Figure 11: Patrick Figure 12: Ernest

Kelly, June 1940 Taylor, June 1941

After the “War to End All Wars” (1914-1918) the world was at a
standstill wondering what was coming next. In many cases this
standstill saw trade plummet and a steep rise in unemployment
levels. This is particularly evident in the newly formed Australia
and how their close relation to the motherland of Britain tied it to
an economic downfall. In Australia we see a sharp decline in
primary exports, a large portion of the Australian income, and a
record high in unemployment levels at 29% in 1932, one of the
largest in the world. Whilst still becoming a flourishing nation
Australia forced its way into the Paris Peace Conference as Prime
Minister William Hughes felt it important that he ‘speak for (the)
sixty thousand dead’ Australians rather than be dictated to by the
Americans and British.i After the high of being on the world stage Figure 1: Patrick Kelly,
June 1940
for the first time during the Paris Peace Conference, Australia had
been well and truly “blooded” and had become a bourgeoning
nation that sought its independence from Britain. In the 21 years
between World War One and World War Two the foundations of
what Australia would become were formed. This is the world in
which Patrick Lawrence Kelly (1919) and Ernest Henry Taylor
(1913) were born into and were a part of.ii For many years return
soldiers were dealing with the mental anguish that war creates;
this is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)but
has had many names over time from Nostalgia (first diagnosed in
Switzerland in 1678) to Soldier’s Heart and finally to its most Figure 2: Ernest
recognised name Shell Shock (dated to the First World War). The Taylor, April 1941

use of war records and anecdotal stories will help to depict two
different looks into the Second World War and how this affected
these two men. This is important to look into as it creates a link
not only between people and war but people and their stories and
how that affected their lives in the aftermath.

1930s Australia
The 1930s in Australia were a time of great hardship for many,
with the Great Depression and drought looming large over
metropolitan households and those who lived in rural
communities. The Great Depression, caused by the crash of Wall
Street in 1929, left Australia and Australian’s struggling with
poverty, low profits and thus plunging incomes, unemployment
(29.0% in 1932)and lack of ability for personal advancement
within the country.iii The 1937-1945 drought, more commonly
known as the World War II drought hit when times were already
tough for farming families, as the ‘drought extended across much
of the country’ this impacted the trading of wool and the cattle
trade. iv As the years progressed through the World War II
drought there would be relatively good years and some worse
years as can be seen in the weather maps (fig. 3). v For people
needing work during this time would have struggled to find it due Figure 4: Dam Building, Annuello Mallee
to the some ‘hundreds of thousands of Australians’ who were out Region, late 1920s
of work. vi Even for those who worked on farms, like Ernest
(family farm at Annuello in the Mallee Region) and Patrick (20
miles from Lethbridge) drought was a further hardship they were
forced to bear alongside decreasing value of exported goods.vii
Towards the end of the 1930s, the world began to see the
rumblings of war in Europe with an angry post World War I
Germany at its helm; with Australia participating from the very
beginning to its blood soaked end. On the 22nd of June 1940 and
7th of April 1941 Patrick Kelly and Ernest Taylor joined the war
effort; both with varying reasons. As a 21 year old Patrick was a
young and idealistic man, whilst Ernest, a 27 year old man the 3rd
eldest of 12 children went forth with the notion of helping the
family farm stay afloat with his war pay. These hardships faced by
both men in relation to the Great Depression and the World War II
drought play a large factor in the upbringing and lives of these men. Figure 3: rain maps,
orange denotes the
poor rainfall
 Duty
What sends men to war? Is it a sense of duty? In what ways does
duty play a role in the Army? After World War I many men saw it
as their duty to fight for not only their country and what that
represented but also for their families and for themselves. To
fight for the protection of one’s country would be an honour
especially after the Gallipoli Campaign; with the ANZAC legend
born out of mateship and courage; fighting for Australia was like
fighting for the safety of your brothers. Other motivations for
fighting came in the form of ‘success on the battlefield and
adventure abroad’ as well as ‘duty to empire’, whilst men like
Figure 5: Recreations
of the 2/12 (above) Labour politician EJ Ward argued ‘that many soldiers were
and 2/6 (below)
patches. enlisting merely to earn 5 shillings a day with food and
accommodation’ which was better than the sustenance relief (a
type of dole coupon system in which all members of the family
has to be unemployed and was tested to the needs of the family);
no matter the reason some 990, 900 men enlisted for the Second
World War in Australia. viii ix x Among these men were Ernest and
Patrick; one fought to help his family and the other fought for his
country and its future. Duty to their respective battalions 2/12
(Patrick) and the 2/6 (Ernest) was important to the survival of
not only them but the survival of their mates and more often than
not those from their home towns.xi These patches represented not
only a way to identify their battalions but also a way in which to
spot one’s army family which was an important support system
during these hard times. Both men went to the Middle East and
Figure 6: Patrick Kelly in the
Middle East, 1942. Patrick fought at the Battle of El Alamein in which the Australian
forces were of paramount importance to the Allied army as they
were ‘grinding their way forward over well-defended enemy
positions’ and thus allowing the other branches of the army to
strike a decisive victory.xii xiii xivWhilst Ernest’s battles (and
 eventually Patrick’s) were fought mainly in the Jungles of New
Guinea against the Japanese Axis forces entering Australia. The
sense of duty to go and fight for one’s nation is a brave act of self-
sacrifice both mentally and physically and should not be forgotten
whether the war was fought 100 years ago or recently.

