Emu War

Last updated

Emu War
Deceased emu during Emu War.jpg
A man holding an emu killed by Australian soldiers
Location
Campion district, Western Australia
Planned bySir George Pearce
ObjectiveReduce the local emu population
Date2 November – 10 December 1932
(1 month, 1 week and 1 day)
Executed byFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australian Army, led by Major Gwynydd Purves Wynne-Aubrey Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery
Outcome986 emus confirmed killed. [1] Minimal impact on the overall emu population.

The Emu War (or Great Emu War) [2] was a nuisance wildlife management military operation undertaken in Australia over the later part of 1932 to address public concern over the number of emus said to be destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The unsuccessful attempts to curb the population of emus employed Royal Australian Artillery soldiers armed with Lewis guns—leading the media to adopt the name "Emu War" when referring to the incident. Although many birds were killed, the emu population persisted and continued to cause crop destruction.

Contents

Background

Fallow caused by emus Fallow caused by emus.jpg
Fallow caused by emus

Following World War I, large numbers of discharged veterans who served in the war were given land by the Australian government to take up farming within Western Australia, often in agriculturally marginal areas. With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, these farmers were encouraged to increase their wheat crops, with the government promising—and failing to deliver—assistance in the form of subsidies. Because of the recommendations and the promised subsidies, wheat prices continued to fall, and by October 1932 the situation intensified, with the farmers preparing to harvest the season's crop while simultaneously threatening to refuse to deliver the wheat. [1]

The farmers' difficulties were worsened by the arrival of approximately 20,000 emus. [3] Emus regularly migrate after their breeding season, heading to the coast from the inland regions. With the cleared land and additional water supplies being made available for livestock by the Western Australian farmers, the emus found that the cultivated lands were good habitat, and they began to foray into farm territory—in particular the marginal farming land around Chandler and Walgoolan. [1] The emus consumed and spoiled the crops and left large gaps in fences where rabbits could enter and cause further problems. [4]

Farmers relayed their concerns about the birds ravaging their crops, and a deputation of ex-soldiers were sent to meet with the Minister of Defence, Sir George Pearce. Having served in World War I, the soldier-settlers were well aware of the effectiveness of machine guns, and they requested their deployment. The minister readily agreed, although with conditions attached: the guns were to be used by military personnel, troop transport was to be financed by the Western Australian government, and the farmers would provide food, accommodation, and payment for the ammunition. [1] [5] Pearce also supported the deployment on the grounds that the birds would make good target practice, [6] while it has also been argued that some in the government may have viewed the operation as a way of being seen to be helping the Western Australian farmers, as well as to stave off the brewing secession movement. Towards that end, a cinematographer from Fox Movietone was enlisted. [1]

The "war"

Defence minister Sir George Pearce ordered the army to cull the emu population. He was later called the "Minister of the Emu War" in parliament by Senator James Dunn. Sir George Pearce.jpg
Defence minister Sir George Pearce ordered the army to cull the emu population. He was later called the "Minister of the Emu War" in parliament by Senator James Dunn.

Military involvement was due to begin in October 1932. [5] The "war" was conducted under the command of Major Gwynydd Purves Wynne-Aubrey Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery's 7th Heavy Artillery, [1] [6] with Meredith commanding soldiers Sergeant S. McMurray and Gunner J. O'Halloran, [8] armed with two Lewis guns [9] and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. [6] The operation was delayed, however, by a period of rainfall that caused the emus to scatter over a wider area. [5] The rain ceased by 2 November 1932, [1] [5] whereupon the troops were deployed with orders to assist the farmers and, according to a newspaper account, to collect 100 emu skins so that their feathers could be used to make hats for light horsemen. [10]

First attempt

On 2 November, the men travelled to Campion, where some 50 emus were sighted. [1] As the birds were out of range of the guns, the local settlers attempted to herd the emus into an ambush, but the birds split into small groups and ran so that they were difficult to target. [6] Nevertheless, while the first fusillade from the machine guns was ineffective due to the range, a second round of gunfire was able to kill "a number" of birds. Later the same day a small flock was encountered, and "perhaps a dozen" birds were killed. [1]

