159:
and artillery units were periodically activated for garrison duties. A total of between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers were on active service at any point in time. As well as manning coastal defences, these soldiers patrolled the coastline near major cities and guarded vital infrastructure such as water reservoirs and undersea telegraph cable landing points. The coastal defences were generally manned on a skeleton basis, though reservists were available to fully activate them if a threat developed. The restriction on militia gunners serving overseas was lifted in 1916, and those who volunteered for the AIF were often posted to the 36th (Australian) Heavy
Artillery Group.
163:
54:
171:
recruits, and camp facilities and equipment were also assigned to the expeditionary force. This greatly disrupted the
Citizen Forces training activities, with few units conducting training camps during late 1915 or 1916. While there were intakes of conscripts to the Citizen Forces during 1916 and 1917, few of these men were ever required to undertake periods of training or active service. In October 1916 the government called up 37,000 reservists for a short period of compulsory training ahead of a
225:
188:
their employers considered the training camps to be pointless and disruptive to the economy, and only 500 men chose to volunteer for the
Citizen Forces. While a scheme to set up a reserve force manned by AIF veterans who had returned to Australia attracted 17,000 volunteers, they received no training.
191:
Two partial mobilisations of the garrison forces took place when it was feared that German raiders were operating in
Australian waters. The first of these mobilisations occurred between February and April 1916, and led to the coastal defences being fully manned. After this time only the examination
158:
For the remainder of the war the
Australian Government was concerned that German surface raiders or submarines could enter Australian waters, or that Japan could start a war in the Pacific if the Allied forces in France suffered a significant defeat. To guard against these threats, reserve infantry
93:
The militia members of the garrison units received call-up notices on 6 August, and reported for duty at 9 am the next day. During the early days of August all coastal fortifications were fully manned by gunners, engineers and infantrymen. The gunners remained at their stations for the rest of the
187:
which began in March led to concerns that Japan could attack
Australia. In response, the Government reinstated regular training camps for militia units and launched a campaign to encourage men rejected by the AIF to volunteer for the militia. This effort proved unsuccessful as both reservists and
170:
The
Citizen Forces deteriorated during the war as the AIF was given precedence for manpower and other resources. While the size of the force increased during 1915, a high proportion of its members volunteered for overseas service with the AIF. Many of the militia's officers were used to train AIF
130:
and 51,000 were rifle club volunteers. Despite fears of sabotage and uprisings by German-Australians, no domestic threat eventuated. However, on 1 January 1915 twenty members of the 82nd
Infantry Battalion assisted the police to kill two men who fired on picnickers during the
89:
subsequently steamed into nearby
Portsea, and was secured by a naval boarding party. This was the only shot to be fired at an enemy vessel in Australian waters during the war, and may have been the first shot fired by the armies of the British Empire during the war.
117:
and a light horse division for home defence tasks. By the end of August 1914 the
Government had judged that a force of this size was unnecessary given that Australia was distant from the war zones. Instead, it was decided to maintain only a small number of infantry
724:
179:
ended in the rejection of the Government's proposal that conscripts be used to reinforce the AIF. By 1918 the Citizen Forces were close to collapse as many of its best members had transferred to the AIF and the remaining personnel were largely untrained.
39:
network of coastal defences to provide protection against raids from Japanese or German warships prior to World War I. In 1912, these defences were manned by 14 companies of the Australian Garrison Artillery, each of which had a strength of over 100 men.
69:
All coastal defence batteries were activated hours before the declaration of war against Germany (which took place at 9:00 am Melbourne time on 4 August). The next morning, a 6-inch gun from the examination battery at
271:
force using small craft manned by a combination of naval and civilian personnel; 18 vessels were eventually used as auxiliary minesweepers. These vessels were subsequently used to sweep for mines laid by the
192:
batteries at major ports, which were used to force vessels to stop and be searched if ever necessary, were manned. On 20 November 1917, one of the coastal guns at Fremantle fired on the Japanese cruiser
20:, small military forces were maintained to defend the country from attack throughout the war. German raiders were considered the main threat, though there was also concern about acts of sabotage.
28:
In the years before World War I, the Australian Government began the process of raising a large civilian militia to defend the country against a feared attack by Japan. This force was based on
797:
32:, and was intended to be complete in 1920. The resources devoted to this plan greatly exceeded those allocated to preparations to raise an expeditionary force to serve outside Australia.
113:
After the initial call-up of reservists to man the garrison artillery, the commanding officers of the other militia units were directed to begin preparations to raise an infantry
102:
could attack Australia. In addition to the coastal defences in Australia, a battery of four 4.7 inch guns manned by naval personnel was established to protect the town of
285:
276:
off the Australian south-east coast. During the war a Naval Guard Section was also raised to provide security for ships in port and to protect wireless stations.
368:"Preparatory sketch of Australians firing at the German steamer Pfalz which attempted to get through the Melbourne heads on 4th (sic) August 1914"
726:
1918 Defining Victory: Proceedings of the Chief of Army's History Conference Held at the National Convention Centre, Canberra, 29 September 1998
146:
on 8 December 1914, and in early 1915 the Australian Government decided to form a heavy artillery brigade (which was eventually designated the
290:
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when she gave an incorrect signal while entering the port. The Australian Governor-General subsequently travelled to Perth to apologise to
126:
on active duty at any one time. By the end of 1914 the home defence force comprised 100,000 reservists, of whom 56,000 were members of the
765:
752:
622:
263:, though many served for only short periods. These craft were used to patrol coastal waters and harbours for German raiders and
139:
734:
682:
644:
193:
147:
143:
723:
Wilcox, Craig (1999). "Defending Australia 1914–1918: The Other Australian Army". In Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey (eds.).
