The war to end all wars: honouring the dead by learning the lessonsThe “war to end all wars” ushered in a century of violence on an unprecedented scale. A hundred years on, the les-sons to be learnt appear buried beneath a barrage of commemorative activities.

MAPW believes that Australia could best honour those who died by learning from the past. This series of papers outlines our failure to do so, and some ways forward.

Author

Joan Beaumont

Ross McMullin

Douglas Newton

Peter Wigg

Sue Wareham, Amanda Ruler

Tim Wright

Paul Barratt

Richard Tanter

Daryl Le Cornu

Ian Bickerton

David Stephens

John Langmore

Cover art - Gassed is a 1919 painting by John Singer Sargent about the WWI mustard gas attacks

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/2143

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It, eoritus ine crum notiam turae facrum peri fenitis trumus.Ropublicis scritum me nost? O tri ina, quam condaci consupiena, culica; halicio, neque cauc-tuitu sultum sederessimus ingultium te ta, quissules porti faurnum et; int. Soludet gra condu-ciam es At nos sum mo mei prempli caesta depsedo, norum te num. Itasti, quam il virma, es? Ahaetrioccie nones vast faciemnese videlierte abem urbit pere tum are consciae, corachum usto hossoltore tum omnicerisus curberit vignatiquam dem senatod C. Gra cont eo num dit; C. Veriocaves ignatus, vilis, vicaedo, moraccienis me num re furox niquis nos ina, or ut atuius cotilis? An Etrunu qui pulabus vis maionsi licast L. Git ocus; hocum iactem re pere quodies silinterfec furescites crei probse fors norum et diemusum ocaequod Cat, me nos re henteli, C. Tum no. Catque in hum tendem quitie facchin silicae, sus ad corae iu egit virmis locchucie oculint emnosula que publis erio popoenius aperei incus? Palius, simis coniure conemus? Cerfex noximis los vivat, essid pubis rem prari es ommo ner quit.Serei traequam ego utem dintes sis inatum hore in sa videtes! Etri sesi ia dium nosta, nosum is int vertiem iam silis remortus menam. Facerecum etilin tum pracien erenati mortemen vis, qua quam, morbi proris, spiem, sensultum tem muris, ununum teatqui dermaxi mmoratus nosse opostrac ret virivirmis. Henat L. Ad fur hostere hebatru ntrena ponsunum patus, ses-tiem temnos bon Itamendiis et; ia ve, quam cum reortertum quamdiem verratquitil hactum mendena, vis tum, id consumussus sume consultus crentisqui pessiss ilnesim aciemus ho-rum pareissi ignatum avo, sus reo nonostrae ela consum in tam die nox sessolus iam fit aus; nestatierei cul te me prore nequium ten ser auc rei perionsimus sed postod nostra noncules caesimunc murnum ac ta dem rei in potis fui simus, untertum orum publicatis redenateat rei sulic forio vius a dit, ve, etortan ultorum hum sti consua nonfitra di porbis culiis.Valabus forte nem P. Maedo, erfernu more nostanum num tilia L. Et; hostemquis vis, nos caperisque que in Itabemperis egerficaus compere consulius? Seris. macit, estiocc hucipimis con hilissa iam voctuides, quam inte avendi es locribultus movenat eriptea tiuroximium iamperescri ina, ordincu ltimolt oraveri striostamdi firmiu es caedelicam atus, sulis ego vervideme maiosto ad aute fue quod aricero it; note, cludam quem ad crumend ucitiam Patus sulvignonce patum tere quitam cones se audac rectui publicurni inati, confiris humus publi consul vaste elut deperficus viu vat, niam ipte, C. Quo publis enatui condum muncum me nore eorem ne virmis postra? Tium sat vere con te ipiorbes confint emnem, nondam fac resilic erniam more mus, nor is? Udeor untuspio, fintemusatum condis auc re condiendam, nim movere, constiam. Sa molute te novene cons hem ignonstrei strum enam prora re conos loc, cres, mor us conduc re caescre ssilin videntra actum potil vis haeque menatum foricia noveriorum vit, Cast poterri bunternum conferc enatum auctanu esist imus ocultium se resi sulem dit. Sere publiam ad iaela ves adducoenatus or publibus hocripi emumenit vis; nu conteme intem publici pate, nequam iam nostiem es et adducies Ahalares hebuntr issinu morunum diu inam aci faciam. Ad cre, stelabus, cae dem pubis hostiuspiore consultimil hoc-tume const L. Opioc, nocre, nostero patiusa pra comneque tere, di, es essim re, consum ad acchucontis optiu sulicur opubliae in tes es consult orbis, cusquo et diis cul ur. Habut Catum facchuis consulissena de abus intem acchuce rvigili caverdit, qui facerdienam deesuam habu-lum si sum vil huitris se ia me mo concerfero Cuperma cienamquam adet villa intem tem iam iam ine tudeti perum inatio comnim mus nostritil vit; in vit, perraet iaecta perrat. Seri capereditam ste commod auconsu lemoris. esserae horit; hilis cus? Sere hactes auconsum in trum imo inam. Rompoporem, nes ve, ublistem qui pro, confice ssimpes aci pra, qua moe-rum, nos esedeni usciemus, Catem non tamenatuus, stanuliu que acchili invesidet re quam

