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Decorated boat, Henley on Torrens 1914. Image courtesy State Library of South Australia PRG-280-1-16-304

Decorated boat, Henley on Torrens 1914. Image courtesy State Library of South Australia PRG-280-1-16-304

Glossary Terms

Conscription

Topics

Henley on Torrens Regatta, 1914-1915 drought, Conscription in Europe, Christmas truce

People

Terrell, Frederick Leopold, Cooper, Ethel, Avery, Louis Willyama

Places

Leipzig, AIF Camp in Egypt

Organisations

Women's Christian Temperance Union, Advertiser, Red Cross, 10th Battalion

December, 1914

This month:  Our correspondent, Louis Avery, arrives in Egypt & immediately lands himself in trouble!  People at home still find time for Christmas merriment, but with loved ones away it is a very different Christmas from last year.  Christmas was not so cheerful for Ethel Cooper in Germany, but at least she was informed that she can stay in her Leipzig home.

CHRISTMAS 1914

With a war waging half a world away and so many of our own preparing to join the fray, what was Christmas like for South Australians 100 years ago? There was much that would be familiar today – the papers were filled with gift suggestions and late night shopping until 9pm allowed for last-minute gift purchases. For those who were in Adelaide, there was a welcome cool change on Christmas Day, with the temperature rising only to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (around 26 degrees Celsius) compared with 102 (39) the day before. Louis Avery arrived in Egypt earlier in the month with the Australian forces and had a taste of Cairo on 25 December – a little later than many others in his Company owing to an unauthorised attempt to explore the city 14 days earlier. He was confined to barracks for the fortnight. He was unimpressed by what he found: ‘great disappointment and utter disgust’ is how he described it in his diary. For many of the troops, this would have been their first Christmas away from family and loved ones. No doubt many were feeling homesick.

It wasn’t a terribly jolly day for Ethel Cooper in Leipzig either. Although, inexplicably, she had been given permission to stay in the city when all of her Allied acquaintances had been sent away (and was therefore able to welcome home her pet crocodile, Cheops), her impression of Christmas was that there was ‘no sort of festivity anywhere’. Ethel’s letters also reveal that the German Army was being boosted by conscripting all males between 18 and 45: there were no signs that the war would be over quickly.

It seems that none of our correspondents had a particularly jolly festive season: in South Australia Leo Terrell continued to hunt for work with no success. He enjoyed a ‘fine’ Christmas dinner, but on his 25th birthday – two days later – he was again focussed on his dependence on his parents. There are frequent mentions of a young woman named Clara Lewis in his diary and he does seem a little more chipper when she is in his thoughts.

THE CONTINUING DROUGHT

On 31 December, The Advertiser published an article reflecting on the year that was. The Dying Year reflected not only on the terrible conflict in Europe, but also the devastating drought and its consequences in South Australia. There were some significant rains across parts of the state during the month – enough, indeed, to wash out the northern railway line. However overall, the impacts of the drought were still felt and the paper presented grim predictions about the wheat harvest. They also reported on the progress of the new Millbrook Reservoir and the sad state of the Murray: a meeting of water managers from NSW, Vic and SA to solve the problem was adjourned without agreement. Some things never change!

FUNDRAISING AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Henley on Torrens regatta took place early in the month and like so many other public events was used as an opportunity to raise funds for the war effort – in this instance the Belgian Relief Fund. Other events and fundraising drives focussed on the Red Cross Fund, the Patriotic Fund, Comforts for Horses, blankets for the troops, nurses at the front and articles of clothing for Indian troops fighting in Europe. Adelaide also hosted a Scottish temperance advocate, Helen Barton, who was here to add her voice to the campaign for the early closure of bars.

THE WAR IN EUROPE

The battles continued to rage in Europe. Yet amongst all this chaos was a remarkable event on the battlefields of Europe, which is now known as the Christmas Truce. Although not a compete truce, in many places there was an unofficial ceasefire on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when many soldiers left the trenches to mingle in no man’s land. Sadly, the following day hostilities resumed.

As 1914 drew to a close, it was clear that the war was not going to be concluded quickly. The first South Australian troops had left our shores to do their patriotic duty. Loved ones at home had no idea when they would see them again, as more and more were coming forward to join up.

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AIF Camp in Egypt

The AIF began disembarking in Alexandria, Egypt on 3 December 1914. From here it was a five hour train ride to Cairo, then marched to their camp. The Australian Infantry camp was located at Mena, near the pyramids of Giza. Six days a week they were drilled – marching through the sand, digging and attacking trenches and it was here that they were formed into the ANZAC Corps, with the New Zealand forces. Major-General William Birdwood, a 49-year old British officer was given command of the corps.

