Indigenous Soldiers

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Even before Federation in 1901, Aboriginal and Torrens Strait Islander people have committed and served in every war and conflict that involved Australia. Over 1000 Indigenous Australians served the nation during the First World War; many coming from extremely poor backgrounds with low wages. At the time they had very few rights, as the Indigenous population could not vote, and were not included in the census (Australian War Memorial 2017; Skwirk 2017). When the First World War was declared in 1914, most European Australians considered themselves superior to the indigenous people, including those who enlisted to fight for this country. While some slipped through the selection, many were rejected on the grounds of race and religion, as well as skin colour. However, where their skin was believed to be ‘white enough’ to serve alongside other Australian soldiers they were accepted. As the war went on, and the casualties rose, recruits became more and more difficult to find, especially in October 1917 when the conscription referendum was lost. After the Gallipoli campaign heavy losses were also suffered along the Western Front leaving the Australian Army quite depleted; due to this, Indigenous restrictions were eased. The new military order stated that, “Half-castes may be enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force provided that the examining Medical Officers are satisfied that one of the parents is of European origin" (Australian War Memorial 2017). Although Indigenous Australians had few rights in Australian society at the time, when they joined the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) they were treated as equals. They were customarily paid the same wage as others and were generally accepted without prejudice.

Despite of the legislation preventing them from enlisting, and their history of being oppressed by the British, many Indigenous Australians still chose to enlist and like other Australians support the British Empire. It is believed that around 300 to 400 Indigenous Australians enlisted from the various states and territories; while this may not seem a large contribution from the Indigenous community, this may not include those who denied their Indigenous heritage in order to enlist. A total of 416,809 Australians are believed to have enlisted at a time when the Aboriginal population was a mere 80,000 (Skwirk 2017). Loyalty and patriotism are just part of the reason why Indigenous Australians were willing to enlist in the AIF; it also gave them a chance to prove themselves equal to European-Australians in the hope of better treatment towards the indigenous population after the war. The war also offered good pay conditions, with six shillings considered a large sum around that time (Skwirk 2017). Unfortunately however, when returning from the war Indigenous soldiers discovered that the rights of the indigenous population had not improved, and in some areas had declined further. In 1918, racism and exclusion were common in the Australian society and the contribution of the Indigenous Australian soldiers was soon forgotten (British Council 2017). They were often avoided by the white Australian community and not allowed to join the ‘Returned Servicemen’s Settlement Scheme’ where parcels of land for agricultural development provided to veterans who had fought in the war as compensation for their sacrifice (Skwirk 2017; British Council 2017). Indigenous soldiers are an important part of Australia’s history and their commitments and sacrifices towards our nation should not be forgotten.

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Reference List

Australian War Memorial (2017) Indigenous Defence Service. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/indigenous (Accessed 6 September 2017)

Skwirk – Red Apple Education Ltd. (2017) Australia and World War 1 – Different Aspects of the War – Indigenous People. Available at: http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-42_t-49_c-147/indigenous-people/nsw/history/australia-and-world-war-i/different-perspectives-of-the-war (Accessed 6 September 2017)

British Council (2017) Indigenous Australian Soldiers in first World War. Available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/indigenous-australian-soldiers-first-world-war (Accessed 6 September 2017)

Commonwealth of Australia (2012) Indigenous Australians at war - A brief history of Indigenous Australians at war. Available at: https://www.dva.gov.au/i-am/aboriginal-andor-torres-strait-islander/indigenous-australians-war (Accessed 5 December 2017).

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