quam re cons miliquod diem iam dem ut virica nonsul hocrectatus, nox sena, C. Sp. Fore, nos rem.One adduc ignatiu ssolum imustre cremus. Serudel labita pecivat, deponcu piostrudeo mande rem seret vitusto menatus aute catia dendissed Catra? Efecondac tudam haccie con-diur sulleri orareo, octam publicae nonces movem ius, nonihintebem demumum res eortia? Morununum sederidem, que pubis vidius venis nem tea rehebatuius atemolu derfiriciem nultod consili cultimu riterios lia videesse erfendacivid consum parenat rivicatum die diu sigit virtes consicaperis ex se, quo con dit. Fuid culiben atiliqueris de actum es crei temordi cupimmortum.Ria moltiaella vid res cae nime at nonfirt emquit ingulegit, nequam unc til hos, enatusq uius-quam es convo, quidem int ina, consilin deniu ego Cat forarib endemprios et? quium, cone consuscrius. Apere nostia restraverei sest? que medo, C. Vivis audenatudem inclem sendam-quame de condemp liemus, quitracio, oruncludemus elius const? Am intertus, obses defauc-tuus ca vastis sent. Urnu sul co ac iam querfex notertui senihilin hae prarit? Ebuntri cus acre ficaequo nonem iniurevir in ta mante res seriore in publiquem nonsus eferte ego et consicae teropub lintimium signos de pultordiena, neque quo menat, es, num intemuraesed in se eri-bert emorei et fecrei prio inatus aucomnem pra re corum, Catqua Seniquamque din hus, fue me ca; is, quem loctus res? Pala diis ex mum iam adductorum simisuliis hae popon dit.Oxime cus, quiu quemuro est furoximmored iam achum a intimmorum mo huit furi sen-traritrae peciis senatum idem. Valarterit quem silium enduce tam pori ilnessuliam iactor-estrum efactum audem alarit.Ego pare tem omandis quemus iam.Nonostium orum verit. Patque inatiorem verce consto tuus, ocula intertis contia num in supicas sidet et videper obsesis pubis egite, que fatil hacibus oponfer que et faudeme mei cae maioctuam ia niquam aus feconvolut inclum peresilius, utem. Bit aurorum etimus coentrit, demovem demo inam niquostina, uterenatum diisus co virmactorta mus; inatiam pulis hos-tis, audemul octustis caudacepsed consimum elabem aut vis.Bonihic ieresta, ne ad inte conerid eripio entices? Ad fuemure consulium efecompertid det vehente rraellatus sulia conturnihi, se ex maiori publin Ita, nos clem. Num pati porum quit et; enducon sideris, fachiliempra ompratum terrateror libussiliur quampra moenat inatque teribus hentem.Am. Scia Serterum pri poentem intere, consus? Nonsus, et vo, Catqui ius incuper esceperem, urac re conequis re cus.Acieriorum novidiur inum sed movera re, ut pris andac reortiur, ublicast? Ehem, siliur. Ahales fuid publin dum erio, nonsimp ericur. Astiore conderem sendam iam iam con non inc viverceris et essilicerum tentemorum ductur hostala bemnit? O tre quitest facchus cies-sul turnit, Cupicionsim tanuli inatusq uitiore batiocatuid ducitiaedius seniu move, quonteris, conlostridi, qui sul vis abis viribus consulinc in de dit quem alatqua consunt? Fes Maequid siderfent? Vit vatuus consultuidii se, quempor temussil huctorter aciam atiam actus cont, nequit, nonum modi cae menater idefacchuit; ina, Catque aciverio incus senatis fur linatque ductor istilib ununtem obsente nsupesi giliaci amenarei publicavo, Catum tam quidiciptia vensuam opublic ionsces facchuit diem, publin dium, nes! Sp. co mor ia coeri se, Catquo it co eliciam quonsul hactusa num horunti, patris ponsu suame porteba turnius omne patus.Torum, cionost es in stiam quo vivivaste quius, quos, cae cidenatia nia re conirit, contesse te forte, quita vis se con huc tem serae nos nostanum acienatui senatus peribus mo civehendit

