1916 in Australia
Encyclopedia
See also:
1915 in Australia
,
other events of 1916,
1917 in Australia
and the
Timeline of Australian history
.
1915 in Australia
1915 in Australia
See also:1914 in Australia,other events of 1915,1916 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – The Right Hon...
,
other events of 1916,
1917 in Australia
1917 in Australia
See also:1916 in Australia,other events of 1917,1918 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history."As of 1917 Australia's population was still only 5 million, with most people living in scattered rural areas. The sea voyage to Britain took two months, and land transport within Australia...
and the
Timeline of Australian history
Timeline of Australian history
This is a timeline of Australian history.-BC:*c. 68,000–40,000 BC: Aboriginal tribes are thought to have arrived in Australia.*c. 13,000 BC: Land bridges between mainland Australia and Tasmania are flooded. Tasmanian Aboriginal people become isolated for the next 12,000 – 13,000 years.*c...
.
Incumbents
- MonarchMonarchy in AustraliaThe Monarchy of Australia is a form of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Australia. The monarchy is a constitutional one modelled on the Westminster style of parliamentary government, incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia.The present monarch is...
– King George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936.... - Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
– The Right Hon. Sir Ronald Munro-FergusonRonald Munro-Ferguson, 1st Viscount NovarRonald Craufurd Munro Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar KT GCMG PC , was a Scottish politician and colonial governor. He served as the sixth Governor-General of Australia , and is considered as probably the most politically influential holder of this post... - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
– Billy HughesBilly HughesWilliam Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
State premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – William HolmanWilliam HolmanWilliam Arthur Holman was an Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales, Australia, who split with the party on the conscription issue in 1916 during World War I, and immediately became Premier of a conservative Nationalist Party Government.-Early life:Holman was born in St Pancras, London,...
- Premier of Queensland – T. J. RyanT. J. RyanThomas Joseph "T.J." Ryan was Premier of Queensland, Australia from May 1915 until October 1919 when he resigned to enter Federal politics.-Early life:Thomas Joseph Ryan was born at Port Fairy, Victoria...
- Premier of South Australia – Crawford VaughanCrawford VaughanCrawford Vaughan , was Premier of South Australia between 3 April 1915 and 14 July 1917.Vaughan unsuccessfully campaigned for a seat in the Australian House of Representatives in 1901, and for the Australian Senate in 1903...
- Premier of Tasmania – John EarleJohn Earle (Australian politician)John Earle was an Australian politician and the first Labor Premier of Tasmania.- Early life :Born into a farming family of Cornish descent in Bridgewater, Tasmania, Earle left home at 17 to work as a blacksmith's apprentice in a Hobart foundry...
(until 15 April), then Walter LeeWalter Lee (Australian politician)Sir Walter Henry Lee KCMG was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions: from 15 April 1916 to 12 August 1922; from 14 August 1923 to 25 October 1923; and from 15 March 1934 to 22 June 1934.Lee was born in Longford in... - Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
– John ScaddanJohn ScaddanJohn Scaddan, CMG , popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.- Biography :...
(until 27 July), then Frank Wilson - Premier of Victoria – Sir Alexander PeacockAlexander PeacockSir Alexander James Peacock, KCMG , Australian politician, was the 20th Premier of Victoria.Peacock was born of Scottish descent at Creswick, the first Victorian Premier born after the gold rush of the 1850s and the attainment of self-government in Victoria. He was distantly related to the family...
State governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Gerald Strickland
- Governor of Queensland – Major Sir Hamilton Goold-AdamsHamilton Goold-AdamsMajor Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, GCMG, CB was an Irish soldier and colonial administrator who was Governor of Queensland in Australia from 1915 to 1920.-Biography:...
- Governor of South Australia – Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry GalwayHenry GalwayLieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Lionel Galway, KCMG, DSO was the Governor of South Australia from 18 April 1914 until 30 April 1920....
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir William Ellison-MacartneyWilliam Ellison-MacartneySir William Grey Ellison-Macartney, KCMG was a British politician, who also served as the Governor of the Australian states of Tasmania and Western Australia.-Early life:...
- Governor of Western AustraliaGovernor of Western AustraliaThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
– Major-General Sir Harry BarronHarry BarronMajor General Sir Harry Barron KCMG, CVO was Governor of Tasmania from 1909 to 1913, and Governor of Western Australia from 1913 to 1917.... - Governor of Victoria – Sir Arthur Stanley
Events
- Hotels are forced to close at 6 p.m., leading to the beginning of the "six o'clock swillSix o'clock swillThe six o'clock swill was an Australian and New Zealand slang term for the last-minute rush to buy drinks at a hotel bar before it closed. During a significant part of the 20th century, most Australian and New Zealand hotels shut their public bars at 6 p.m. A culture developed of heavy drinking...
": 27 March in South Australia; 21 July in Sydney after referendum of 10 June; 11 October in Victoria; during March in Tasmania. - 14 February — Liverpool riot of 1916Liverpool riot of 1916The Liverpool Riot of 1916 also known as the Battle of Central Station was an event in Sydney, Australia where a large group of Australian soldiers rioted through the streets of Sydney and surrounding areas....
— troops mutiniedMutinyMutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
against conditions at the Casula CampCasula, New South WalesCasula is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Casula is located 35 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool....
