On 4 August, 1914 Britain, on behalf of the Empire, declared war on Germany. By the time the Germans surrendered on 11 November 1918, 300,000 Australian men had enlisted of whom over 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed or taken prisoner. The First World War remains our most costly conflict ever in terms of deaths and casualties.

In battle someone has to tender the fallen and get them back to safety.

While it took courage to go to war, spare a thought for those who stayed behind. In an environment of misguided patriotism, it would have taken more bravery to stay than to go.

No amount of analysis, interviews, documents or essays can describe the horror of Gallipoli. But it is a story that must be told. Everyone agrees, such a thing should never happen again.

It wasn't enough to be fighting for Australia, you were also fighting for your own pride.

World War I was a defining moment in Australia's quest for an identity. Being such a young country, it was important how the world saw us.

While the fighting continued in Europe, a battle of words raged in Australia.