Australian War Stories FOR KING & COUNTRY When Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, there was no question whether Australians would take part. Britain was their mother country, George V their King. They would fight to defend both, in Opposition Leader Andrew Fisher’s famous words, “to our last man and our last shilling.” Yet the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was young, both in terms of its establishment and the men who served in it. The first convoy of 38 transport ships left Albany, Western Australia, on 1 November 1914. Almost two-thirds of its troops were 25 years old or younger. Love for King and Country was a powerful motivator to enlist, but for these young men – and for the 25 nurses who accompanied them – war also promised to be a great adventure. Many had never even left their home state before, let alone the country. The war was their chance to see the world. They just had to get there first. DISCOVER the personal story of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📄 ‣ First World War recruitment poster and postcard (Courtesy: State Library NSW)

Australian War Stories ALL SIGNED UP Volunteers were required to complete the Australian Imperial Force enlistment form – called the ‘Attestation Paper’ – confirming their age, occupation and marital status. On the second page of the Attestation Paper they made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” DISCOVER the personal story of your ANZAC hero, including their completed Attestation Paper at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📄 ‣ First page of the Attestation Paper, © Commonwealth of Australia (National Archives of Australia) 2019 📷 ‣ Men collect their Attestation Papers at the Melbourne Town Hall recruitment office (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, J00320)

Australian War Stories FIT FOR ACTIVE SERVICE All new recruits underwent a thorough medical examination to ensure they were fit for the duties of a soldier. They were also checked for the tattooed letters D or BC, with which the British Army marked ‘Deserters’ and those of ‘Bad Character.’ The Examining Medical Officer was required to state that the volunteer “could see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service.” DISCOVER the personal story of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ Recruits undergoing their medical at Victoria Barracks in Sydney (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, A03616)

Australian War Stories OFF TO WAR Organising the First Convoy was a major logistical challenge with no precedent in Australian history. Peacetime vessels were requisitioned by the government and fitted with wartime necessities such as horse stalls. Throughout October 1914 troopships transported 21,500 Australians from the eastern states to Albany, where they met with ten New Zealand transports carrying 8,500 men. DISCOVER the personal journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ Troops marching to the docks in Sydney to board ships sailing to Albany to join the First Convoy (Courtesy: State Library NSW)

Australian War Stories LEAVING ALBANY The First Convoy was made up of 38 troopships: 28 Australian and ten New Zealand. There were also four escort ships. The troopships carried a total of approximately 30,000 men and women, and more than 7,000 horses. For most of the recruits, their time in Albany was tedious as they anxiously awaited the convoy’s departure. Owing to the huge numbers on the ships, the men had to stay on board, except for occasional marches through the town for exercise. To ensure secrecy, in the face of concerns about enemy raiders in the Indian Ocean, all outgoing mail was censored. On 1 November 1914 most of the town’s population turned out to watch the convoy leave, crowding the slopes of Mount Clarence to view the spectacle. DISCOVER the personal journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ Troopships take-on supplies at King George Sound (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, AG01543) 📷 ‣ Victorian troops marching in Albany prior to departure (Courtesy: Albany Advertiser) 📷 ‣ ‘His Majesty's Australian Transport’ HMAT Euripides (Courtesy: Australian Maritime Museum) 📷 ‣ Troopships pass Breaksea Island, King George Sound, Albany (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, P02085)

Australian War Stories THE LONGEST VOYAGE The epic four-week voyage across the Indian Ocean to Egypt has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” On-board, rigorous training drills and exercise sessions were organised for the men. They were expected to do their own washing, sweep the decks and carry out other chores. Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. Conditions on board the troopships could be tough: below decks it was often cramped and sweltering. Men slept on the upper decks to escape the heat. Seasickness and other illnesses such as influenza, meningitis and pneumonia were rife. Much of the journey was at 10 knots (about 18.5km/h), the speed of the slowest vessel. The seas were calm but the convoy was aware of the danger posed by German cruisers in the area, and so at night travelled with just their red and green side-lights and stern lights. DISCOVER the personal journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 🎞 ‣ The voyage from Australia to Egypt (Courtesy: National Film & Sound Archive) 📷 ‣ Painting of the First Convoy with the British cruiser HMS Minotaur leading, followed by HMAT Orvieto carrying General Bridges and the AIF Headquarters staff. The other naval escort ships were RAN light cruisers and the Japanese cruiser Ibuki. (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, ART00190)

