- Day 1150 of the war
- Howard Vivian Hawke enlists. Howard is commemorated on the Centenary of WWI in Orange Honour Roll; he would be killed in action in France on 9 August 1918.
- Orange clerk, John Robert Stevenson, sends news from the Western Front. Jack Stevenson’s Experiences
- No 2 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps flies across the English Channel and lands at St Omer in France
- “The Recruiter” writes An Open Letter to Wives of Warriors, one sure to instil fear in the hearts of the women of Orange
As wives of Australian warriors, I have the greatest admiration for you, for you have indeed made a woman’s supreme sacrifice in that you have given up your man to the service of his country…
But if you are a true woman you must have recognised what so many of our politicians and public speakers fail to realise, and that is that Australia can only be defended on the battlefields of Europe. This fair southern land of ours has too vast a coast line for its mere handful of population to defend, and should Germany come out on top in the world struggle now in progress, Australia is one of the richest prizes which would fall to her share. Think for a moment what this would mean…
Do you imagine, after being held back so long, these beasts of human form would respect your honour or the honour of your children? They do not understand the meaning of the word honour…
Were our shores invaded our men would be murdered in a few days at the most or turned into slaves for their Hunnish taskmasters, while the lot of the young married women will not bear writing about…
What can you do to prevent this? I will tell you… You can say to these other women whose husbands are still lingering behind their skirts: “I sent my man to defend my honour and incidentally yours, and now it is up to you to tell your man it is high time he did the same for you.”
