Our Journal: First World War Studies

The notion of the First World War being emancipatory for women has been, if not dismissed, then highly qualified. Understanding the postwar renegotiation of gender roles, however, is a complex task, especially in a society in which women’s enfranchisement had long been secured. This article aims to contribute to debates about women’s experiences of the transition from war to peace and is based on the weekly women’s pages in two New Zealand newspapers for the 24 months after armistice. The columns reveal that for a time, higher education and careers were promoted to women, before such encouragement waned and more traditional roles once again dominated the columns. There was, albeit briefly, an ‘open window’ for women in New Zealand during which time wartime experiences and disruption of norms created an environment of emancipatory thinking.

Key Words: First World War. attitudes to women’s work, women’s columns, New Zealand, armistice

British statesmen and generals held Italy in low regard because of racial attitudes, ignorance of the conditions under which Italian soldiers fought, and a conviction that Italy should subordinate its interests to those of the United Kingdom. They placed unreasonable expectations on the Italian army and interpreted its failure to meet them as confirmation of British prejudices. British politicians viewed their Italian counterparts as ‘devious’ when they pursued national self-interest while those same British leaders put the interests of the British empire above those of the Entente. If Italian soldiers failed to press home an attack or hold a position, British generals accused them of defeatism, lack of fighting spirit or outright cowardice but did not level the same criticism at their own troops when they suffered reverses. Not until the summer of 1917 did a high-ranking British officer even tour the Italian front. British generals repeatedly dismissed Italian intelligence as alarmist only to have it proved correct. Throughout the war, the British treated Italy as a junior member rather than an equal partner in the alliance. This study reveals how prejudice, ignorance and arrogance shaped Anglo-Italian relations and adversely effected allied strategic planning.

Key Words: Italian front, Treaty of London, David Lloyd George, William Robertson, Luigi Cadorna

There is growing scholarly interest in the history of human-animal relationships. With regards to the First World War, scholars have increasingly sought to understand the nature of those relationships throughout the international armed forces and to ascertain the contribution animals made towards various war efforts. This article focuses on relationships between service personnel and horses in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, and argues that relationships between soldiers and their horses varied, ranging from a strictly utilitarian approach that often resulted in the mistreatment of horses, through to a deeply caring approach that resulted in close bonds between humans and horses. As will be seen, the foundations for these differences were principally the nature of individual approaches to military service in general, and the specific nature of working relationships with horses. In addition to documenting these differences and emphasizing the importance of this working relationship, this focus on the AIF also demonstrates the need to consider and value the emotional and sentimental expressions of service personnel during the First World War.

Key Words: Horses, soldiers, relationships, sentimentality, labour