Australian War Stories PASSING THE TIME In their free time the soldiers played games, often organised by the chaplains. Potato sack races and cards were popular. Another favourite pastime was sport, with eager crowds forming around informal wrestling and boxing matches on the upper decks. Concert parties performed skits, recitals, even whistling duets, all intended to alleviate boredom and dissuade the men from gambling. The popularity of the game two-up, however, now traditionally played on Anzac Day, suggests they were unsuccessful. DISCOVER the personal journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ Mateship and camaraderie flourished in the tight conditions of the troopships. Here troops have a laugh on deck of HMAT Orvieto, watched by smiling officers. (Courtesy: National Archives of Australia, 1682) 📷 ‣ A 'friendly spar' aboard HMAT Euripides (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, P08286)

Australian War Stories ENCOUNTER WITH THE ENEMY On the morning of 9 November, all the troops were abuzz that HMAS Sydney had veered off and disappeared in pursuit of an enemy warship. At 10.45am came a wireless message: “Am briskly engaging enemy.” At 11.10am it was followed by: “Emden beached and done for.” The demise of the SMS Emden, a German light cruiser that had been harassing Allied shipping since the outbreak of the war, sparked great celebration and patriotic pride, both in the convoy and at home. The surviving Germans were taken prisoner. With the danger from German warships out of the way, the ships turned their lights back on. Private Geoffrey Franklin, on board the HMAT Star of England with the 2nd Light Horse, wrote home that the convoy was a “grand sight”, adding: “When we were allowed to have lights on the boats they looked like great floating theatres.” DISCOVER the personal journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ HMAS Sydney sailor views the wreck of SMS Emden (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, EN0401 & P01236)

Australian War Stories BRIEF STOP IN COLOMBO The main part of the First Convoy reached Colombo, in modern-day Sri Lanka, on 15 November 1914. In Colombo, the German survivors of the Emden were spread among three of the Australian transports. The troops caught a tantalising glimpse of Colombo, but had no chance to go ashore before they sailed on to Aden. DISCOVER the personal journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ Vintage postcard of Colombo circa 1916 (Wikipedia Commons)

Australian War Stories SUEZ CANAL The Convoy reached British-controlled Aden in the south-western corner of the Arabian Peninsula on 25 November and then sailed up the Suez Canal. Nearly a month after leaving home, the Australians found themselves not in England or Europe, as they had imagined, but rerouted to Egypt to meet a new enemy, Turkey. General William Bridges, the first commander of the AIF, received a telegram from Australia’s High Commissioner in London saying at the last minute it had been decided the troops would instead train in Egypt and “go to the front from there.” DISCOVER the personal journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ Sailing up the Suez Canal from Port Said. Soldiers on board HMAT Wiltshire take in the strange and wonderful sights. (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, C01679) 📷 ‣ Wheelbarrow race held on HMAT Rangatira near Aden (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, P00117_019)

Australian War Stories ARRIVING IN EGYPT After navigating the Suez Canal, the First Convoy began arriving at the port of Alexandria in Egypt – a land that had seen more armies than almost any other. It was here, in the shadow of the pyramids, that the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps would be first grouped together under the now hallowed acronym ‘ANZAC’. The Australians travelled to camps at Maadi on the Nile and Mena, near the pyramids of Giza, to prepare for the battle ahead. The training was arduous: marching through sand, digging and attacking trenches for eight hours a day, six days a week. DISCOVER the personal wartime journey of your ANZAC hero at: australianwarstories.memories.com.au 📷 ‣ Australian troops aboard HMAT Orvieto about to disembark at Alexandria in Egypt (Photo by Phillip Schuler, courtesy Australian War Memorial, PS0375) 📷 ‣ Lines of the 4th Infantry Battalion, Mena Training Camp, Egypt (Courtesy: Australian War Memorial, H02719)