November 15, 2021
An unusual event organised in the lead-up to Remembrance Day commemorations attracted a small group to the Kingaroy Town Hall’s Reception Room last week.
The Remembrance Day “Facts and Figures” morning last Tuesday was organised by the Kingaroy-Memerambi RSL Sub-Branch to help spread a better understanding of the importance of November 11, the meaning behind the various symbols and activities, and an exposition of how much the Great War really cost Australia.
Topics covered included the Red Poppy and the poem, “In Flanders Fields”; the Ode, the meaning of the Catafalque Guard; medals and dog tags; and an overview of the war.
Kingaroy State High School musical teacher Matt Phillips explained the different bugle calls – The Last Post, Rouse and Reveille – and gave a demonstration.
Piper Ross Page also played and explained the role and proud history of bagpipes in battle.
Economist Dr Les Henning then shared his seven-year research into the cost of World War I to Australia: how the money was raised through taxation, loans, war bonds and war reparations; and how it was spent – including munitions and pay (£329m), debt interest (£353m) and repatriation schemes (£265m), which included the soldier settlement schemes in the South Burnett and elsewhere.
Then-Prime Minister Billy Hughes put in a claim for £450m in war reparations from Germany but Australia was eventually allocated £64m. However, the country had only received £5.57m before Hitler stopped paying in 1932.
And the total cost of World War I (including post-war costs)? £943,116,503 (after German reparations), ie. in 2020 dollars, $115 billion.
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