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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-11 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

REMEMBRANCE DAY

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon—Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (15:15): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: I rise to acknowledge this important date on our calendar. Today is Remembrance Day, the day we pause to commemorate the sacrifice of the members of our armed forces and civilians lost in all conflicts in which Australia has participated. We particularly remember those with no known grave.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 the guns fell silent. The allies had forced the invading German army back and the Germans had called for a suspension of fighting. Armistice was declared and the four years of tragedy, unredeemed slaughter and inexcusable folly that could describe the Great War were over. This war had seen the mobilisation of more than 70 million people and left between 9 million and 13 million dead, with as many as one-third with no known grave.

On 7 November 1919, King George V declared this day, and it has been observed throughout the commonwealth and in France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the United States ever since. Initially known as Armistice Day, it was renamed Remembrance Day after World War II to commemorate those killed in both world wars. The prominence of Remembrance Day increased in 1997 when it was proclaimed as a day to remember the sacrifice of those who have died for Australia in all wars and conflicts.

The price paid by Australia in the Great War was particularly high. Of our population of five million, 400,000 young men volunteered for service and 300,000 served overseas. Sixty thousand Australians died and more than 156,000 were wounded or taken prisoner. This reflects a casualty rate of two-thirds, which is one of the highest of any nation.

I noted earlier that on Remembrance Day we particularly remember those lost with no known grave. That is particularly relevant this year to those lost in the battle of Fromelles on 19 and 20 July 1916. The Battle of Fromelles was the first time the 1st AIF saw action on the Western Front, and it ended in tragedy. There were 5,533 Australians killed, wounded or taken prisoner in an action described by the Australian War Memorial at the time as 'the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history'. Of those killed, 1,335 could not be accounted for.

For over 90 years nearly 200 of those killed lay unknown in a mass grave at nearby Pheasant Wood. This year that grave was discovered and yesterday our Governor-General attended a ceremony at the site for the first time. Her Excellency was moved to tears as she spoke of the finest of human values: courage. She later visited a memorial erected at nearby Cobbers Corner. This site was once in the heart of no man's land, and it was where Australians became known for their daring as they crossed the wire each night to risk their lives scouring the battlefields for their wounded mates.

Each of these incidents—the discovery at Pheasant Wood and the conduct of our soldiers at Cobbers Corner—reinforces characteristics that we as Australians hold dear: courage and our code that we will never run out on our mates.

At home, the Great War had a huge social impact. Unlike many of our allies, Australia did not conscript its soldiers. Two referenda were held on conscription and they bitterly divided us. Both were narrowly defeated, with the prevailing view appearing to be that Australians should not be legally obliged to offer their lives for their country overseas, that they should do so as volunteers.

Well, young men did volunteer and they ensured that we passed our first test as a nation. The challenges they faced were mighty and should be familiar to us all. Anzac Cove in 1915 was the first, but from there it was to the Western Front, to Fromelles, Pozieres, winter in the Somme, followed by more battles and casualties. Ypres, Villers-Bretonneux, Bullecourt, Amiens, Passchendale and the Hindenburg Line all followed bringing their own brand of horror.

The cost was high and can be easily seen by anyone who pauses at any of the memorials that dot our countryside. They are the roll-calls of the dead, each inscribed with the names of brave young men who did not return. In some cases, two or three from the same family were lost. Scythe-like, the war cut down the very best of their generation and caused grief to those left behind. It refashioned Australia and what we held important.

Today we also remember those who followed the first AIF—the young men and women who little more than 20 years later volunteered for service in World War II. They served in precisely the same tradition as their predecessors. They went overseas to serve in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia. They remained equal to the task even when the war reached our very shores and Australians were dying on Australian soil. Like the generation before them, these gallant men and women eventually prevailed.

We also remember subsequent generations who have taken the torch and held it high as they served with distinction in Korea, Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Iraq, and many other areas of conflict and on peacekeeping missions in our name. They continue to serve today, and we particularly remember those who are currently on operational service, especially those on active service in Afghanistan.

Remembrance Day is the day that we honour a pledge that has lasted almost a century: to remember the 100,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen and women who have been lost at war defending us and our way of life. Their sacrifice was selfless, their courage inspirational, their independence admired, their compassion applauded. Most of all, their unswerving loyalty to their mates was unquestioned, not for an instant. Today we remember and give thanks to them all. Lest we forget.

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