Enlistment statistics, First World War
Please note that discrepancies can occur between figures drawn from various sources. This can occur because different sources were used to compile the statistics and different criteria were sometimes applied to figures collected at various times by various bodies.
Total enlistments
Enlistments by force or service
Enlistments by year
Enlistments by state
Total embarkations
At end of war
VC recipients by state of enlistment
Total enlistments
Australian population 1914–18: approximately 4.9 million1
Around 420,000 Australians enlisted for service in the First World War, representing 38.7 per cent of the male population aged between 18 and 44.2
Sources:
1 Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Official yearbook of the Commonwealth of Australia, no. 12, 1919 (Melbourne: Albert J. Mullett, 1919).
2 E. Scott, Australia during the war: the official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918, vol. XI (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1941, p. 889).
Enlistments by force or service
Note: enlistment figures for each force or service do not represent individuals, as multiple enlistments were not uncommon.
Australian Imperial Force (AIF): 412,9531
(includes the Australian Flying Corps)
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF): 3,6511
(infantry and naval reservists)
Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS): 2,8611
Royal Australian Navy (RAN): approximately 1,2752
(The RAN existed as a permanent force prior to the First World War with approximately 4,000 members. This is in addition to those already serving.)
Sources:
1 A.G. Butler, Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1943, pp. 882, 890).
2 A.W. Jose, The Royal Australian Navy, 1914–1918: the official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918, vol. IX (Sydney: Angus and Robertson,1937, p. 475).
Enlistments by year
| Year | Number enlisted |
|---|---|
| 1914 | 52,561 |
| 1915 | 165,912 |
| 1916 | 124,352 |
| 1917 | 45,101 |
| 1918 | 28,883 |
| TOTAL |
416,809 |
Source:
A.G. Butler, Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1943, p. 889).
Enlistments by state
| State | Number enlisted |
|---|---|
| Queensland | 57,705 |
| New South Wales | 164,030 |
| Victoria | 112,399 |
| South Australia | 34, 959 |
| Western Australia | 32,231 |
| Tasmania | 15,485 |
| TOTAL | 416,809 |
Source:
E. Scott, Australia during the war: the official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918, vol. XI (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1941, p. 874).
Total embarkations
Australian Imperial Force (including the Australian Flying Corps): 331,781
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force: 3,011
Australian Army Nursing Service: 2,139 (not including 129 volunteers for Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service)
Source:
A.G. Butler, Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1943, p. 882).
At end of war
| Outcome | Number affected1 |
|---|---|
| Died before discharge from the AIF | 60,284 |
| Wounded in action (including gassing and shell shock) | 155,133 |
| Prisoners of war | 4,044 |
| Suffered from sickness or non-battle injuries | 431,448 |
Note: the numbers given for wounded, sick, and injured represent the number of "woundings" or of sickness and injury, not the number of wounded, sick, or injured men. It was common for men to be wounded or sick on several occasions.
The Roll of Honour records the number of Australian deaths during the First World War as 61,5142. This includes deaths until the formal disbandment of the AIF on 31 March 1921. During the period 4 August 1914 to 11 November 1918 there were 59,357 deaths2. On average, 38 members of the Australian armed forces died per day during the 1,560 days of the war.
At 64.8 per cent, the Australian casualty rate (proportionate to total embarkations) was among the highest of the war.3
Sources:
1 A.G. Butler, Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1943, p. 896–97).
2 Australian War Memorial, Roll of Honour (2013).
3 E. Scott, Australia during the war: the official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918, vol. XI (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1941, p. 874).
VC recipients by state of enlistment
In total, 63 Victoria Crosses were awarded to members of the Australian armed forces in the First World War.
| State | Number of Victoria Crosses |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | 19 |
| Victoria | 18 |
| Western Australia | 10 |
| Tasmania | 7 |
| Queensland | 5 |
| South Australia | 4 |
| Northern Territory | 0 |
Sources:
L. Wigmore, They dared mightily (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1986).
National Archives of Australia, First Australian Imperial Force personnel dossiers, 1914-1920, series B2455.
