ONE minute’s silence will be observed at 11 am on 11 November, in memory of Australia’s fallen soldiers.
Originally known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day commemorates the signing of the peace agreement between Germany and the Allies in 1918. The Great War, an unprecedented conflict in its industrial warfare and scale, had mobilised more than 70 million military personnel across the globe. Between 9 to 13 million were killed during the four-year conflict.
Around 330,000 Australians served in World War I. Of these service men and women, 46,000 were killed and 130,000 wounded. More than 18,000 have no known grave.
The first convoy of Australian troops departed Western Australia on 1 November 1914. The 21,000 men, as well as medical staff, supplies and horses, were escorted by four warships, including the HMAS Sydney.
On 9 November, HMAS Sydney secured Australia’s first naval victory by defeating the notorious German SMS Emden.
The men and women in the first convoy were initially Europe-bound but were soon diverted to British training camps in Egypt. Most of these troops would serve in the Gallipoli Campaign against the Ottoman Army.
Between March 1916 and November 1918, 295,000 Australians served on the Western Front. They fought in major Allied campaigns, including the Somme, Bullecourt, Passchendaele, Amiens and Mont St Quentin.
Charles Bean, a war correspondent who would eventually write the official history of WWI, witnessed the war from the Gallipoli campaign to the Western Front. At Pozières, Bean saw 23,000 Australian casualties in six weeks – of which 6,800 were killed or died from their wounds. It was here that a dying Australian soldier asked him, “Will they remember me in Australia?” Charles Bean would go on to build the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
In October 1917, Australia sustained 38,000 casualties in eight weeks during the Battle of Passchendaele. Thirty-five Australians were killed for every metre of ground taken – and in March 1918, the Germans took it back in just three days.
From the summer of 1918, the five divisions of the Australian Corps were at the forefront of the allied advance to victory. Starting with their success at the Battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918, Australian troops helped turn the tide of the war at Amiens in August 1918.
From the Battle of Amiens until the Armistice on 11 November, the Allies made almost a constant advance – a period known as the “Hundred Days”. Australian forces captured Mont St Quentin and Péronne by early September 1918, eventually breaching German defences at the Hindenburg Line on 29 September.
According to the Australian War Memorial, the Australian soldiers had achieved a fighting reputation out of proportion to their numbers. But this victory was costly, suffering 48,000 casualties in 1918 alone, with more than 12,000 dead.
Today, Remembrance Day commemorates the loss of Australian lives from all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
At the Australian War Memorial, there are over 102,000 names listed on the Roll of Honour, people who died during the two World Wars and post-1945 conflicts and peacetime operations.
By observing one minute of silence, we can reflect on their service and sacrifice to our country.
One Minute Silence:
11am
11 November 2021