“A time for noble enthusiasms”: schools and Anzac commemoration, 1916–1918

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine Anzac Day commemoration in schools during World War 1.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical research from newspapers and education department publications is used to illustrate key themes in these commemorations.FindingsDespite claims made at the time that school commemorations did not promote militarism, the available evidence proves the fallacy of these assertions. Moreover, schools became very significant sites for the institutionalising of Anzac Day and shaping it in quite specific ways.Originality/valueWhile other authors have examined the militarisation of schools in Australia in the early decades of the 20th century, no study has focussed on schools specifically in relation to Anzac Day.