Honour

To honour and be honoured are hard to think about in terms of

warfare; to honour someone who has fought well for their
country is to celebrate the loss of other people’s lives whilst to be
honoured must be even harder knowing what one has done to
receive such esteem. Warfare is honoured in three categories: 1)
Medals (for service, for going above and beyond etc.xv), 2)
memorials and celebrations (ANZAC day, Remembrance day etc.)
Figure 7: Patrick Kelly’s Medals LtR:
and finally how the fallen are honoured. Focusing on medals; 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, Pacific Star,
Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and
there are many types of medals that are given to those who Australian Service Medal

participated in active service in different regions of the world

(this is why there are similarities within figures 5 and 6).
However there are those medals that as previously mentioned are
for those who go above and beyond in the line of duty; in this case
Ernest was awarded the Military Medal for ‘gallantry and
devotion to duty performed’ under fire within the Maprik Area in Figure 8: Ernest Taylor’s Medals LtR:
the Military Medal, 1939-1945 Star, Pacific
northern New Guinea.xvi This medal was not awarded for the Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945
and Australian Service Medal
killing of men but rather for saving a brother in arms. In
command of a fighting patrol Ernest’s small force was met with
armed resistance as mentioned in the daily war diary.xvii This led
to one of the men being hit by machine gun fire, devastatingly this
man had to be left behind whilst the rest were taken to safety;
once this was accomplished Lance Corporal Ernest Taylor rushed
back under machine gun fire and dragged the wounded man back
to relative safety. With his team in safely away Ernest located the
 enemy machine guns and took out the first one with grenades and
rushed the second positon (of which the crew manning it had
fled) allowing his patrol to move forward and gain what had
previously been the enemies position. In the citation for this
medal those who recognised the bravery of the actions of Ernest
stated that ‘the courageous actions of L/Cpl
Taylor throughout were an inspiration to his
men and his able leadership and personal
gallantry were mainly responsible of the
success of the action.’xviii This honour was
bestowed to a man who knew the value of
this man’s life as can be seen from the
multiple pages of archived documents; the Figure 9: Citation detailing the acts that
earned Ernest the Military medal, 1945
story of this medal, nestled in with his others (as seen in figure 8)
was never told by Ernest, but his 2/6 mates would often regale to
those who would listen that “he was a brave man”. Honour
whether felt or given is difficult to both accept and approve of if
there is resentment of what had to be done to earn it.