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Cooper, Ethel

Caroline Ethel Cooper (1871-1961) was something of an eccentric – for starters, she had a pet crocodile called Cheops which she kept in her apartment, and lived a very independent lifestyle. A proficient musician, she formed her own Women’s Orchestra in Adelaide before the outbreak of the war. A regular visitor to Germany, she was living in Leipzig when the war broke out. She remained in Germany for the duration of the war, writing a letter each week to her sister Emmie in Adelaide. Although these letters could not be posted during the war, the first 52 were smuggled to Switzerland and posted from Interlaken and the remainder were hidden and sent from England in 1918. Although her premises were often raided by police and she was forbidden from leaving several times during the war, she was not detained and had a pass that stated her presence was ‘agreeable to the military authorities’. She returned to Adelaide for a few years after the war, but returned to Europe where she participated in relief work. She settled in Adelaide in 1936, with her then-widowed sister.

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Conscription in Europe

In the late nineteenth century, most European nations had some form of conscription. For example, in Germany, at 20 years of age, men were conscripted into the military for a period of two or three years, although financial restraints meant that in practice only around half actually completed their service. After their training, they were released back into civilian life, but could be called up again up to the age of 45. The most recent trainees were called up first, with those who had finished their training decades earlier filling roles behind the lines. It was a similar system in other nations. In this way, the army was able to expand very rapidly when war was declared in 1914.

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1914-1915 drought

In the last 100 years the severity of the 1914-1915 drought has often been overshadowed by the outbreak of World War One. It was widespread throughout Australia and particularly prevalent in Victoria, central New South Wales, Tasmania south-western Western Australia as well as in South Australia. Rainfall in early 1914 gave farmers hope for their crops after a long, dry summer. However, as the year progressed, the rain came to a halt and did not return for thirteen long months. The ground became dry and crops began to wither. Stock within the southern states was transported to more suitable areas via railway, causing prices to rise substantially. Throughout various areas of South Australia, May through to October of 1914 remains the driest period on record. By the end of 1914, the wheat harvest was a mere quarter of what had been achieved in the previous year.

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Henley on Torrens Regatta

Organised by the South Australian Rowing Association, in 1914 this event was one of the most popular in Adelaide’s social calendar, growing in importance very year since the inaugural event on 17 December 1910. Based on UK’s Henley Royal Regatta held since 1839 in Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire, Adelaide’s version also rivalled Melbourne’s popular Henley on Yarra, formally established in 1904. In the early years of the regatta, the day’s events included not only various races with entries drawn from metropolitan, country and school clubs, but also a procession of decorated boats which were judged by the current mayoress and awarded cash prizes for best and second best. Reserves along the river bank between the City and Morphett Street Bridges were roped off and the public admitted for a shilling where they could enjoy refreshments and other entertainment under the shade of a marquee. It was traditional to wear white with a fashionable hat, and for days prior to the regatta, local shops advertised their latest ‘Henley fashions’. There was also evening entertainment with concerts and dancing, against a spectacular backdrop of illuminated boats, bridges and boathouse, all decorated with coloured lights. Also see Adelaidia for more history http://adelaidia.sa.gov.au/events/henley-on-torrens-regatta

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Women's Christian Temperance Union

The first mass organisation among women devoted to social reform began in Ohio, USA in 1873, and within two years operated on an international level, reaching Australia by the early 1880s. Those involved saw their work as a religious crusade, aiming initially to prohibit the use and traffic of alcohol because of the problems it caused families and society. The White Ribbon was their badge and members would take a pledge of abstinence. The organisation also developed into other areas of social reform, particularly women’s suffrage. The SA branch was established with 57 members on Thursday 8 April 1886 at the YMCA, Gawler Place, Adelaide by World’s WCTU missionary, Mary Clement Leavitt who was visiting from America. The first president was North Adelaide Baptist Church minister’s wife, Mrs WE Rice. Local South Australian branches of the WCTU followed. In 1914 the WCTU pushed to organise a referendum the following year regarding 6 o’clock closing of hotel bars in South Australia. In December, Helen Barton a staunch WCTU member in her native Glasgow and known as the ‘Queen of Scottish orators’ arrived to help with this campaign. She had been in South Australia 4 years previously and returned again in 1926.

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Christmas truce

It had been five months of battle since the eruption of the Great War in August 1914, when the Christmas truce occurred. On 7 December, Pope Benedict XV himself suggested that opposing sides put down their weapons for the celebration of Christmas, and while the warring countries refused an official cease-fire, the soldiers themselves created an unofficial truce. On Christmas day itself, both German and Allied troops left their trenches, stepping into no mans land to greet each other. They sang carols together and exchanged gifts of cigarettes and puddings. Reports reveal that there was event friendly game of rival soccer against one another. However, the truce was not complete across the Western Front, as in some parts weapons continued to be fired and deaths still occurred.

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