Popular verse in the immediate post war period, could be a gauge of popular feeling about the war and another way of showing how the nation made sense out of the carnage and the fact of fighting.

W. M. Fleming for example wrote in 1917

The guns have killed but it is true
They bring to life things good and new
(‘The Test’ in Australia in Peace and war, Melbourne, 1917. PP.123-4.)

The view of the Australian digger of another better known poet C. J. Dennis, in his 1920 narrative poem Digger Smith is sometimes a reflective one. Take for example Digger Smith’s assertion

They ‘ave got somethin’ from this war,
Somethin’ they never ‘ad before, …
There’s no word I can get
To name it right.
(IX ‘The boys out there’, Digger Smith, Sydney, 1920, p.26)

With these words Dennis, through Smith, seems to be attempting to define the mateship forged at Gallipoli and beyond, which translated into the Anzac legend. While both Indigenous and non-Indigenous experienced the same war, it is here with this mainstream interpretation of the war experience that the resemblance between Indigenous and non-Indigenous soldiers ends. This is because Aboriginal men were not included in C.E.W.Bean’s Anzac legend which related to the white population of Australia. In fact despite the existence of Indigenous servicemen, the rhetoric surrounding the war was that the AIF was composed of White Australians fighting for a White Australia.

So what did Aboriginal servicemen get from their service? Practically speaking, the war service of most Aboriginal men gave them nothing ‘they never ‘ad before’ – particularly the citizens’ rights some Aboriginal men and their communities thought would flow from service. Moreover ongoing mateship was often curtailed by the attitude in some RSSILA (later RSL) sub branches to Aboriginal membership, although service records show that there were Aboriginal RSL members and the organisation did support Aboriginal citizen rights.

But if ‘somethin’ they never ‘ad before’ did not follow immediately from war service for Aboriginal men – the post war treatment of Aboriginal servicemen acted as a spur for some to continue to press for changed conditions. Amongst these was William Cooper from Cummeragunja, on the Murray, whose disillusionment with the treatment of Aboriginal ex servicemen is expressed in post war correspondence supporting his activism. In 1938 representatives of nineteen family groups from New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, who had contributed men to the first AIF, six of whom themselves were ex-soldiers, were founding member of the Aborigines Progressive Association. The Association was created to secure full citizens rights for Aboriginal people. (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Volunteers for the AIF: The Indigenous response to World War One,  2012, p.45, fn. 48)

Gary Coe referring to Noah Riseman’s Anzac day 2012 Drum article, Aboriginal diggers and the battle for equality said of Aborigines and Anzac

until we change Section 25 of our Constitution [which allows states to disqualify people from voting because of their race] … it all rings rather hollow. I doubt most Aussies would even know that such paragraphs exist in our constitution, and I for one believe that it would do more for us as a nation to teach such truths rather than dwell on the Anzac myth.

He has a point worth discussing.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/racist-premise-of-our-constitution-remains-20090406-9utm.html#ixzz2HNEefyWn

Gary Coe does not say whether he is a member of the Aboriginal Coe family which made a significant contribution to WW1. Six Coes volunteered for the first world war, five were the sons of Cowra drover Tom Coe and one, John Henry Alfred Coe, was his brother. Five of these Coes went overseas and John Henry Alfred Coe was killed at Pozieres in 1917. John Augustus Coe was wounded in France in 1917 and 1918 and was sent home to Australia. He was plainly affected by his war service and died in 1921 aged twenty three. His death registration indicates he was probably a patient in the Fourth Australian Repatriation Hospital Randwick.

Philippa Scarlett 9 January 2013

Another milestone on the road to recognition of Indigenous war service is the Black Diggers Project currently being developed for the 2014 Sydney Festival.  This is significant in two ways. It not only means that Aboriginal soldiers already have a much deserved place in the international commemorations to mark the 2014 centenary of World War I but because it is a dramatic event, the Black Diggers will be directly communicating to an audience with a power and immediacy beyond the scope of the written word.

The work is being written and directed by Wesley Enoch, artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company and an award-winning playwright. Enoch, who is a Noonuccal Nuugi man from StradbrokeIsland, sees the Black Diggers as part of the righting of the public record about Indigenous service:

“For me there’s something about unfinished business here; our national psyche hasn’t yet come to rest and until we connect with the indigenous history of this land, the wars that have happened in this country, let alone the wars that have happened offshore, we will always feel that discomfort. A story like this, that’s connected to a 100-year re-evaluation of our country and our primary narrative, and to insert and make sure indigenous stories are part of that, I think could be quite a moving moment.”                                                                                                                                    Interview with Wesley Enoch quoted in Jane Albert ‘Festival airing for untold Diggers’ tale’, The Australian, 23 November, 2012.

