Audio Visual Education Centre

1 portfolio(16 plates) ; 23x20cm. + leaflet. Secondary schools. Curriculum subjects: Australia. Conscription, 1916-1917. As the war progressed, most Australians read daily newspaper reports of heavy casualties. Communities across the country were saddened by the loss of loved ones in battles at Gallipoli, the Middle East and the Western Front. Notable losses reported in 1916 included: 5500 Australian casualties overnight at Fromelles
another 23,000 over 6 weeks at Pozières. New enlistments started to decline in mid-1915. Australia's Prime Minister, Billy Hughes, strongly supported conscription during World War I. He tried to introduce it twice.

By 1916, the British were pressuring Prime Minister Billy Hughes to supply 5500 men per month. But the AIF was struggling to maintain the full strength of its military divisions in Europe.… (más)