Don Roulston Buzzard

Appendix 3.0
Conscription and Enlistment Statistics 1st A.I.F. WW1

[Please note that discrepancies can occur between figures drawn from various sources. This can occur because figures collected at various times by various bodies utilise different sources and/or apply different criteria.]

Conscription [74]

Unlike the other countries engaged in World War 1, conscription was not introduced in Australia. All the Australians who fought in World War 1 were volunteers.

Prime Minister Billy Hughes made two attempts to introduce conscription with two referenda held in 1916 and 1917. Both lost to the ‘no’ vote. Feelings on the issue ran high and bitterly divided the community. While many politicians favoured conscription, it was strongly opposed by many in the wider community.

People’s reasons for being either pro or anti-conscription varied. Support for conscription usually originated from a sense of loyalty to Britain, which was seen as the Motherland, outrage at Germany‘s attack on Belgium and France or out of fear for Australia’s safety if Britain lost the war. Women were encouraged to shame their male relatives into joining the army.

Some young men wanted to join the army for adventure and excitement. Unions tended to be anti-conscription, because they feared their jobs would be taken by foreign labour or women.

Being anti-conscription was not the same as being anti-war: some of the men already at the front, themselves volunteers, were anti-conscription, because they did not want to fight alongside men who did not want to be there. They considered it could affect their morale and ability to fight cohesively.

Enlistment [75]

Total enlistments

Australian population 1914–1918: approximately 4.9 million.

416,809 Australians enlisted for service in the First World War, representing 38.7% of the male population aged 18 to 44.

Enlistments by force or service

Note: enlistment figures for each force or service do not represent individuals, as multiple enlistments were not uncommon.

Australian Imperial Force (AIF): 412,953(includes Air Force)

Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN & MEF): 3,651(infantry only, including Tropical Force)

Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS): 2,861

Royal Australian Navy (RAN): approximately 1,275 (The RAN existed as a permanent force prior to the First World War with approximately 4,000 members. The above figure is in addition to those already serving.)

Enlistments by year

Enlistments by State

Total overseas embarkations

Australian Imperial Force (including Air Force): 331,781

Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force: 3,011

Australian Army Nursing Service: 2,139 (not including 129 volunteers for Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service)

At the end of war

Note: the numbers given for wounded, sick and injured represent the number of “woundings” or of sickness and injury, not the number of wounded, sick, or injured men. It was common for men to be wounded or sick on several occasions.

The Roll of Honour records the number of Australian deaths during the First World War as 61,514. This includes deaths until the formal disbandment of the AIF on 31st March 1921. During the period 4th August 1914 to 11th November 1918, there were 59,357 deaths. On average, 38 members of the Australian armed forces died per day during the 1,560 days of the war.

At 64.8%, the Australian casualty rate (proportionate to total embarkations) was among the highest of the war.

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[74] State Library of Victoria
[75] Australian War Memorial