The next significant event was on 4 November. Meredith had established an ambush near a local dam, and more than 1,000 emus were spotted heading towards their position. This time the gunners waited until the birds were in close proximity before opening fire. The gun jammed after only 12 birds were killed and the remainder scattered before any more could be shot. [8] No more birds were sighted that day. [1]

In the days that followed, Meredith chose to move further south, where the birds were "reported to be fairly tame", [11] but there was only limited success in spite of his efforts. [1] By the fourth day of the campaign, army observers noted that "each pack seems to have its own leader now—a big black-plumed bird which stands fully six feet high and keeps watch while his mates carry out their work of destruction and warns them of our approach". [12] At one stage Meredith even went so far as to mount one of the guns on a truck, a move that proved to be ineffective, as the truck was unable to gain on the birds, and the ride was so rough that the gunner was unable to fire any shots. [1] By 8 November, six days after the first engagement, 2,500 rounds of ammunition had been fired. [6] The number of birds killed is uncertain: one account estimates that it was 50 birds, [6] but other accounts range from 200 to 500, the latter figure being provided by the settlers. Meredith's official report noted that his men had suffered no casualties. [1]

Summarising the culls, ornithologist Dominic Serventy commented:

The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month. [13]

On 8 November, members in the Australian House of Representatives discussed the operation. [6] Following the negative coverage of the events in the local media, [14] that included claims that "only a few" emus had died, [4] Pearce withdrew the military personnel and the guns on 8 November. [4] [6] [15] [16]

After the withdrawal, Major Meredith compared the emus to Zulus and commented on the striking manoeuvrability of the emus, even while badly wounded.

If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world ... They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks. They are like Zulus whom even dum-dum bullets could not stop. [12]

Second attempt

In November 1932, during parliamentary question time, Prime Minister Joseph Lyons (pictured) was mockingly asked by Lang Labor MP Rowley James whether a medal would be struck for the soldiers. Joseph Lyons seated.jpg
In November 1932, during parliamentary question time, Prime Minister Joseph Lyons (pictured) was mockingly asked by Lang Labor MP Rowley James whether a medal would be struck for the soldiers.

After the withdrawal of the military, the emu attacks on crops continued. Farmers again asked for support, citing the hot weather and drought that brought emus invading farms in the thousands. James Mitchell, the Premier of Western Australia lent his strong support to renewal of the military assistance. At the same time, a report from the Base Commander was issued that indicated 300 emus had been killed in the initial operation. [16]

Acting on the requests and the Base Commander's report, by 12 November the Minister of Defence approved a resumption of military efforts. [16] He defended the decision in the Senate, explaining why the soldiers were necessary to combat the serious agricultural threat of the large emu population. [4] Although the military had agreed to lend the guns to the Western Australian government on the expectation that they would provide the necessary people, Meredith was once again placed in the field due to an apparent lack of experienced machine gunners in the state. [1]

Taking to the field on 13 November 1932, the military found a degree of success over the first two days, with approximately 40 emus killed. The third day, 15 November, proved to be far less successful, but by 2 December the soldiers were killing approximately 100 emus per week. Meredith was recalled on 10 December, and in his report he claimed 986 confirmed kills with 9,860 rounds, at a rate of exactly 10 rounds per confirmed kill. In addition, Meredith claimed exactly 2,500 wounded birds had also died from their injuries. [1] In assessing the success of the cull, an article in the Coolgardie Miner on 23 August 1935 reported that although the use of machine guns had been "criticised in many quarters, the method proved effective and saved what remained of the wheat". [18]

Aftermath

Despite the problems encountered with the cull, the farmers of the region once again requested military assistance in 1934, 1943, and 1948, only to be turned down by the government. [1] [19] Instead, the bounty system that had been instigated in 1923 was continued, and this proved to be effective: 57,034 bounties were claimed over a six-month period in 1934. [6]

By December 1932, word of the Emu War had spread, reaching the United Kingdom. Some conservationists there protested the cull as "extermination of the rare emu". [20] Dominic Serventy and Hubert Whittell, the eminent Australian ornithologists, described the "war" as "an attempt at the mass destruction of the birds". [21] [22] [23]

