ABSTRACT
‘Peace by Negotiation’ was the slogan for 1918. This emphasis brought Brisbane’s anti-war and labour movement more in line with overseas, even though it was a position advocated by the Women’s Peace Army from its inception. Grief compounded as the war continued, as did the divisions between genders. People began to withdraw their consent for the war. The peace rallies in Brisbane were the biggest in Australia, and peace army members joined the Australian Peace Alliance. Women activists began to engage with socialism, supporting the local expatriate Russian Bolsheviks. Kathleen Hotson from South Australia, and Jennie Scott Griffiths, a fiery American socialist, became spokespeople for labour women. Other women, especially the Quakers, focused on the future through the children, and the Children’s Peace Army remained active.
The Voluntary Aid Detachments of the British Red Cross become a highly visible presence marching in their tens of thousands. The women peace advocates supported President Woodward Wilson’s call for ‘Peace Without Victory’. At the Armistice, the people of Australia celebrated, but the VADs under the control of the British had to wait until the Treaty of Versailles was officially signed. The relations between the genders were transformed during the war.
