Anzac Day 2009
Section 7: Statistics, links
and further reading
Australia's
wars and warlike operations
Since the 1850s, when the
Australian colonies became self-governing ahead of Federation in 1901,
Australians have served in at least 21 wars and warlike operations (Note:
‘Warlike operations’ is the modern term for those operations
qualifying for the Australian Active Service Medal. Date ranges noted
are for Australian warlike service within these conflicts).
North Taranaki War 1860–61
Victoria
dispatched HMCSS Victoria to
New Zealand,
with some of its sailors attached to the Imperial Naval Brigade.
Sudan
War 1885
New South Wales dispatched a contingent of 758 men, who reached the
Sudan
just as the war was winding up.
Boer War 1899–1902
The Australian colonies and, after Federation, the Commonwealth sent
about 16 500 troops to
South Africa.
Boxer Rebellion
1900–01
New South Wales and Victoria dispatched about 560 naval and military
personnel to
China.
First World War
1914–18
About 425 000 enlisted, with about 340 000 (army and navy)
serving overseas, mostly in Europe or the Middle East.
Second World War
1939–45
Nearly one million served (about 560 000 overseas) in the Middle
East, Europe, Atlantic, Asia-Pacific, and
Australia.
Malayan Emergency
1948–60
About 7000 served, a few with British forces early on, then with a
RAAF deployment from 1950 and Army from 1955.
Korean War 1950–53
More than 17 000 served, with
Australia
the second country (after the
US)
to commit to the defence of
South Korea.
Thai-Malay Border
(or Malay Peninsula) 1960–66
Several hundred troops patrolled the border area against insurgents
during 1960–64, with RAAF flights until 1966.
Vietnam War 1962–73
and 1975
About 50 000 served ‘in country’ and about 10 000
in logistic support during 1962–73. A small
group were involved in the emergency airlifts of 1975.
Confrontation (or Konfrontasi) 1963–66
About 3500 served against Indonesian forces in southern
Malaysia
and its Borneo states (Sabah and Sarawak), and
Brunei.
Thailand
(Ubon) 1965–68
A few hundred airmen and troops served in and around Ubon, north-east
Thailand,
in a Vietnam War-related defence role.
Namibia
1989–90
More than 300 served with the UN Transition Assistance Group.
Gulf War
(Kuwait)
1990–91
Nearly 1800 (mostly naval) personnel served during the liberation
of
Kuwait,
after the Iraqi invasion of 1990.
Cambodia
1991–93
About 600 served as UN peacekeepers in signals, mine clearance,
policing and support roles, and others in non-warlike periods.
Former
Yugoslavia
(Balkans) 1992–97
A small number, mostly on exchange with British forces, served in
UN and NATO forces; others later in non-warlike periods.
Somalia
1992–94
A small number served in UN units, and a further 1500 served with
the US-led Unified Task Force during 1993.
Rwanda
1994–95
More than 630 peacekeepers served during the two rotations classed
as warlike; others in non-warlike periods.
East Timor 1999–2003
More than 5000 served in the Australian-led International Force East
Timor and later operations; others in non-warlike periods.
Afghanistan,
2001–present
Australia
has contributed forces almost continuously since 2001,
as well as an air detachment at
Diego
Garcia
during 2001–02. Operation
Slipper is the Australian Defence Force contribution to the International
Security Assistance Force in
Afghanistan.
Currently the total Australian commitment in
Afghanistan
is 1090 personnel with another approximately 800 personnel
deployed across the Middle East in support of Operation Slipper.
Australia
has lost ten defence force personnel on operations in
Afghanistan:
Sergeant Andrew Russell
in February 2002
Trooper David
Pearce
on 8 October 2007
Sergeant
Matthew
Locke
on 25 October 2007
Private
Luke
Worsley
on 23 November 2007
Lance Corporal Jason Marks
on 27 April 2008
Signaller Sean McCarthy
on 8 July 2008
Lieutenant Michael Fussell
on 27 November 2008
Private Gregory Sher on
4 January 2009
Corporal Matthew Hopkins
16 March 2009
Sergeant Brett Till 19 March
2009
Victoria Cross
for Australia
On 16 January 2009 Trooper
Mark Donaldson was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia 'For most
conspicuous acts of gallantry in action in a circumstance of great
peril in Afghanistan, as part of the Special Operations Task Group
during Operation SLIPPER, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan'. Trooper
Donaldson has loaned
his VC to the Australian War Memorial for public display.