Throughout 1930 and onward, exclusion barrier fencing became a popular means of keeping emus out of agricultural areas (in addition to other vermin, such as dingoes and rabbits). [24] [12]

In November 1950, Hugh Leslie raised the issues of emus in federal parliament and urged Army Minister Josiah Francis to release a quantity of .303 ammunition from the army for the use of farmers. The minister approved the release of 500,000 rounds of ammunition. [25]

Legacy

In 2019, a musical adaptation of the story was workshopped in Melbourne by playwright Simeon Yialeloglou and composer James Court. [26] An action-comedy film, titled The Emu War, premiered at Monster Fest on 22 October 2023. [27] [28] Another action-comedy movie retelling of the events, written by John Cleese, Monty Franklin, Rob Schneider, Camilla Cleese, and Jim Jefferies, was aiming to begin production in 2023 or 2024. [29] [27] [ needs update ]

See also

Related Research Articles

The MG 42 is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun used extensively by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during the second half of World War II. Entering production in 1942, it was intended to supplement and replace the earlier MG 34, which was more expensive and took much longer to produce, but both weapons were produced until the end of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis gun</span> Light machine gun

The Lewis gun is a First World War–era light machine gun. Designed privately in the United States though not adopted there, the design was finalised and mass-produced in the United Kingdom, and widely used by troops of the British Empire during the war. It had a distinctive barrel cooling shroud and top-mounted pan magazine. The Lewis served to the end of the Korean War, and was widely used as an aircraft machine gun during both World Wars, almost always with the cooling shroud removed, as air flow during flight offered sufficient cooling.

The Chauchat was the standard light machine gun or "machine rifle" of the French Army during World War I (1914–18). Its official designation was "Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG". Beginning in June 1916, it was placed into regular service with French infantry, where the troops called it the FM Chauchat, after Colonel Louis Chauchat, the main contributor to its design. The Chauchat in 8mm Lebel was also extensively used in 1917–18 by the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.), where it was officially designated as the "Automatic Rifle, Model 1915 (Chauchat)". A total of 262,000 Chauchats were manufactured between December 1915 and November 1918, including 244,000 chambered for the 8mm Lebel service cartridge, making it the most widely manufactured automatic weapon of World War I. The armies of eight other nations—Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia—also used the Chauchat machine rifle in fairly large numbers during and after World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M2 Browning</span> .50 calibre heavy machine gun

The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge, the M2 uses Browning's larger and more powerful .50 BMG cartridge. The design has had many designations; the official U.S. military designation for the infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It has been used against infantry, light armored vehicles, watercraft, light fortifications, and low-flying aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers machine gun</span> Heavy machine gun

The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and operate it: one fired, one fed the ammunition, the others helped to carry the weapon, its ammunition, and spare parts. It was in service from before the First World War until the 1960s, with air-cooled versions of it on many Allied World War I fighter aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordnance QF 25-pounder</span> British field gun and howitzer used during the Second World War

The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, with a calibre of 3.45 inches (87.6 mm), was a piece of field artillery used by British and Commonwealth forces in the Second World War. It was often described as being durable, easy to operate and versatile. It was the major British field gun and howitzer during the War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machine Gun Corps</span> British Army corps of 1915–1922

The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks in combat and was subsequently turned into the Tank Corps, later called the Royal Tank Regiment. The MGC remained in existence after the war until it was disbanded in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedric Popkin</span> Australian soldier (1890–1968)

Cedric Bassett Popkin was an Australian soldier considered most likely to have killed "The Red Baron" according to original research and forensics done by Dr M Geoffrey Miller “The death of Baron Manfred Richthofen: Who fired the fatal shot?” in 1998. Popkin was an anti-aircraft (AA) machine gunner with the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QF 2-pounder naval gun</span> British naval gun

The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 40 mm (1.6 in) British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing. This QF 2-pounder was not the same gun as the Ordnance QF 2-pounder, used by the British Army as an anti-tank gun and a tank gun, although they both fired 2 lb (0.91 kg), 40 mm (1.6 in) projectiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordnance QF 6-pounder</span> British anti-tank gun