Fig. 10: Company Commander’s Letter, reads
as follows:
“Anyone who has operated in jungle war will
know how much toll this takes of one’s
nerves and physical condition”
Silence
While a sense of duty is important to those who are fighting as it
gives them a reason to keep fighting and honour is important as it
shows how respected those who return (both alive and dead)
are; the silence that occurs towards the end of war and when
soldiers return is an enormous part of the war narrative. The
silence that has surrounded the events of the war from both
men has made it difficult to derive nuance from the anecdotal
sources and without the released archive documents there
would still be confusion about what transpired. Silence after
war is not an unusual phenomenon; the often traumatic
experience of warfare can trigger Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder which can cause many issues for a returned soldier as
few men returned how they left both mentally and physically.xix
PTSD can manifest in many ways from reliving trauma after being
exposed to specific stimulus to purposefully isolating one’s self as
to not be triggered at all. Shell Shock as it was known in the 1900s
related to the ‘psychological injury and traumatic remembrance
during and after the conflict’; whilst neither Patrick nor Ernest
were officially diagnosed with PTSD or Shell Shock there are
certain aspects that come through from anecdotal sources.xx To
force one’s self into silence seems like the right thing to do with
traumatic experiences in relation to warfare as to not burden
those around you with the knowledge of what had happened; at
least this is what went through Patrick and Ernest’s minds. Trying
to get stories from those who knew them was difficult when all
that was said involved some variation of “he did not talk about it”
followed then by stories of how gentle they both were; it was like
the war had made them choose to love fiercely and unrepentantly
through their quite demeanours. Having to find this story mostly
through archives changed the way in which history affects those
who go looking, that is why silence whilst frustrating at the time
has given way to this unique perspective on war history and how
it not only effects those soldiers who went but also those they
come back too.

Embattled circumstances create strong and resilient people, going

from The Great Depression to the World War II drought into
World War Two in such a brief space of time changed the way in
which people saw the world. Delving into war history,
particularly focusing on two individuals is a refreshing way in
which to look into the larger amalgam of anonymous stories that
make up the war experience. This approach gives people a link
and potentially a spark to start looking into family history in
 relation to large or even world events. History as a whole focuses
on the large players (in this case General Thomas Blamey would
have worked) which can and often does get tiresome; whereas
writing about specific people shows just how much World War
Two had and still does affect the soldiers who fought and those
who looked after them when they returned. That is why this
micro history of a larger event is an important endeavour as it
gives a more human perspective.

i Linda Macfarlane, ‘William Hughes: Australia’, Museum of Australian Democracy, [website], (29 Aug.
2011) < https://www.moadoph.gov.au/blog/william-hughes-australia/> para. 2, accessed 9 Sept. 2018.
ii Portraits of Patrick Kelly and Ernest Taylor [photographs] (1939-1945), figs. 1 and 2.
iii ABS, A Century Of Change In The Australian Labour Market (2001), cat. No.1301.0,

<http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article142001?ope
ndocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2001&num=&view= >, 3, accessed 5 Sept. 2018.
iv Danielle C. Verdon-Kidd and Anthony S. Kiem, ‘Nature and causes of protracted droughts in southeast

Australia: Comparison between the Federation, WWII, and Big Dry droughts’, Geophysical Research
Letters, 36(2009), 1-6.
v Matt Liddy, Simon Elvery and Ben Spraggon, Interactive: 100 years of drought in Australia [image], (26

Feb. 2014) < https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-26/100-years-of-drought/5282030>, accessed 5

Sept. 2018, fig. 3.
vi National Museum Australia, ‘Depression hits home’, Great Depression [website], (2018)

<http://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/great-depression> para. 9, accessed 7 Sept.

2018.
vii Dam Building, Late 1920s[Photograph], fig.4
viii Mark Johnston, The Proud 6th: An Illustrated History of the 6th Australian Division 1939-1946(Port

Melbourne, VIC : Cambridge University Press, 2008),11.

ix Annie Stevens, ‘Struggletown’, Skint! Making do in the Great Depression [website], (10 Dec. 2013) <

https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/skint-making-do-great-depression> para.7, accessed 1 Oct.

2018.
x Australian War Memorial, ‘Numbers enlisted/engaged’, Enlistment statistics, Second World War

[website], (5 March 2017) < https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/enlistment/ww2> para. 1,

accessed 1 Oct. 2018.
xi Kaitlin Taylor, Battalion Patches [recreations of originals], 2018, fig.5.
xii Australian War Memorial, ‘El Alamein Battles’, [website] (7 June 2017) <

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/el_alamein/reading> para. 9, accessed 1 Oct. 2018.

xiii Max Parsons, Gun Fire!: A History of the 2/12 Australian Field Regiment 1940-1946 (Cheltenham Vic:

Globe Press, 1991), 97-132.