In '"Recock
and refigure": Trooper Mark Donaldson VC speaks', Trooper
Donaldson describes the action in Afghanistan which saw him awarded
the first Victoria Cross for Australia, and the first Victoria Cross
awarded to an Australian in 40 years. (Wartime, no. 46, pp.
10 – 15)
In 'First
Victoria Cross for Australia', Anthony Staunton describes the
action which won Trooper Donaldson his Victoria Cross, as well as
giving some statistics of Victoria Cross awards and information on
Australian Gallantry Decorations which have been awarded recntly.
(Sabretache, vol. 50, no. 1, March 2009, pp. 19 – 24)
Iraq 2003–present
Australia
has contributed forces since the start of the war. Operation
Catalyst is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to
the rehabilitation and reconstruction of
Iraq.
On 5 July 2008 the Minister fror Defence Science and
Personnel, the Hon. Warren Snowdon, welcomed
home ADF personnel returing from Iraq at a parade which recognised
'the efforts of all Australians who have served with the Al Muthanna
Task Group, the Overwatch Battle Group – West and the Australian Army
Training Team in Iraq. He also said 'the parade marks
the culmination of these operations and confirms this government's
commitment to bring our combat troops home from Iraq'.
Operation Catalyst currently
comprises approximately 45 ADF personnel embedded in various coalition
headquarters.
Statistical
information
Gallipoli
facts and figures is a compilation of statistics which includes:
-
the number of enlistments in 1914, and
per month for 1915 and 1916;
-
information on the recruiting marches
carried out between October 1915 and January 1916;
-
the number of Anzacs who served at Gallipoli
and the number of Australian casualties per month from April 1915
to January 1916; and
-
the number of fatalities for each nation
involved.
'Prisoner-of-war
death rates: some comparisons' contrasts the number of Australian
prisoners of war (POWs) in World War I and World War II, the Korean
War and the Vietnam War. It also compares the death rates among the
prisoners of the Japanese from different allied nations.
The Australian War Memorial's Australian military statistics internet page has links to a number of statistical surveys of
Australia's
involvement in war and peacekeeping.
The Australian War Memorial's
information sheet, Australian
war casualties, is a tabular summary of casualties in all theatres
of war, derived from the Roll of Honour at the Memorial.
Useful links for
further information on
Australia's
military history
Australia's
First and Second World War Official Histories have been digitised and are available on the website of the Australian
War Memorial, as are a selection of Australian Army war diaries for both
world wars, the Korean War and South-East Asian conflicts.
Department of Veterans' Affairs: Commemoration pages and links
to their other commemorative
events websites; the Australians at War
film archive—'designed to film and record the stories of over
two thousand war veterans as a permanent asset for posterity'; the Australians
at War website—dedicated to those Australians who have served
their nation during the past one hundred years.
The Australians
at War pages on the Australian War Memorial’s website have
links to an overview of Australian military history, information on
military organisation and structure, and an on-line encyclopaedia.
The three services have internet
pages devoted to their histories: the Royal Australian Navy page includes
historical information, feature articles and the history of former ships;
the Australian Army has
a page which includes links to army history information
and unit associations and a traditions page;
and the Royal Australian Air Force has a page with links to the history of the RAAF.
Firstworldwar.com is a website
that provides an overview of World War I.
Australia’s War 1939–1945
provides an overview of key areas where Australians served during World
War II.
The website of the National
Archives of Australia has links to defence
service records.
Roll of Honour
The Australian War Memorial
maintains the Roll of Honour commemorating members
of
Australia’s
armed forces who lose their lives in wars and warlike operations.
There are currently 102 809 men and women recorded on the roll.
