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https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-war-has-made-me-a-pacifist-why-are-we-so-reluctant-to-acknowledge-australias-anti-war-veterans-253530>
"“I have seen enough of the horrors of war, and want peace. War has made me a
socialist and a pacifist,” announced Gallipoli veteran and Victoria Cross
winner, Hugo Throssell, on Peace Day in 1919.
Throssell was shot in the neck on Hill 60 at Gallipoli in 1915 and nearly died
from surgical complications. He returned to the frontlines in Egypt in 1917.
There, he was reunited with – then lost – his brother Eric, who was killed in
action.
Throssell wrote to his wife, Katharine Susannah Prichard, of searching for Eric
in battle in vain, “crawling across the battlefield, still under enemy fire”.
After the war, he reflected on the “colossal profits” made in war, concluding
that while it was possible for men “to profit by war, we will always have war”
and advocating for society’s reorganisation “for the wellbeing of the community
as a whole”.
Most war historians today would agree with Throssell’s assessment of the first
world war: an imperialist war and a wasteful tragedy. Yet despite regular
echoes of “Lest We Forget” on Anzac Day, the views of soldiers and veterans who
disagree with Australia’s involvement in wars, both past and present, are
rarely heard.
It has become rather fashionable to refer to soldiers’ stories as “forgotten”,
or “hidden”. The “forgotten” lament – often associated with the most widely
studied topic in Australian history – has become something of a collective joke
among war historians. But Throssell’s service was not forgotten. He was
honoured in Anzac Day events in Perth throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and
buried with full military honours after his suicide in 1933. Obituaries hailed
his war record.
However, Throssell’s anti-war views, derived from his firsthand knowledge of
war and its consequences, were largely ignored.
This pattern repeats across Australian history, from the first world war to the
War on Terror. In every war, there have been a number of soldiers and veterans
who turned against it, Some became pacifists, while others acknowledged the
necessity of war in rare instances. They drew on their war experience to
caution restraint, urging war-makers to reflect on Australian values and
interests before committing Australian lives overseas.
Yet these radical veterans’ voices are excluded from veterans’ organisations,
diminished in the media and ignored by cultural institutions. These critical
perspectives could nuance Australia’s understanding of its war history and
inform its involvement in future wars. But they have been siloed off.
I am one of a group of historians working on the Challenging Anzac project,
exploring the stories and experiences of service members and veterans across
history who contradict Australia’s war mythology. Our research reveals a
longstanding reluctance in Australia to acknowledge and honour the anti-war
feeling among our soldiers and veterans."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
