Shrine presentation – Australians and Villers-Bretonneux

The immense German onslaught in March 1918 led to Britain’s gravest crisis of World War I. The Australians were rushed to the rescue in this climax of the conflict. The significance of what they did in 1918 is under-recognised today, but they were influencing the destiny of the world more than Australians have done in any other year before or since.

The culmination of their vital contribution in the dramatic defensive phase was the stunning counter-attack at Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918, which was acclaimed by General Monash (who was not involved himself) as ‘the finest thing yet done in the war by Australians or any other troops’.

No one was more pivotal than Pompey Elliott, Australia’s most famous fighting general. To commemorate the centenary of this famous feat, award-winning historian Ross McMullin, whose latest book is Pompey Elliott at War: In His Own Words, will illuminate the background context and tell the story of the battle.

Presenter: Dr Ross McMullin