The following figures have been taken from the Australian War Memorial's
information sheet, Australian
war casualties:
Sudan
War |
9 |
Boxer Rebellion ( China)
|
6 |
Boer War |
589 |
First World War |
61 508 |
Second World War |
39 767 |
Malayan Emergency |
39 |
Korean War |
340 |
Confrontation |
15 |
Malay Peninsula |
2 |
Vietnam War |
521 |
Thailand
|
2 |
Somalia
|
1 |
East Timor |
2 |
Afghanistan
|
6 (4)* |
Iraq
|
2 |
Total |
102 809
(102 813)* |
*Four names are yet to be added to the Roll of Honour for
Afghanistan
|
A common misconception is that the Roll of Honour is only for those
killed in action. Names are, and always have been, inscribed on the
roll irrespective of the cause of death, be it battle, illness, accident,
captivity, or other causes. Numbers are subject to change, because as
well as any new death, the Council of the Australian War Memorial is
able to approve the addition of names from earlier conflicts that may
be revealed through new research or that become eligible for inclusion
if a conflict is reclassified as ‘warlike’.
First World War Nominal Roll—those
who served overseas in the Australian Imperial Force, 1914–18.
Second World War Nominal Roll—an index
of servicemen and women who served during World War II.
Martin Lumb, Commonwealth Members
of Parliament who have served in war, Parliamentary Library, Research
Brief, no. 10, 2006–07, 2007.
Books on
'Anzac' held in the Parliamentary Library
Members, Senators and Parliamentary
staff may arrange to borrow any of the following books:
Victoria Cross:
Australia's
finest and the battles they fought by
Anthony
Staunton,
Prahran, Vic., Hardie Grant Books, 2005.
ANZAC: an illustrated
history 1914–1918, edited by
Richard
Pelvin,
South Yarra, Vic.,
Hardie
Grant,
2004.
Anzac and Empire: the tragedy & glory of Gallipoli,
John
Robertson,
Port Melbourne, Vic., Hamlyn
Australia,
1990.
Anzac Day: past and present, compiled by Georgina Fitzpatrick,
Canberra, Australian War Memorial, Education Service, 1992.
ANZAC doctor: the life
of Sir Neville Howse, Australia's first VC, Stuart Braga, Alexandria,
NSW, Hale & Iremonger, 2000.
Anzac memories: living with the legend,
Alistair
Thomson,
Melbourne,
Oxford University Press, 1994.
Anzac remembered: selected writings by
K.S.
Inglis,
chosen and edited by
John
Lack;
with an introduction by
Jay
Winter,
Parkville, Vic., Dept. of History, University of Melbourne,
1998.
ANZACS, the media and the Great
War,
John
Frank
Williams,
UNSW Press, 1999.
Australia
and the
"Kaiser's
war" 1914–1918: on understanding the ANZAC
tradition: argument & theses,
John
A.
Moses
with
Gregory
Munro,
St. Lucia,
Qld, Broughton Press, 1993.
A 'duty clear before
us': North Beach and the Sari Bair Range, Gallipoli Peninsula: 25 April–20 December 1915,
researched and written by
Richard
Reid,
Canberra, Dept. of Veterans' Affairs, 2000.
Echoes of ANZAC: the
voice of Australians at war, edited by
Graham
Seal,
South Melbourne, Lothian Books, 2005.
Inventing ANZAC: the Digger and national mythology,
Graham
Seal,
St Lucia,
Qld, University of Queensland Press, 2004.
The last Anzacs: lest we forget,
Tony
Stephens,
Fremantle, WA, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2003.
Quinn’s Post,
Anzac, Gallipoli,
Peter
Stanley,
Allen
& Unwin, 2005.
The shores of Gallipoli:
naval aspects of the Anzac campaign,
Tom
Frame,
Alexandria, NSW, Hale & Iremonger, 2000.
Soldier boy: the true story of Jim Martin the youngest Anzac,
Anthony
Hill,
Ringwood, Vic., Penguin, 2001.
The spirit of ANZAC,
Michael
Tracey,
Canberra, AGPS, 1990.
Stragglers or shirkers: an ANZAC Imperial controversy,
Alistair
Thomson,
London, Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies,
1991.
End of section 7
For
copyright reasons some linked items are only available to members of Parliament.
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