoping for a fresh start. Yet just 20 years after the inception of these soldier settlement schemes, fewer than half of the settlers remained on their properties. In this timely book, based on recently uncovered archives, Bruce Scates and Melanie O ppenheimer map out a deeply personal history of the soldiers' struggle to transition from Anzac to farmer and provider. At its foundation lie thousands of individual life stories shaped by imperfect repatriation policies. The Last Battle examines the envi ronmental challenges, the difficulties presented by the physical and psychological damage many soldiers had sustained during the war, and the vital roles of women and children.
Place made	Port Melbourne, VIC

Abstract

Machine generated contents note: pt. 1 MANAGING THE MEN -- 1.`When the Inspector Calls'': The yeoman quest -- 2.`Men on the Margins'': Suspect soldiers -- 3.`I Intend to Get Justice'': Moral economy -- pt. 2 BATTLING THE LAND -- 4.`Droughts and Flooding Rain s'': Markets and the seasons -- 5.`A Land only Fit for Rabbits'': Environmental degradation -- pt. 3 DAMAGED MEN -- 6.`War Wrecked'': Sending cripples to the country -- 7.`From the Farm to the Asylum'': Mad and `nervy'' men -- pt. 4 GETTING ON -- 8.`Taking on a Holding'': Women and families on the land -- 9.`Settling Down'': Successful soldier settlers.