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 7 cwt, or just 6-pounder, was a British 57 mm gun, serving during the Second World War as a primary anti-tank gun of both the British and United States Army. It was also used as the main armament for a number of armoured fighting vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordnance QF 2-pounder</span> Tank gun and anti-tank gun

The Ordnance QF 2-pounder, or simply "2 pounder gun", was a 40 mm (1.575 in) British anti-tank gun and vehicle-mounted gun employed in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L118 light gun</span> Towed field gun

The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in the United Kingdom for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a different type of ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M107 self-propelled gun</span> Cold War-era American heavy artillery

The M107 175 mm (6.9 in) self-propelled gun was used by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. It was part of a family of self-propelled artillery that included the M110. It was intended to provide long-range fire support in an air-transportable system. It was exported to several other countries including Germany, South Korea, Spain, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Turkey. The M107's combat history in U.S. service was limited to the Vietnam War; it also saw extensive combat use in Israeli service. The M107 shared many components with, and in many cases was replaced by, later versions of the M110 203 mm (8.0 in) howitzer. Although withdrawn from U.S. service in the late 1970s, it continues to see military service as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Pasir Panjang</span> Colonial Singapore defensive structure

Fort Pasir Panjang or Labrador Battery is located within Labrador Park at the southern tip of Singapore island. It was one of the 11 coastal artillery forts built by the British in the 19th century to defend the western passageway into Keppel Harbour against piracy and foreign naval powers. During the 1942 Battle of Pasir Panjang, the fort played a supporting role but a limited one in defending the Malay Regiments against the Japanese invasion at Bukit Chandu. In 1995, the site was gazetted by the National Heritage Board as one of the 11 World War II sites in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Corboy</span> Australian politician

Edwin Wilkie "Ted" Corboy was an Australian politician and public servant. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the House of Representatives from 1918 to 1919, representing the Western Australian seat of Swan. Corboy was elected to federal parliament at the age of 21, setting a record for the youngest member of parliament which stood until 2010. He was defeated after a single term, but subsequently served in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1921 to 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experimental Military Unit</span> Australian-American military unit

The Experimental Military Unit (EMU) was a joint Australian-American company-sized helicopter assault force which operated during the Vietnam War. The unit was created in 1967 following a request from the United States military for Australia to send more helicopter pilots to the conflict. As the only available personnel were from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Fleet Air Arm, the RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam (RANHFV) was formed and integrated into the 135th Assault Helicopter Company of the United States Army. The EMU unit name was selected by the Americans as a backronym for the Australian bird, a choice which amused the Australians: despite being large, fast, and highly mobile, the emu cannot fly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubert Whittell</span> British army officer and Australian farmer and ornithologist

Hubert Massey Whittell OBE was a British army officer, and later an Australian farmer and ornithologist who compiled a history and bibliography of ornithology in Australia from its origins until the mid-20th century.

Walgoolan is a small town located in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is situated between Merredin and Bodallin along the Great Eastern Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artillery Memorial, Cape Town</span> Memorial to the gunners who fought for South Africa during World War I

Artillery Memorial, Cape Town was erected in memory of the gunners who fought for South Africa during World War I. The memorial, which forms part of the Delville Wood Memorial, is located in the Company's Garden, Cape Town, and was strategically established to commemorate South Africa's artillery soldiers who fell in battle. Of those who volunteered to fight during the war, 5800 were white South African, amongst whom 15% were Dutch and 85% English. An estimated 2536 of these men were killed in the Deville Wood battle in Europe. The Artillery Memorial, an authentic cannon facing east towards the National Gallery, proudly honors South Africa's heavy artillerymen. Inscribed on it are the names of the officers, N.C.O.'s and men of the South African artillery who fell in the Great War (1914–1918).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">94th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery</span> Military unit

