'Princely generosity' to France : on the home front, 1914-1919

When the Australian government made a commitment to send a contingent of 20,000 soldiers to assist the British Empire in fighting the Central Powers many young men volunteered, for a complex variety of reasons. This number was surpassed at the outset. Reinforcements were sent despite waning enthusiasm as the war dragged on in stalemate and casualty numbers dramatically increased. Even though Australians voted decisively against conscription in two referenda put to the people by Prime Minister William (‘Billy’) Hughes in October 1916 and December 1917, they never wavered in contributing to the war effort, physically and financially, in the cities and in country towns. This was especially so for the people of the New South Wales international port city of Newcastle where the crews of French ships played a part in the community. News of the atrocious conditions the soldiers had to endure on the Western Front and casualty reports, which by the end of the war included well over four thousand men from two battalions sent from the Hunter region, only strengthened people’s determination to maintain their support in whatever way they could