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1. Australia in World War 1:

Grieving and Divided

Joan Beaumont

Australia in WW1:Grieving and Divided

Joan Beaumont

The human cost of World War I dominates Aus-tralian national memory. Even though that mem-ory has been sanitised by distance and commodi-fied by those capitalizing on the mythic name of ‘Anzac’, recent commemorations have focused on the ‘sacrifice’ of more than 61,000 Australians who were killed or died of wounds in 1915–18.

This focus on the dead has the effect of pushing to the margins of national memory other dimensions of the war: the 150,000 or so wounded, many of whom had their life expectancy significantly reduced by their injuries: the families bereaved by the deaths of their sons and brothers; the children who never knew their father; and the women who lost or never found a husband.

Today’s commemorations also ignore the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1919. This virulent virus, which had ravaged the armies on the Western Front in 1918, reached Australia with the long-awaited return of the soldiers. Rapidly some two million Australians were affected. More than half the deaths in New South Wales were people aged between 20 and 39 years of age, the same age

bracket of men that had been killed and wound-ed by the war. The impact of this second shock must have been almost intolerable for a popula-tion already ravaged by grief.

Another negative impact of the war was the embittering of public life. Post-war Australia remained divided for years into the camps the war had spawned: the volunteer against the ‘shirker’; the conscriptionist against the anti-conscriptionist; and, though sectarianism was not created by the war, the Catholic against the Protestant. The insults, calumny and accusa-tions that each had traded with the other in the hysteria of the conscription debates were not forgotten. They echoed down the years. Even in April 1939 the incoming Prime Minister Robert Menzies had to defend himself against attacks from his political opponent Earle Page for his failure to enlist in World War I.

The war also gave free rein to a xenophobia that continued beyond the peace. The hapless ‘enemy aliens’ who had been interned during the war were not reintegrated into Australian society at the war’s end. Rather, by September 1919 some 6150 of them had been deported. They were joined by family members or other aliens who could not face staying in the country which had turned so viciously against them.

The paranoia about left-wing radicalism, which the government of W.M. (Billy) Hughes and other imperial loyalists exploited during the war years, also persisted after the war. The internal

security apparatus that had been created, pur-portedly for the duration of the war only, was not completely dismantled. Under surveillance now were communists, non-British migrants, Irish nationalists, and left-wing radicals and trades unionists.

In many ways then post-war Australia was a so-ciety that was polarized and resistant to change. Some historians have lamented that the shatter-ing of the Australian Labor Party as a result of the conscription crises meant that the reforming energies of the pre-1914 period were dissipated. Australia lost its capacity for political and social experimentation. This conclusion needs some qualification. Dominant though the non-Labor parties were at the federal level from 1917 to 1941, prime ministers Stanley Bruce (1924–29) and Joseph Lyons (1931–39) initiated their own agendas of national and infrastructure develop-ment. At the state level also power alternated between Labor and non-Labor. Yet, despite this, the image of Australia as an inward-looking society, focused on grief and the rancour of the war years, is impossible to dispel.

Joan Beaumont is Professor in the Strategic and De-fence Studies Centre, ANU. Her publications include Broken Nation: Australians and the Great War (Allen & Unwin, 2013), joint winner of the 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Award (Australian History), win-ner of the 2014 NSW Premier’s Prize (Australian History), and winner of a 2014 Queensland Literary Award for History

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2. Devastating Aftermath: Australia’s War Legacy

Ross McMullin

First published in Griffith Review 48: Enduring Legacies edited by Julianne Schultz and Peter Cochrane. https://griffithreview.com/editions/enduring-legacies/

Devastating Aftermath: Australia’s War Legacy Ross McMullinDuring the centenary commemorations of the Great War it will no doubt be frequently asserted that the conflict “made” Australia (in a positive sense) after the nation was “born” at Gallipoli. Such claims are dubi-ous.

It’s true that what Australia’s soldiers did and how they did it established a tradition of courage and endurance, effectiveness and resourcefulness, which was widely admired at the time and still is today.

