All stories require some form of research, quite often to place a character in a place at a particular time, especially if it is in a historical context. This series will take you through what it was like in 1914 through 1916.

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What sort of people would be seeking to travel by ship back to England from Australia in April 1915

In April 1915, civilians seeking to travel by ship from Australia to England would have been predominantly British subjects with deep ties to the “mother country”. The outbreak of World War I in August 1914 had drastically changed the context of ocean travel, transforming passenger liners into military transports while introducing new dangers from German U-boats. The people who made this risky journey would have had compelling and urgent reasons, unlike the voluntary migration that defined the pre-war era. 

Military-related reasons

The Gallipoli campaign began on April 25, 1915, but Australian troops had already been in training in Egypt since early 1915. Civilian travel was therefore strongly influenced by military matters. 

• Families of soldiers: The families of soldiers preparing to fight in Europe or the Middle East would have had a range of motivations to travel. Some may have been seeking to visit relatives fighting in the war, while others could have been returning to England to wait out the war closer to family there.
• Returning wounded soldiers: Some of the earliest wounded troops from the Gallipoli campaign may have been shipped back to England for treatment.
• Soldiers on leave: Troops who were ill or wounded were sometimes sent to England to recover before returning to the front or being repatriated to Australia. 

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Personal and professional reasons

Despite the war, some civilians with urgent matters still had to travel, though the number of civilian passengers had dropped significantly. 

• Settling estates or dealing with family emergencies: Individuals might have needed to travel to manage pressing family matters, such as inheriting an estate or attending to a sick or dying relative.
• Business trips: Essential business-related travel, though rare, would have been undertaken by those with connections to the war effort or other vital industries.
• Government officials: Personnel in government service or diplomacy would have been required to travel between Australia and the UK for official duties. 

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Impeded migration

Travel was not happening in the typical fashion. Normal migration patterns to Australia from Britain had been disrupted by the war, meaning that few people were moving for purely leisurely reasons. 

• Government restrictions: The British government had fixed age limits for conscription, which, combined with the shortages of shipping, heavily restricted the movement of male immigrants.
• Fewer migrants: In turn, this meant fewer assisted passage immigrants were travelling to Australia, reducing the overall pool of travellers.