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Fighting a Different Enemy: Social Protests against Authority in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2007

Nathan Wise
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Abstract

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During World War I, the rank and file of the Australian Imperial Force utilized humour in their social protests against both their officers and the military regimen. This paper looks at the expression of this humour through a variety of mediums and explores the value of humour in providing an outlet through which these men could vent their anger at the military system. It further seeks to highlight how the adoption of humour in social protests became a secure part of the Australian soldiers' “working” identity and how this was sustained throughout the war by the masculine image of the soldier. Further to this, the paper examines the decline in the use of humour in social protest amongst war veterans in the postwar era and its replacement by a more sombre attitude towards protests.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of Social History , Volume 52 , Issue S15 , December 2007 , pp. 225 - 241
Copyright
2007 Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis

Footnotes

The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance received in the research of this paper through a Milt Luger Fellowship from Mitchell Library of the State Library of New South Wales, and through a research grant from the Australian Army History Unit.