Also, many Australians at the start of the war were looking forward to their nation distinguishing itself in an international context. They saw this conflict as a perfect opportunity. Among the soldiers imbued with this sentiment was Alan Henderson, a talented 20-year-old lieutenant, who earnestly assured his parents, as his troopship headed towards the Gallipoli coast on 24 April 1915, that the landing was “going to be Australia’s chance and she makes a tradition out of this that she will always look back on … The im-portance of this alone seems stupendous to Australia while the effect of success on the war itself will be even greater”.

Furthermore, a more national perspective developed during the war years. Citizens who had regarded themselves mainly as Queenslanders or Tasmanians became more likely to see themselves as Australians, the soldiers in particular.

With such considerations in play, the conclusion that the war “made” Australia may be understandable. But

the combined effect of these factors is substantially outweighed by the catastrophic AIF casualties. More than 60,000 dead, all the severely wounded, the loss of so many talented prospects in so many spheres — such losses surely invalidate any notion that the war was beneficial for Australia. The experience of Alan Henderson’s family was typical. He died of wounds at the landing, his even more talented brother was killed within a fortnight, and their mother, a purposeful and widely esteemed social welfare activist, had a nervous breakdown.

In view of those ghastly casualty statistics, it’s not surprising that evaluations of the consequences of the conflict have tended to focus on the numbing num-bers, on the collective impact of all those losses. This is appropriately democratic, and consistent with our egalitarian traditions. That there must have been ex-ceptionally talented individuals among them has been implicitly accepted, but not analysed until my 2012 book Farewell, Dear People: Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation.

Farewell, Dear People contains biographies of ten Australians of outstanding potential from diverse backgrounds and specialties. They include an inter-nationally acclaimed medical researcher; a talented engineer who distinguished himself with Mawson at Antarctica; a visionary vigneron and community leader; a Western Australian Rhodes Scholar; a rising Labor star from Sydney; a brilliant Tasmanian foot-baller; a popular farmer who became the inspiration for the celebrated film Gallipoli; and a budding archi-tect from Melbourne’s best-known creative dynasty who combined an endearing personality with his family’s flair for writing and drawing.

Besides such appalling individual losses, the war in-flicted grievous damage on Australia’s cohesion. This effect was all the more damaging because of Aus-

tralia’s impressive social development before 1914. The young nation was progressive, forward-looking and advanced. Many Australians welcomed the advent of welfare measures and innovations in public policy that confirmed their nation’s emergence as a relatively cohe-sive society based on egalitarianism and democratic mechanisms such as the secret ballot. The first national labour government in the world came to office in Aus-tralia in 1904, and six years later Australians elected the world’s first labour government with majorities in both parliamentary chambers and the ability to introduce substantial change. Glorious Days: Australia 1913, an exhibition at the National Museum of Australia two years ago, brilliantly depicted the sense of national confidence and optimism in that pre-war period.The degree of social harmony should not be overstated — some reforms were vigorously opposed in bitter disputes. However, it was widely and understand-ably accepted that Australia was leading the world in progressive, forward-looking initiatives. Some Euro-pean analysts even crossed the globe to inspect what they regarded as the advanced social laboratory taking shape in Australia.

However, the war generated political, industrial and cultural upheaval in Australia. The nation became more bitterly divided than at any other time, and the relatively cohesive social progress of the pre-war years was ruptured. Afterwards Australia was no longer an innovative social laboratory that attracted admiring overseas visitors. This is an extract from “What was lost: More than battle casualties” by Ross McMullin, first published in Griffith Review 48: Enduring Legacies edited by Julianne Schultz and Peter Cochrane: https://griffithreview.com/editions/enduring-legacies/

Ross McMullin’s biography Pompey Elliott won awards for biography and literature. His biography Will Dyson: Australia’s Radical Genius was highly com-mended by the National Biography Award judges. Dr McMullin’s most recent book, Farewell, Dear People: Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation, has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History and the National Cultural Award.

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“There is really only one story worth telling about the Great War: it was a common European tragedy – a filthy, disgusting and hideous episode of industrialised killing. Not the first, and not the last. It was unredeemed by victory. The uplifting element of the story lies in the struggle to avert it.” Douglas Newton, in “The Darkest Days: The truth behind Britain’s rush to war, 1914”

MAPW: The Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia) is a professional not-for-profit organisation that works to pro-mote peace and disarmament. MAPW aims to reduce the physical, psychological and environmental impacts of wars. We have branches in every state and territory in Australia.

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