Australian Wends in World War One

Do you have any Wendish relatives who were involved in World War One (1914-1918)?

When the Great War (now known as the First World War, or World War One, or WW1) began in August 1914, Australia had a population of just under 5 million. During 1914-1918, about 416,000 men enlisted, 60,000 of whom died and 156,000 were wounded. In his book, German Anzacs, John F Williams estimates that 18,000 Australians ‘of enemy origin’ (that is, with German ancestry) could have served overseas in the 1st AIF. Amongst these would be many of Wendish ancestry. They enlisted to fight for their birth country, despite the official suspicion in those times about anyone of German origin.

As Australia commemorates the sacrifices made during WW1, our Wend/Sorb Society is interested in identifying those of Wendish descent who fought and possibly died for this country.

We invite you to contribute the names and other details of anyone of Wendish ancestry who served in WW1. Do you know of members of your family? Were there any women who served as nurses etc.? Send details to president@wendsorbsociety.org.au.

Here is the list of servicemen that we have compiled so far.