. They raided hotels in LiverpoolLiverpool, New South WalesLiverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
before travelling by train to Sydney, where one soldier was shot dead in a riot at Central Railway stationCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
. - 6 June – The Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to the Returned and Services LeagueReturned and Services League of AustraliaThe Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
is founded. - 26 June – William JacksonWilliam Jackson (Victoria Cross)John William Alexander Jackson VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for his actions in a raid near ArmentièresArmentièresArmentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. - 19 July – Battle of FromellesBattle of FromellesThe Battle of Fromelles, sometimes known as the Action at Fromelles or the Battle of Fleurbaix , occurred in France between 19 July and 20 July 1916, during World War I...
commenced; over the next seven weeks 22 826 Australian casualties occurred. - 23 July – Arthur Seaforth BlackburnArthur Seaforth BlackburnBrigadier Arthur Seaforth Blackburn VC, CMG, CBE, ED was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
and John LeakJohn LeakJohn Leak VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Biography:...
awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for their actions (separate) at the Battle of PozièresBattle of PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
. - 25 July – Thomas CookeThomas Cooke (VC)Thomas Cooke VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
died in the Battle of PozièresBattle of PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
and was awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for his gallantry in the face of the enemy. - 29 July – Claude Charles CastletonClaude Charles CastletonClaud Charles Castleton VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
killed in the Battle of PozièresBattle of PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
and for his actions in bringing back wounded men before and at the time of his death, he was awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. - Between 9 August and 12 August – Martin O'MearaMartin O'MearaMartin O'Meara VC was both an Irish recipient and an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Early Life:O'Meara was born at Terryglass, Lorrha, County Tipperary...
repeatedly went out and brought in wounded officers and men from "No Man's LandNo Man's LandNo man's land is an unoccupied area between two opposing positions.No Man's Land may also refer to:-Places:In the United Kingdom* No Man's Land, Cornwall, England* No Man's Land Fort, off the coast of England* Nomansland, Devon, England...
" under intense artilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and machine-gun fire during the Battle of PozièresBattle of PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
; for his gallantry he was awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. - 30 August – Rescue of the 22 men Imperial Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionImperial Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionThe Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent...
who remained on Elephant Island. - 28 October – The first plebisciteAustralian plebiscite, 1916The 1916 Australian plebiscite was held on 28 October 1916. It was the first non-binding Australian plebiscite, and contained one question concerning Military Service....
on the issue of military conscription was held; it was defeated. - 1 November – a general coal strike began in eastern Australia.
- The Labor government under Billy HughesBilly HughesWilliam Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
splits over military conscription. - 13 November – Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Billy Hughes is expelled from the Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
over his support for conscription. - 2 December – Sydney TwelveSydney TwelveThe Sydney Twelve were members of the Industrial Workers of the World arrested on 23 September 1916 in Sydney, Australia, and charged with treason under the Treason Felony Act , arson, sedition and forgery....
: 12 members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies)Industrial Workers of the WorldThe Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
convicted in Sydney of conspiring to commit arsonArsonArson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
and seditionSeditionIn law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
. - 23 December – World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
: Battle of MagdhabaBattle of MagdhabaThe Battle of Magdhaba took place on 23 December 1916 south and east of Bir Lahfan in the Sinai desert, some inland from the Mediterranean coast and the town of El Arish...
– In the SinaiSinai PeninsulaThe Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
desert, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n and New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
mounted troops capture the TurkishTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
garrison. - 28 December – floods in Clermont, QueenslandClermont, QueenslandClermont is an agricultural town in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. It is 274 km south-west of Mackay on the junction of the Gregory and Peak Downs highways...
claimed more than 60 lives.
Sport
- Sasanof wins the Melbourne CupMelbourne CupThe Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
- The Sheffield ShieldPura CupThe Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
was not contested due to the war. - 26 July – The 1916 NSWRFL season culminates in a grand final victory to BalmainBalmain TigersThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
.
Births
- 11 July – Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
, twenty-first Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful... - 27 August – James RamsayJames Ramsay (Australian governor)Commodore Sir James Maxwell Ramsay KCMG, KCVO, CBE, DSC .Served as Governor of Queensland, Australia from 22 April 1977 until 21 July 1985...
, Governor of Queensland (1977-1985) (d. 1986) - 14 September – John HeyerJohn HeyerJohn Whitefoord Heyer was an Australian documentary filmmaker, who is often described as the father of Australian documentary film....
, documentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
filmmaker - 25 September – Jessica AndersonJessica AndersonJessica Margaret Queale Anderson was an Australian novelist and short story writer. She won several awards and has been published in Britain and the United States.-Life:...
, author
Deaths
- 12 August – Sir George TurnerGeorge Turner (Australian politician)Sir George Turner, KCMG, PC , Australian politician, was the 18th Premier of Victoria and the first Treasurer of Australia in the federal Barton Ministry....
, 18th Premier of Victoria and a member of the first federal ministry - 7 November – Henry BrockmanHenry Brockman (Australian politician)Henry Brockman was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1884 to 1889.Born on 21 June 1845 at Herne Hill, Western Australia, Henry Brockman was the son of William Locke Brockman and Ann Frances Elizabeth née Hamersley, a nephew of Edward Hamersley , and a cousin of Edward ...
, Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council