Research for the project began in July 2012 and will be followed by a period for creative development between March and September 2013. Rehearsal is scheduled for December 2013 followed by the world premiere in January 2014.

Philippa Scarlett 3 January 2013

As well as the Aboriginal man standing beside  Harry Avery referred to by Andrew Mcintosh in his review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Volunteers for World War one there are numerous other men whose
identity is still unknown. Some of these can be seen for example on the
Australian War Memorial site and I’ve also noticed a few others on the
Australian Tunnellers of WW1 website site. Early in 2012 a photo appeared for
sale on Ebay showing an unidentified Aboriginal Light Horseman in a group photo of the 5th Reinforcements 3rd Light Horse. This presumably sold and disappeared  from the  site. The unit and reinforcement detail given could well lead to identification using the WW1 embarkation rolls which are accessible again on the Australian War Memorial site. David Huggonson’s photograph collection Too Dark for the Light Horse also  contains some unknowns. While many will remain unknown the existence of clues in the photos themselves and their descriptions could lead to identification of at least some of these men. Since there are so few in comparison with unknown non – Indigenous men  compiling a readily accessible register of photos could be a start in the identification process.

Philippa Scarlett 3 January 2013

New South Wales Aboriginal Soldiers – the Lock Family  and  World War One

Jerome Locke (right) with his sons William (centre) and Olga (left). Jerome and Olga served in the 36th and 53rd Battalions. Courtesy Noel Morley

It was not unusual for an Indigenous family to contribute more than one of their members to war – families like the Lovetts from Victoria, the Farmers from Western Australia and the Maynards and Mansells from Tasmania were just some of those who did do so in World War 1 and in later conflicts. In New South Wales the Lock family, Darug people from the Sydney basin, and the earliest to suffer the trauma of invasion and defend their land, did not hesitate when it came to fighting for it again in the 1914-1918 war.

Amongst the names on the St Marys War Memorial are O, LJ and J Locke. These men, Olga Cecil, Leslie John and their father Jerome Locke were just three of the nine members of the immediate Lock(e) family to volunteer for the Australian Imperial Force or AIF. In all twenty one members of the Locks and their extended family are known to have volunteered for service in the World War One and most served overseas. All were grandsons or great grandsons of Maria Lock, a daughter of Yarramundi, chief of the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug.

Leslie John (Jack ) Locke  s son of Jerome Locke  18th Reinforcements 3rd Battalion  Courtesy Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation

Included in their number were some of the first to enlist in 1914. Members of the family fought at Gallipoli, the Somme and Flanders and in Palestine and Egypt – in infantry battalions, tunnelling companies, veterinary sections, camel corps and light horse regiments. What differentiates the contribution they made is its context – the fact that the constitution of their country discriminated against Aboriginal people on grounds of race and that regulations, not always uniformly applied, prohibited men not substantially of European origin from serving in the AIF.

The Lock Family in World War One: how service records contribute to Darug History uses records held by the National Archives of Australia and the Australian War Memorial to describe the service of the Lock volunteers, their immediate relatives and others connected to them. These include men from the Anolock, Barber, Bolton, Castles, Everingham, Morley, Punton, Sims, Smith and White families. As well as a record of war service, the documents contained in the service records are a valuable source of family information and have a contribution to make to Darug history. This is illustrated in The Lock Family in World War One, which in addition to extracts from the records themselves also includes photographs of the men and their families. Although concentrating on one family the book shows the value of records of service to all families and communities who contributed their men to war and the potential these records have for uncovering unexpected or lost information about a family group.

The Lock Family in World War One was first published in 2008 by Indigenous Histories. A second expanded edition was published by the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation in 2011 and is available from the Darug Research and Information Centre

Norman Lock 57th and 54th Battalion. Courtesy Peter Rose

Philippa Scarlett 2 January 2013

Jan ‘Kabarli’ James Aboriginal soldiers of Western Australia.

National Library Trove  http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/37567943?versionId=49039304

http://www.dinkos.com.au/The+Book+FOREVER+WARRIORS+-1070680.htm

Jan ‘Kabarli’ James’ book  Forever Warriors  published in 2011 contains names, biographical information and in most cases photographs  of Western Australian Indigenous servicemen from all conflicts. It is a comprehensive statement based on over 30 years of genealogical research into the Aboriginal people of Western Australia. Although initially unaware of Indigenous war service it was during the course of her research that Jan realised that Aboriginal men – and women had also served their country.

