Egon Kisch

The Australian government wanting to exclude Kisch on political grounds. claimed that according to information received from the British authorities, he was an 'undesirable visitor' and could not therefore enter the country. When Kisch attempted to land in Melbourne he was promptly arrested and returned to his ship, but while the ship was

travelling to Sydney, his friends took the case to court. The government was unable to produce its 'information', and Kisch was allowed to land.

Once ashore, Kisch was taken to a police station and given a dictation test. He could speak several European languages, but a test in the official's version of Scottish Gaelic was beyond him. Once again he was arrested, prosecuted as an illegal immigrant and sentenced to six months' jail. On appeal, the High Court ruled that Gaelic was not

a European language within the meaning of the Act. Kisch was freed, given a second dictation test which he also failed, and was again declared an illegal immigrant.

The farce was brought to an end when the government agreed to stop further legal action and to pay Kisch's court costs on condition that he agreed to leave the country. He finally did so in March 1935.

The policy was openly endorsed by both the government and general society during the first half of the 20th century. It was not until after World War II that attitudes began to change.

Identity forged (выковыванная) by War

World War I (1914-1918), much more than federation itself, began the transformation of Australian life from that of six colonies to a united state.

Early in the twentieth century Britain was still home for many people in Australia, even for some who had been born and raised in Australia. At school, children were taught that to be part of the British Empire was a privilege and a blessing (благословение), that to be British was to be noble and brave, and that loyalty to the Mother Country must never waver (поколебаться). Adults learnt much the same lessons from newspapers and books.

By 1910, a war between Britain and Germany seemed very likely. The British Government told the Australian Government that if war broke out in Europe Australia would be expected to send troops.

Australia began training its own soldiers. All boys from the ages of twelve to twenty-five were to be given military training. They had to put on a uniform and spend some of their weekends learning how to be soldiers. Some refused to obey the new law which they said

should not be tolerated in a free country. Thousands were taken before the courts, and many went to jail. But most boys put up (мирились) with it, and even enjoyed gaining the skills of warfare (приёмы ведения войны).

The war started in August 1914. The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was formed whose members were all volunteers. The AIF would be commanded by British generals until the last year of the war. The new Australian Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher, announced that Australia would fight for Britain to 'the last man and the last shilling".

Prime Minister Andrew Fisher

For the great majority of Australians the war was a chance to show their love of England and prove themselves to the rest of the world. War was the best place for a man to prove himself - and the best place for a nation.

An excited poet wrote:

A nation is never a nation

Worthy of pride or place

Till the mothers have sent their firstborn

To look death on the field in the face.

Young people rushed to join the army. It was like a great adventure. Some hurried because they feared the war would end before they got there. From the troopships (корабль для перевозки войск) the Australian soldiers wrote home to families and girifriends. Some said that it would have been unmanly (не по-мужски) not to go. Had they not joined up they could never have lived with their consciences - they could have never looked a girl in the face, they said.

Many Australian women encouraged men to go. Men who stayed home often received white feathers from women. A white feather was a way of saying 'Coward'. Others joined simply because their mates had. A good many reckoned (полагали) a soldier's pay was better than the wages they were getting. For a lot it was a simple choice between the army and unemployment.

Responding to the allied call for troops (призыв), Australia sent more than 330,000 volunteers, who took part in some of the bloodiest battles. Suffering a casualty rate (процент потерь) higher than that of many other participants, Australia became increasingly conscious of its contribution to the war effort.

At the end of 1914 the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) was formed.

The Anzacs were employed in an attempt to knock Turkey out of the war. The idea was to force (захватить) the Dardanelles straights (проливы) at the eastern shore of the Mediterranean that opened to the Turkish capital. Once that was taken, the expeditionary force could enter the Black Sea and link with the Russian forces. It was first necessary to secure the Gallipoli peninsular, upon which Turkish troops commanded the straight.

In the early morning of 25 April 1915 British, French and Anzac forces made landings (высадка) on the peninsular. The Australians and New Zealanders scrambled (карабкаться) ashore and stormed the slopes (склоны) before them. They dug in and defied (не поддаваться) all attempts to dislodge (вытеснить) them, but were unable to capture the heights (захватить высоты) despite repeated attempts to do so. With the beginning of the winter, they abandoned Gallipoli and left behind 8000 dead.

The date of the fateful landing, April 25, 1915, became equated with Australia’s coming of age, and as Anzac Day it has remained the country’s most significant day of public homage (уважение, поклонение).

After their withdrawal from Gallipoli, the Australian divisions were deployed in the defence of France. Here they participated in the mass offensive (наступление) against the German line during 1916 and 1917.

During the First World War, out of a population of five million the armed forces voluntarily recruited 417,000 men, more than half of those who were eligible (годный). Of the 331,000 who served abroad, two out of every three were killed or wounded.

The soldiers had been promised great rewards for their service to the country. One of them was land. Land would be available to any soldier who wanted to become a farmer. Nearly 40 000 soldiers went on land.