xiv Patrick Kelly and Donkey in the Middle East [photograph], 1942, fig. 6
xv Kaitlin Taylor, Medals of My Great Grandfathers [pictures], 2018, figs. 7& 8.
xvi State Library Victoria, ‘Medals awarded for gallantry and distinguished service’, Lists of recipients of

medals and decorations [website], (10 Oct. 2018) <

https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/wwone_soldiers/medals> para.5, accessed 3 Oct. 2018.
xvii Australian War Memorial Archives, Australian War Memorial, 2nd Australian Imperial Force and

commonwealth military forces unit War Diaries, 1939-1945.

xviii National Archives of Australia: Department of Defence; TAYLOR ERNEST HENRY: Service Number -

VX53404, 1939 – 1948, Citation form, 1945, fig.9.

xix Company Commander, ‘description of warfare’ [letter], 11 May.1974, para.3, fig.10.
xx Jay Winter, ‘Shell-shock and the Cultural History of the Great War’ in Gary Sheffield (ed.), War Studies
Reader: From the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day and Beyond (London: Bloomsbury Publishing
PLC, 2010), 201.
Xxi Michael Kelly, Patrick Lawrence Kelly in Uniform [photograph], 2018, fig.11.
Xxii Kaitlin Taylor, Ernest Henry Taylor in Uniform, [Photograph], 2018, fig.12.

Bibliography

Primary sources:

Australian War Memorial Archives, Australian War Memorial, 2nd Australian Imperial
Force and commonwealth military forces unit War Diaries, 1939-1945.

National Archives of Australia: Department of Defence; TAYLOR ERNEST HENRY:

Service Number - VX53404, 1939 – 1948, Citation form, 1945

Images:

Company Commander, ‘description of warfare’ [letter], 11 May.1974, para.3, fig.7

Kaitlin Taylor, Battalion Patches [recreations of originals], 2018, fig.4

Kaitlin Taylor, Medals of My Great Grandfathers [pictures], 2018, figs. 5& 6.

Kaitlin Taylor, Ernest Henry Taylor in Uniform, [Photograph], 2018, fig.9.

Matt Liddy, Simon Elvery and Ben Spraggon, Interactive: 100 years of drought in Australia
[image], (26 Feb. 2014) < https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-26/100-years-of-
drought/5282030>, accessed 5 Sept. 2018, fig. 3.

Michael Kelly, Patrick Lawrence Kelly in Uniform [photograph], 2018, fig.8

Portraits of Patrick Kelly and Ernest Taylor [photographs] (1939-1945), figs. 1 and 2

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ABS, A Century Of Change In The Australian Labour Market (2001), cat. No.1301.0,
<http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20A
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=&view= >, 3, accessed 5 Sept. 2018.

Annie Stevens, ‘Struggletown’, Skint! Making do in the Great Depression [website], (10
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depression> para.7, accessed 1 Oct. 2018.

Australian War Memorial, ‘Numbers enlisted/engaged’, Enlistment statistics, Second

World War [website], (5 March 2017) <
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droughts in southeast Australia: Comparison between the Federation, WWII, and Big
Dry droughts’, Geophysical Research Letters, 36(2009), 1-6.

Jay Winter, ‘Shell-shock and the Cultural History of the Great War’ in Gary Sheffield
(ed.), War Studies Reader: From the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day and Beyond
(London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2010), 201.
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[website], (29 Aug. 2011) < https://www.moadoph.gov.au/blog/william-hughes-
australia/> para. 2, accessed 9 Sept. 2018.

Mark Johnston, The Proud 6th: An Illustrated History of the 6th Australian Division 1939-
1946(Port Melbourne, VIC : Cambridge University Press, 2008),11.

Matt Liddy, Simon Elvery and Ben Spraggon, Interactive: 100 years of drought in
Australia [image], (26 Feb. 2014) < https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-26/100-
years-of-drought/5282030>, accessed 5 Sept. 2018, fig. 3.

Max Parsons, Gun Fire!: A History of the 2/12 Australian Field Regiment 1940-1946
(Cheltenham Vic: Globe Press, 1991), 97-132.

National Museum Australia, ‘Depression hits home’, Great Depression [website], (2018)
<http://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/great-depression> para. 9,
accessed 7 Sept. 2018.

State Library Victoria, ‘Medals awarded for gallantry and distinguished service’, Lists of
recipients of medals and decorations [website], (10 Oct. 2018) <
https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/wwone_soldiers/medals> para.5, accessed 3 Oct. 2018.