BROKEN YEARS- Australian soldiers in the great war

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By Bill Gammage.

When the Great War started in 1914, most Australians believed in patriotism, military heroism and loyalty to the British empire. But as the war dragged on, as the horrors intensified and the casualty lists grew, patriotism gave way to cynicism and courage to despair. By the time the conflict ended, basic changes had taken place in the minds of many fighting men and their lives were never the same again.

‘We just fell down and slept, rain and all. And shells falling all about us, but we were too exhausted to bother; we didn’t mind if we were killed; it was terrible.

‘When I jumped into the trench I saw a man lying there and he moved. I gave him a savage prod with my bayonet and he curled up like a caterpillar …..his eyes turned upside down….. there was a gurgle in his throat like water running out of a bath.’

These are the words of men responding to the grotesque realities of war. When the Great War started in 1914, most Australians believed in patriotism, military heroism and loyalty to the British empire. But as the war dragged on, as the horrors intensified and the casualty lists grew, patriotism gave way to cynicism and courage to despair. By the time the conflict ended, basic changes had taken place in the minds of many fighting men and their lives were never the same again.

Using the diaries and letters of a thousand Australian soldiers, Bill Gammage reconstructs with great sensitivity the valour and tragedy of their experience. Through it he shows how and why the Great War was to have profound effects on the attitudes and ideals of Australia as a nation.

A feature-length documentary, GALLIPOLI: THE FRONTLINE EXPERIENCE, by Turkish director, Tolga Ornek, is available on DVD through Ronin Films - www.roninfilms.com.au/feature/761.html

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