I sat at home in front of the fireplace. It was a cold winter evening and the kids were doing their homework in the lounge room. My wife came in with dinner prepared. She slowly approached and sat down with me handing me the bowl of mashed potatoes and peas. She was silent until we finished our dinner. It was quite unusual of her, i wondered what was on her mind, but suddenly she began to speak.
“Darling,” her voice shook. “I have this letter, we have to vote against conscription,” she said to me.
“Against? Why would we vote against it?”
Conscription, I thought, well of course I’d vote for it. I’d heard of young men, with nobody depending on them, no one who couldn’t live without them; they had no children, no wife, nothing to fight for. Yet they refused to go to war, they forced the men with families, men with wives and parents depending on them, men with children to feed, to risk their lives on the front line. This was unfair. With conscription in place we could send out these immoral men, send them to war and fight for our country. Conscription will give everyone a fair go.
“But if the country decides on conscription... what if you’re sent out?” She whispered as she held me hand.
“I have to prove myself, I am a man after all, It’s the righteous thing to do.”
“Honey, you have a family, and children, think of the children! What if you never make it back?”
“I will dear, have faith in me.”
This is a well written and creative post. When would a debate like this have taken place? What year did Australian's vote for/against conscription?
ReplyDeleteThis debate would have taken place some time in October 1916. This was when the first national vote was held for conscription.
ReplyDelete