I attended an interesting public talk today by my gaming friend and academic Dr Nathan Wise. It was on responses by Australian soldiers to the announcement of the Armistice, one hundred years ago today.
Illustrated by diary and letter extracts, their response was not as jubilant as you may have thought. There was a bit of initial doubt and skepticism due to previous rumours and furphies of peace. There was a sense of loss of direction or purpose, which officers tried to control through reconstruction and non-war employment tasks.
Most importantly, soldiers wanted to know when they could go home. When they did get there, their long-established mateships and unit cameraderie were at risk of being lost.
Lest we forget.
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