The "Coo-ee" March plaque
By the end of 1915, setbacks at Gallipoli and the realities of the First World War saw enlistments decline. It was during this dark hour in Australia's war history that a plumber and rifle club captain from Gilgandra in Western NSW came up with an idea that would trigger a dramatic upturn in recruitment figures.
Despite the initial reluctance of the military authorities, William 'Bill' Hinchen's now-famous Coo-ee March snowballed, motivating hundreds of men to join the fight. Leaving from Gilgandra with just 26 members, through Dubbo, where 12 new recruits joined, the march continued through the towns and villages of the Central West before reaching Lithgow and gaining momentum as it headed over the mountains, arriving in Sydney with 263 recruits.
The idea caught the imagination of the Australian public and the Coo-ees became national heroes, triggering further recruitment marches across Australia. The resulting boost in morale and dramatic upturn in enlistments provided much-need reinforcements to the ANZACS.
Sadly, many Coo-ees, including their leader William Hitchen, would never return home.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
Soldier Joe Cox plaque
Private Joseph Christopher Cox was typical of the many young men who signed up to serve in the First World War. A labourer from Dubbo, he enlisted just short of his 27th birthday and joined the 22nd Battalion. On 18th September 1917, Cox was killed along with six others when a German shell landed in his dugout at Westhoek Ridge during the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium. His death is a reminder that although 'going over the top' and leaving the trenches to face the enemy was a dreadful experience for any soldier, the constant shelling by artillery was just as dangerous and just as deadly.
In a letter home to his father, Joseph Cox's Commanding Officer wrote of his son's sacrifices and the grief of his loss: “I cannot find words in which to express to you my sympathy, but it might help to lessen the blow to tell you that he died nobly, doing his duty. Your boy was one of the best I have ever had in my platoon, and was a soldier through and through.”
The battle of Passchendaele saw almost 38,00 Australians killed or wounded'.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
The Patriotic Home Front plaque
The outbreak of war in August 1914 unleashed a huge wave of enthusiastic support for Britain. Like the rest of the nation, the Dubbo community united in support of Australia's role in the First World War. At a town meeting held days after the declaration of war in 1914, it was recorded that “Dubbo desires to express its unswerving loyalty to the King in the hour of crisis, and desires to do all that lies in its power to forward the interests of the Empire.”
While the frontline remained a faraway experience for most living in Dubbo, the community worked tirelessly to support the war effort. Women in particular became active, not only in organising fundraising efforts but in filling roles vacated by men on service. Many joined the Red Cross or took part in drives to collect socks or other goods for 'our boys at the front'.
The Dubbo community's support during the four years of the First World War included coordinating hundreds of annual events to raise funds and lift morale.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
Indigenous Soldiers plaque
Over 1,000 Indigenous Australians fought in the First World War. Although Australians of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent could not vote and were not counted in the Census - facing discrimination, low wages, and poor living conditions - many were keen to join the Army and serve their nation and King.
Whilst many who tried to enlist were rejected based on race, some slipped through the net or later enlisted under a new military order that allowed 'half-castes' with one parent of European origin to be accepted.
Ivan Francis Grant enlisted under the name John Henry Grant and served in the 53rd Battalion. In this unit, Grant experienced - perhaps for the first time - a true equality, living under the same conditions of service as the other men. Unfortunately, he was killed in action at Villers-Bretonneux, France, on 29th March 1917.
While those like Grant would make the ultimate sacrifice, many Indigenous servicemen who survived to return to civilian life in Australia found they were treated with the same prejudice and discrimination that they had experienced before the war.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
Conscription plaque
At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the number of people volunteering to enlist for the Australian Imperial Force was so high that recruitment officers were forced to turn people away. However, as the war continued, casualty rates increased and the number of volunteers declined.
The then Prime Minister, William 'Billy' Hughes, took the issue to the people in a referendum. In October 1916 the nation was asked to grant the Government the power to compel citizens to serve overseas during the current war. It was an argument between the pride Australia had in fielding a volunteer army and the manpower need of the Army.
The conscription referendum provoked furious debate within the Australian community with much of the campaign, both for and against, directed at women. As one of the few nations that allowed women the right to vote, Australia's mothers, wives and daughters were in a unique position to influence the outcome of the referendum.