When I went through the births, deaths and marriages, I saw that on the birth certificates of children their fathers were listed as soldiers. No-one told me; I never knew that Aboriginal people had served. A lot were killed; they were not allowed to be members of the RSL and they couldn’t buy a beer in the pub when they returned.

Aboriginal mothers had their sons fighting, too. So I set out to do it [collate the soldiers’ information] and it is the thing I am most proud of. For 10 years I worked all day every day. I travelled and went to all sorts of places.                                                                                                                                                          Interview with Carli Allen, Avon Valley Gazette 2 April 2011.

http://www.inmycommunity.com.au/news-and-views/local-news/Forgotten-heroes/7587541

In 2005 Jan’s Collection was acquired by the State Government of Western Australia. Known as the Jan Goodacre Collection it has been described as ‘the single most significant private collection of Aboriginal records and photographs in the nation.’  The collection consists of genealogies of 20,000 Western Australian Aboriginal families and includes 7,500 photos of individuals mostly from government records and Police Gazettes but some sourced from individuals and families. Jan’s use of records and family contacts to locate Aboriginal servicemen underlines the close connection between service records and family history.

http://www.dia.wa.gov.au/en/Aboriginal-History-Research-Unit/The-Records

Philippa Scarlett 1 January 2013

ABORIGINAL WW1 SOLDIERS: THE LIST GROWS

Since publication in 2011 of the first edition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander volunteers for the AIF: the Indigenous response to World War One, the names of fourteen more Indigenous volunteers have been added to the referenced list the book contains – seven from South Australia, four from New South Wales, two from Victoria and one from Western Australia, emphasising the ongoing nature of this listing.  It is likely that the number of volunteers of Indigenous heritage is well in excess of 1000. In a number of cases, while names are known there is to date no related information which indicates an individual is Indigenous. Ongoing research could change this and allow these men to be added to those listed in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander volunteers for the AIF.

YOUR COMMENTS

Your comments are welcome to this blog or to   indigenous.histories@netspeed.com.au.

I would appreciate any information which identifies additional men who volunteered for service so that they can be included in a future edition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander volunteers for the AIF: the Indigenous response to World War One. Photographs of Indigenous servicemen (whether or not identified by name) are also welcomed for reproduction with owner’s permission and acknowledgement.

Philippa Scarlett 1 January 2013

South Australian Aboriginal Soldiers of the First World War
is a project aimed at collecting the stories of Aboriginal soldiers from South Australia who enlisted in the first AIF. It gives names and biographical details of SA WW1 soldiers – some of which have only recently come to light. As the only blog of its kind it is a valuable source of information about SA Aboriginal war service.

Ngarrindjeri Anzacs by Doreen Kartinyeri is another valuable resource. Published in 1996, it contains studio portraits and and biographical information about WW1 men from Point Mcleay and the lower Murray and their families.

Philippa Scarlett 31 December 2012

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER VOLUNTEERS FOR THE AIF: THE INDIGENOUS RESPONSE TO WORLD WAR ONE

SECOND EDITION 2012

Reprinted 2013, 2014

PHILIPPA SCARLETT

National Library of Australia Trove

WHAT’S IN THIS BOOK ?

• NAMES OF ABORIGINAL SERVICEMEN
• CONTEMPORARY ABORIGINAL VOICES: WORLD WAR ONE
• PHOTOGRAPHS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS, ARTICLES, ARCHIVAL AND INTERNET SOURCES RELATING TO ABORIGINAL SOLDIERS

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander volunteers for the AIF contains a referenced list of over 800 men of Indigenous heritage who volunteered for service in World War One. This is accompanied by notes which include comments on locating Indigenous men in service records, reasons for volunteering and the growth of interest in Indigenous service since the 1930s.

The discussion of Indigenous involvement in World War One uses the words of Aboriginal soldiers and community members, contemporary non-Indigenous commentators and newspaper reports. There are 84 illustrations, 79 of which are individual and group portraits of Indigenous servicemen.

HOW TO OBTAIN COPIES

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Volunteers for the AIF: the Indigenous Response to World War One

• published by Indigenous Histories
• price $30 plus $10 postage within Australia.
• available from Indigenous Histories at indigenous.histories@netspeed.com.au   or
• PO 686 Jamison Centre Macquarie,  ACT, Australia 2614