World War I: Women

"During World War One, women served at home and abroad. The war provided an opportunity for some women to travel and serve overseas. Nearly 3 000 Australian women enlisted in World War One and served as nurses who cared for the wounded, wrote to patients’ families, and in some cases, were given added responsibilities and opportunities to be trained in other areas of medical care such as anesthetics ... "

"These short films draw on interviews with Australian veterans and historians, archival footage, and photographs to highlight many different service stories from World War 1 ... "

"When the First World War (WW1) ended, it left a devastating legacy of grief. Around 155,000 injured veterans returned to Australia, bearing the physical and mental scars of war. The Repatriation Department was established to aid their return to civilian life. The department established vocational training schemes and employment programs, provided medical care, administered pensions and also supported dependants of veterans. Its work was supported by charities and community organisations ... "

"Most historians have claimed that Australians unanimously supported the war on its outbreak in 1914. Certainly most people, politicians, the press and the pulpit felt great patriotic loyalty to England and the Empire and the first rush of 20,000 men to enlist was overwhelming ... "

"Ancestry and the Australian War Memorial have collaborated on a collection of photographs of women who joined the war effort ... "

"Women were able to serve in the Australian army as nurses and other medical workers, but only if they were already trained ... "

"There were few active roles open to Australian women during World War I. The major war role for Australian women was nursing, both overseas and in Australia. See the Nurses section of this guide for more information ..."

"The records from the First World War outline the significant contributions of women in the military nursing service and at home. Their commitment and dedication, often in challenging circumstances, highlight the vital role women played during the war ... "

"When World War I broke out, the role of most women in Australia was that of unpaid 'homemaker'. Whether married or unmarried, women generally stayed at home to look after the house and any children. During the war, many women took on different paid and unpaid roles ... "

"Australian nurse Anne Donnell writes vividly of the fear felt by Australian troops in her diary in November, 1917 from the 48th Casualty Clearing Station (CCS), near Amiens, France on the Western front ..."

"Many years later I undertook a doctoral thesis on women's grief and mourning. Part of that research focused on women's responses to loss occasioned by war. With very little access then to primary material from Australian civilian women, that study - for the most part - explored British and American women's writing. Having completed that research, I was eager to explore and gain insight into the experiences of those Australian women just like my old great aunty - women who had never seen a battlefield or a bayonet but whose lives were forever shadowed by the often unspoken pain of bereavement ... "

"Australians responded to the declaration of war in August 1914 with enthusiasm. Volunteers rushed to enlist, eager to share in the action and adventure, many believing it would be over by Christmas. Others formed committees to raise funds for the troops ... "