- Why they went
- Indigenous soldiers
- Empathy task

A common reason for Australians to enlist was to help defend Britain and its Empire, and out of hatred and fear of German aggression. There were many other reasons why people joined up, and some of them had nothing to do with protecting the ‘Mother Country’.

Norman Ellsworth’s decision was based on how he might be seen in the community: If I had stayed at home, I would never be able to hold my head up and look any decent girls in the face. Ellsworth N, found in Gammage B, The Broken Years, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne 2010, p. 10. Lieutenant AW Edwards was similarly impressed by appearances: War presented itself chiefly under the mantle of brilliant uniforms, marching soldiers, music, drums and glory. Edwards A, found in Gammage B, The Broken Years, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne 2010, p. 9. Alfred Youdale was in a hurry, another common sentiment. I thought that [the war] … was too colossal to last long and that Christmas 1914 would see it all over. Youdale A, found in Gammage B, The Broken Years, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne 2010, p. 11. Given that Australian soldiers were amongst the best paid of any in the war, Herbert Lean saw fighting as a better option than unemployment. I received a letter from home about a week ago but as I was again out of work, and have not attempted to answer it till now, and as there was no work to get, I thought the best thing to do was go to the war, so I have enlisted, and I will be going into camp at Newcastle next week. Lean H, found in Mahony J, The Digger's View, The Digger's View Pty Ltd, 2014. | Group portrait of members of the Australian Army Medical Corps 1916. Public domain, Australian War Memorial.

Many living in rural Australia had similar motives for enlisting as large parts of the country were ravaged by drought.

The federal government did not classify Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders as citizens until 1967, so they were officially denied access to enlist in the First World War. Some got around this by concealing their origins or by saying they were Maori or Indian. As the war progressed, the numbers of dead and wounded soldiers increased, so from 1917 the government allowed Indigenous peoples to enlist if they had one parent of European descent. More than 400 Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders participated in the First World War. Find out the diverse reasons why they joined, despite the intense racism they faced. | Harry Thorpe, 7th Australian Infantry Battalion circa. 1916. Public domain, Australian War Memorial.

Letter writing in the trenches. CC BY 4.0

Letters were the major form of communication between Australians who went to war and those who remained at home. They are important primary sources for historians when studying the First World War. By putting yourself in the shoes of a young man about to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force in 1914, you are able to empathise with people from that time in history.

In an empathy task you write as though you are the person and know what and how that person is feeling. It is designed to test your understanding and interpretation of a time in history.

Empathy writing uses:

- descriptive language to accurately show your understanding of the historical context

- emotive language to express how you feel about the situation

Write a one-page letter to a friend explaining your reasons for wanting to enlist (.pdf 101kB). Your writing should demonstrate an understanding of the issues and mood of the time.

Who was the first Australian to die in the First World War? The Australian War Memorial records Captain Brian Pockley and Able Seaman William Williams as the first to die, not in Europe, but in what was then New Guinea. However, an Australian, Lieutenant Malcolm Chisholm died a month earlier in France. Find out why Lieutenant Chisholm is not officially recognised as the first.