The proposal for conscription was defeated, as was a second referendums in 1917, and Australia continued to field an Army comprised only of volunteers.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
Armistice Day plaque
On 11th November 1918, Germany surrendered, ending four years of war. As news spread across the Empire, disbelief turned to jubilation, with an outpouring of emotion, relief and joy mixed with exhaustion and grief. The news reached Dubbo at around 9 pm on 11th November. Lights flashed on in darkened houses and people began to gather in groups at street corners before gradually heading towards the centre of town.
Soon Macquarie Street was packed with a surging, swaying, cheering, singing, flag-waving crowd. The fire-bell was rung until its tongue fell out and the dancing in the street shook the Post Office Clock so much that it stopped working; national anthems were sung and sung again.
The celebrations in Dubbo would stretch over many days- turning into the largest event the small town had even seen. Once the excitement had subsidised, however, the community had to deal with the upheaval, loss and grief of the previous four years and begin the process of rebuilding.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
German Citizens of Dubbo plaque
With the outbreak of the First world War in 1914, hostility towards Australian residents with German heritage emerged in communities across the nation. While some were motivated by a genuine fear of espionage and treachery, other forms of hostility were motivated by petty jealousy and personal grudges.
In Dubbo this panic saw the revival of an age-old local dispute, with descendants of Dubbo's founding fathers - Robert Venour Dulhunty and Jean Emile de Bouillon Serisièr - trading blows. One point of contention was over prominent citizen Narcisse Muller, after whom Muller Park is named. Letters to the editor in The Dubbo Liberal and Macquarie Advocate called for the park to be named after anything or anyone but a 'Hun' while others pointed out that Muller himself was more French than German.
While some might look back at this reactionary response with discomfort, the fact that such debates raged in the community are testament to the fear and passion felt about the war and how European tensions echoed as far away as Western NSW.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
AIF Training Camp plaque
By August 1915, an Australian Imperial Force (AIF) Camp had been set up at Dubbo's Showground for the purposes of enlisting, training and the embarkation of servicemen from Western NSW. The Camp also ensured that links to the First World War remained a presence in the town.
Much of Dubbo's community life became centred on the support and entertainment of troops stationed at the Camp. Hundreds of men from around the region were housed at the Camp swelling the town's population and changing its make-up and culture. Despite the large numbers of young men in the Camp, there is little evidence of illegal or anti-social behaviour and the people of Dubbo welcomed those who had signed on 'for King and Country'.
Women in particular provided for those at the Camp, organising concerts, afternoon teas and setting up a community library for the troops. Most beloved of all was 'Plum Pudding Day' where support, encouragement and care came in the form of a pudding'.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
War Horses plaque
The use of horses in the First World War marked a turning point in the history of conflict. Initially considered essential, over the course of the war, the vulnerability of horses to machine gun and artillery fire reduced their role on the battlefield. By war's end, eight million horses had been killed and the horse had been rendered obsolete as a meaningful tool of war.
Dubbo racing star 'Dipso' was taken to war by owner Reginald Roy Brown when he enlisted in the 6th Light Horse Brigade. Serving at Gallipoli, Brown became ill and was eventually evacuated to a hospital in England. During his recovery, Brown accepted a commission into the Royal Field Artillery and did not see his beloved horse 'Dipso' again. In the First World War, 136,000 horses were sent overseas for use by the Australian Imperial Force. Like so many of those who served, 'Dipso' did not return home. Only one horse would make it back to Australia.
Whilst many horses travelled with their owners as war horses, the large numbers of horses required by the war for other duties, such as transport and deliveries, naturally left a significant gap in the local economy. Farmers were forced to find alternative means to manage properties and stock, hastening the end of the horse as the primary tool of farming as well.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council
A Soldier’s Diary plaque
From the tragic and frightening to the mundane and boring, diaries and letters are the true histories of the First World War. Told with pathos and humour, wartime diaries allowed the authors a rare moment to think of home and life beyond the trench. Lance Corporal Walter Vicery Wright, whose mother lived in Dubbo at the time, recorded his experiences of the frontline while serving at Gallipoli. Filled with genuine, and, at times raw language, the diaries show the individual behind the history.
Despite the privations and hardships, Wright kept his sense of humour, with numerous digs at the men who commanded him and the many mundane tasks the war seemed to provide: "Nothing doing, digging dug-outs all day for someone else...all spare time devoted to swearing and commenting on the wonderful organisation of the army..."
Walter Wright's writings are a reminder that even with the distance of time, the men and women who served in this conflict were people just like us.
Anzac Memorial Walk
An Anzac Day Centenary Commemoration Project by Dubbo City Council