94th Siege Battery, was a heavy howitzer unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) formed in North East England during World War I. It saw active service on the Western Front at the Somme, Arras, and Messines, on the Flanders coast, against the German spring offensive, and in the final Hundred Days Offensive.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Johnson, Murray (2006). "'Feathered foes': soldier settlers and Western Australia's 'Emu War' of 1932". Journal of Australian Studies. 30 (88): 147–157. doi:10.1080/14443050609388083. ISSN   1444-3058. S2CID   144598286.[ page needed ]
  2. ↑ Shuttlesworth, Dorothy Edwards (1967). The Wildlife of Australia and New Zealand . University of Michigan Press. p. 69.
  3. ↑ Gill, Frank B. (2007). Ornithology (3rd ed.). Macmillan. p. xxvi. ISBN   978-0-7167-4983-7.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "'Emu War' defended". The Argus . Canberra. 19 November 1932. p. 22.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Rain Scatters Emus". The Argus. Perth. 18 October 1932. p. 7.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Robin, Libby; Joseph, Leo; Heinshohn, Rob (2009). Boom and Bust: Bird Stories For a Dry Country. CSIRO Publishing. p. 256. ISBN   978-0-643-09606-6.
  7. ↑ "Over the Speakers Chair". The Canberra Times . Canberra. 19 November 1932. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  8. 1 2 Burton, Adrian (1 August 2013). "Tell me, mate, what were emus like?". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment . 11 (6): 336. Bibcode:2013FrEE...11..336B. doi: 10.1890/1540-9295-11.6.336 . ISSN   1540-9309.
  9. ↑ Arthur, Jay Mary (2003). The Default Country: A Lexical Cartography of Twentieth-century Australia. UNSW Press. pp. 123–124. ISBN   978-0-86840-542-1.
  10. ↑ "Machine Guns Sent Against Emu Pests". The Argus. Perth. 3 November 1932. p. 2.
  11. ↑ West Australian, 4 March 1932, quoted in Johnson (2006), p. 152.
  12. 1 2 3 Special Correspondent (5 July 1953). "New Strategy in a War on the Emu". Sunday Herald . p. 13.
  13. ↑ John P. Rafferty; Richard Pallardy, eds. (2009). "casuariiform". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  14. ↑ "Elusive Emus". The Argus. Perth. 5 November 1932. p. 4.
  15. ↑ "War on Emus". The Argus. 10 November 1932. p. 8.
  16. 1 2 3 "Emu War Again". The Canberra Times. 12 November 1932. p. 1.
  17. ↑ "Questions in Representatives". The West Australian. 9 November 1932.
  18. ↑ "Another "Emu War"?". Coolgardie Miner . 23 August 1935. Retrieved 9 December 2019– via Trove.
  19. ↑ "Request to Use Bombs to Kill Emus". The Mail. Perth. 3 July 1943. p. 12 – via Trove.
  20. ↑ Jenkins, C.F.H. (1988). The Wanderings of an Entomologist. Cornell University Press. p. 8. ISBN   978-0-7316-2888-9.
  21. ↑ Serventy, Dominic Louis; Hubert Massey Whittell (1948). A Handbook of the Birds of Western Australia (with the exception of the Kimberley Division). Patersons Press; Original: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 63.
  22. ↑ Gore, Jasper Garner (2 November 2016). "Looking Back: Australia's Emu Wars". Australian Geographic. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  23. ↑ Crew, Bec (4 August 2014). "The Great Emu War: In which some large, flightless birds unwittingly foiled the Australian Army". Scientific American Blogs. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  24. ↑ McKnight, Tom (July 1969). "Barrier Fencing for Vermin Control in Australia". Geographical Review. 59 (3): 330–347. Bibcode:1969GeoRv..59..330M. doi:10.2307/213480. JSTOR   213480.
  25. ↑ "Control of emus". Coolgardie Miner . 30 November 1950. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023.
  26. ↑ "Grassroots 2019". Home Grown. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  27. 1 2 Shepherd, Tory (6 October 2023). "Australia's emu war: John Cleese outrun in race to shoot movie of how flightless birds thwarted army's machine guns". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "Trailer Drops for Monster Fest 2023 Official Selection THE EMU WAR". Monster Fest. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "British and US comedy legends bring bizarre chapter of Australian history to big screen". 7NEWS.com.au. 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.