371:
701:. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. XI (7th ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
660:. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. IX (9th ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
206:
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s captain for this incident. The coastal defences were activated again between 21 April and 16 May 1918 when the raider
53:
162:
176:
172:
58:
183:
The Government attempted to revive the Citizen Forces during the last months of the war. The initially successful
142:(AIF). However, the threat of naval attack from German raiders greatly decreased after the British victory in the
29:
138:
Members of the coastal artillery units were not initially permitted to volunteer for overseas service in the
184:
127:
36:
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was thought to be operating near Australia. The examination batteries were stood down on 21 November 1918.
714:
Straczek, Joe (2014). "Protecting the Home Front : Part II of the RAN in the Great War 1914–1918".
256:
166:
A group portrait of several men from the 74th (Boothby) Regiment during a training camp in or about 1915
132:
775:
Swinden, Greg (September 2018). "Home Waters - But Not Quiet Waters: The Australia Station 1914-1919".
363:
114:
761:
730:
702:
678:
661:
640:
618:
75:
79:
65:. This posed photograph was probably taken shortly after the incident on 5 August 1914.
224:
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150:) for service in France from the permanent members of the garrison artillery units.
692:
632:
610:
268:
696:
655:
384:"German Vessel Stopped: Incident at Queenscliff: Guard of Marines placed on Board"
110:
in March 1915; this town had been captured from German forces in September 1914.
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107:
71:
17:
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after its Australian pilot failed to notice a signal for the ship to stop.
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plebiscite on whether conscripts should be compelled to serve overseas
103:
161:
52:
617:(Second ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.
219:
675:
The Australian Army. A History of its Organisation 1901–2001
94:
year, as it was feared that the German armoured cruisers
236:
78:, fired a shell over the bows of the German cargo ship
16:
While Australia was distant from the main theatres of
637:
The Gunners : A History of Australian Artillery
615:
The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History
613:; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; and Jean Bou (2008).
440:
438:
259:took up a large number of small ships to serve as
798:Military history of Australia during World War I
286:Military history of Australia during World War I
35:The Australian Government also expanded the pre-
8:
556:
554:
490:
488:
486:
267:. In early 1917 the RAN began to organise a
341:
339:
337:
760:. Canberra: Australian Army History Unit.
370:, pencil drawing in the collection of the
306:
148:36th (Australian) Heavy Artillery Group
677:. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
74:, which was located at the opening of
7:
754:Australian Army Mobilisation in 1914
657:The Royal Australian Navy, 1914–1918
291:1st Special Squadron (Japanese Navy)
639:. St. Leonards: Allen & Unwin.
14:
61:at Fort Nepean which fired on SS
223:
729:. Canberra: Army History Unit.
405:, (16 March 1940), p. 12.
144:Battle of the Falkland Islands
1:
390:, (6 August 1914), p. 8.
372:National Library of Australia
175:. Both this plebiscite and a
587:Dennis et al (2008), p. 465
814:
569:Straczek (2014), pp. 35–36
539:Wilcox (1999), pp. 184–185
471:Wilcox (1999), pp. 178–179
313:Wilcox (1999), pp. 173–174
530:Wilcox (1999) pp. 181–184
402:The (Launceston) Examiner
400:"First shot in the War",
140:Australian Imperial Force
698:Australia During the War
673:Palazzo, Albert (2001).
654:Jose, Arthur J. (1941).
462:Horner (1995), pp. 81–82
432:Horner (1995), pp. 74–75
414:Horner (1995), pp. 73–74
49:Mobilisation during 1914
578:Straczek (2014), pp. 35
185:German spring offensive
167:
66:
596:Palazzo (2001), p. 71
548:Wilcox (1999), p. 186
521:Wilcox (1999), p. 182
512:Wilcox (1999), p. 181
503:Wilcox (1999), p. 180
453:Wilcox (1999), p. 178
444:Wilcox (1999), p. 177
257:Royal Australian Navy
165:
133:Battle of Broken Hill
56:
560:Scott (1941), p. 198
494:Horner (1995), p. 83
480:Scott (1941), p. 197
423:Horner (1995), p. 74
388:The Brisbane Courier
364:Wells, Samuel Garnet
354:Horner (1995), p. 72
345:Horner (1995), p. 75
331:Horner (1995), p. 67
322:Horner (1995), p. 66
255:During the war the
177:second vote in 1917
751:Bell, Ian (2016).
716:Australian Warship
235:. You can help by
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59:6 inch Mk VII gun
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154:Garrison duties
128:Citizens Forces
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633:Horner, David
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244:December 2014
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231:This section
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718:(82): 35–59.
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269:minesweeping
261:patrol boats
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237:adding to it
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216:Naval forces
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137:
112:
99:
95:
92:
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68:
62:
34:
30:conscription
27:
15:
783:(3): 34–47.
108:New Britain
96:Scharnhorst
72:Fort Nepean
18:World War I
777:Sabretache
736:0731705106
684:0195515072
646:1863739173
297:References
120:battalions
37:Federation
24:Background
707:271462433
302:Citations
124:regiments
100:Gneisenau
792:Category
695:(1941).
635:(1995).
366:(1914),
280:See also
115:division
666:7466152
764:
733:
705:
681:
664:
643:
621:
200:Yahagi
195:Yahagi
104:Rabaul
758:(PDF)
265:mines
203:'
87:Pfalz
82:Pfalz
63:Pfalz
762:ISBN
731:ISBN
703:OCLC
679:ISBN
662:OCLC
641:ISBN
619:ISBN
274:Wolf
209:Wolf
207:SMS
98:and
57:The
781:LIX
239:.
135:".
106:in
80:SS
794::
779:.
553:^
485:^
437:^
386:,
336:^
770:.
739:.
709:.
687:.
668:.
649:.
627:.
374:.
246:)
242:(
131:"
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