Andrew P Posted 15 August , 2003 Share Posted 15 August , 2003 German Anzacs and the First World War John F Williams UNSW Press ISBN 0 86840 508 6 In German Anzacs, Williams tells the little known story of Australians of German extraction who served in the Australian forces in WW1. It is not widely known that by 1914 Germans made up the largest non-British immigrant group in Australia and Williams argues that this is reflected in those who served in the AIF. Williams brings forth examples of ‘German Anzacs’ who fought at Gallipoli, Palestine & France, many of whom were killed or taken prisoner. Several men are traced through their war service such as the Heinecke Brothers & Walter Schwarz (Who has a chapter devoted to him), while others are quickly summarised. He delves into the question of these men enlisting in a war against their parent’s or grandparent’s homeland and what it did to the family left behind in Australia. Many of these men enlisted in the AIF out of patriotism for their country and also from the fear that they didn’t want to appear disloyal if they stayed in Australia. Unfortunately it didn’t stop many German families being persecuted through the war. Interestingly, Williams shows the attitudes of Australians to those with German heritage and how it differed through the war. Williams also clearly explains the Bryce Report and how it affected these relations. A chapter I enjoyed reading was entitled ‘EIN BLOKE AUS SYDNEY’ and it tells the story of Ekkehard Beinssen who was born in Australia in 1899 and lived there for his first 13 years but moved back with his family to Germany in 1912 and at Third Ypres fought in a Jager Regiment against his fellow Australians. William’s book is full of interest, and I believe the strength of this book is to show that the AIF in WW1 was made up of more than just those of British descent, and that those from a different background such as these men of German extraction did their part in making the AIF the force it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christine liava'a Posted 15 August , 2003 Share Posted 15 August , 2003 Andrew, does this book have an index of names? Any G H Horf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 16 August , 2003 Author Share Posted 16 August , 2003 Hi Christine Unfortunately it doesn't have an index list of all the Anzacs of German descent, only the ones mentioned in his book are listed, which is a drawback as there were a few men of German extraction from my local area who served who I was hopeful of seeing but they didn't get a mention. The author explained that many men enlisted under false names so it would have been almost impossible to get them all, so he seems to opt for a cross section. But for the researcher, this absence of a list of the 'German Anzacs' would no doubt be a failing of this book. Cheers Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelS Posted 10 February , 2014 Share Posted 10 February , 2014 Link to a related thread .http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46542#entry2034348 NigelS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 10 February , 2014 Share Posted 10 February , 2014 A very interesting-sounding book. They are not completely unknown: a German-Australian, nicknamed 'Kaiser' by his mates, is a significant character in the 1980s series 'Anzacs'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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