However, it was gradually accepted that the problems were not being caused by physical shock but by psychic shock. Such episodes could result from a range of experiences, but the more acute were commonly set off by incidents such as witnessing a horrific sight, being subjected to gas attacks, being buried by shell explosions, or enduring relentless heavy shelling. Australians suffered just as much mental and nervous breakdown as any other troops during the war.
It is recorded that among the AIF during there were about 1, soldiers treated for neuroses traumatic neurasthenia, shock, shell-shock, disordered action of the heart , and psychoses including melancholia, acute delirium, delusional insanity, exhaustion psychosis etc. Then on the Western Front the figures grew much greater.
Between April and March , the field ambulances alone treated 7, cases of psycho-neuroses and other mental illnesses. By , they accounted for some 13, pensions. The destructiveness of conflict often leads to a breakdown in hygiene, and with large numbers of men living in cramped and unsanitary conditions, deadly epidemics can easily break out.
This is made worse by the presence of troops from far-flung regions, some of whom have built little resistance to certain diseases and are therefore highly vulnerable. Until the beginning of the 20th century, disease almost always claimed many more military lives than combat — often double or more. By far the major killers of armies throughout the ages had been gastro-intestinal infections: dysentery, cholera, and enteric fever typhoid.
It was not until the Russo-Japanese War of —05 that both sides managed to limit deaths from disease to fewer than combat deaths. This was mainly due to some late 19th-century breakthroughs in the understanding of what caused contagious diseases, how they were spread, and how they could be protected against.
Australians volunteering for the war were subjected to medical tests prior to enlistment, and of the nearly , men examined for the AIF, some , were rejected. This could be for a wide range of conditions such as having defective eyesight, tuberculosis, or perhaps some physical defect such as flat feet.
While the medical checks were not as stringent as today, those selected were generally fit and healthy, and at an average age of Australians were given a range of inoculations when they joined up. The most important jab was to protect against smallpox and typhoid — indeed, having this was an essential precondition of enlisting.
In addition, in early they received the TAB inoculation to guard against recently identified strains of paratyphoid. Further protection against cholera and malaria was also provided as necessary. But despite the relative health of the Australian troops and the precautions taken, many did fall ill — some succumbing multiple times during the war. In the cramped and unhealthy conditions on Gallipoli, gastro-intestinal infections were a serious health problem. One estimate indicates that almost three quarters of Australian troops on the peninsula became ill at one time or another.
Probably only the ability to evacuate sick men for proper rest and recovery saved a disaster more akin to those of previous centuries. It is a credit to the medical services that only Australians died of such causes during the First World War.
Malaria is endemic to numerous places of the world, but particularly the tropics. Surprisingly, malaria was also endemic to Belgium, and cases occurred among Australians on the Western Front. All told, Australians died from malaria, the majority in the Sinai—Palestine campaign. It could also be difficult to cure entirely, and relapses were common.
By , 1, veterans were receiving a disability pension for malaria, though that number fell thereafter as better drugs became available. Most Australian troops who succumbed to disease during the war died from respiratory tract infections — commonly influenza and pneumonia.
Combined, they claimed some 3, Australian lives during the war, and many more were debilitated by the effects long afterwards. By , almost 8, were receiving disability pensions for asthma, bronchitis, pleurisy or pneumonia. Most of the casualties on that first day occurred as men scrambled up the brush-entangled gullies leading off the beach, and over the ridges. Initially, at least, there were no machine-guns. Figure 1: map of the Gallipoli Peninsula and the Straits of the Dardanelles showing the site of the landings and the ground held by British forces April —January We can never know for certain see Figure 2.
One of his men later confirmed this. Chapman was killed at Pozieres, France on 6 August We do not really know. Figure 2: unidentified men from the 1st Divisional Signal Company being towed towards Anzac Cove on the morning of 25 April The evacuation of Anzac and Suvla was completed on 20 December , a few days short of eight months after the landing. The campaign ended on 9 January when British forces completed the evacuation of Cape Helles.
The First World War was fought by competing empires, albeit empires in decline, and inevitably the men who fought came from different parts of the globe. The British-French force included men from these countries and their colonies. Indeed, journalist Robert Fisk points out that two-thirds of the 19th Division, the first to face the Anzacs, were Syrian Arabs. They were thrown into the Second Battle of Krithia. More than 1, Anzacs about a third of the two brigades were killed or wounded there.
The survivors returned to Anzac. This honour was rare. Other than the Victoria Cross, it was the only honour able to be granted to a man killed in action. Of the 60, Australians who died in the Great War, only about were accorded this honour.
They include his Victory Medal, with the Mentioned-in-Despatches rosette on its ribbon. Simpson and his donkey are still the subject of vigorous discussion. The Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal considered the merits of the case for awarding Simpson a Victoria Cross as a part of its Inquiry into unresolved recognition for past acts of naval and military gallantry and valour.
In recommending that no action be taken, the Tribunal noted:. Some submitters suggested that Simpson deserved a VC because he represented what it means to be Australian, and there was strong community support for such recognition.
While this might be a popular proposition, the VC can only be awarded for valorous conduct in the presence of the enemy. AE2 was the first submarine to penetrate the Dardanelles. For five days the AE2 carried out orders to disrupt Turkish shipping. Note that the State Library holds contemporary publications containing statistics which may not be accurate, as statistics have been updated in more recent years. It's important to note the date of publication of the book or pamphlet on the catalogue record.
Some of the older publications have been digitised. These catalogue records have a link View Online or an icon image on the catalogue record and can be viewed free on your computer.
It was published as part of the official history of Australia's involvement in the First World War. This publication is available online through the Australian War Memorial.
The Library holds copies in print. For a range of books on medical issues during the War, try the subject searches below in the Library catalogue. Go to Advanced Search and select the In Subject option. Type in any one of these terms:. Australian Casualties According to the First World War page on the Australian War Memorial website from a population of fewer than five million, , men enlisted, of which over 60, were killed and , wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner.
The Shrine of Remembrance website states in its History section: The Shrine of Remembrance was created to meet the needs of a grieving community after the extensive loss of lives in the First World War — Australian Roll of Honour on microfiche The microfiche of Rolls of Honour contain the same information as the online Roll of Honour - see the Online casualty resources box on the right of this page.
Roll of Honour circulars, War. Supplementary Details of servicemen arranged by surname. They might have been less enthusiastic had they known. Wounded on barges Barges containing wounded men from Anzac, mostly stretcher cases, come alongside a carrier ship that will transport them to hospital facilities. Many men died while awaiting attention. Last updated: 31 October Dawn of the Legend: 25 April The casualties debacle.
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