In Australia's war history, there is no year more tragic than 1917. To mark the 90th anniversary of the Battles of Bullecourt, a new publication, 1917: Bapaume and Bullecourt, has been launched by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Bruce Billson.
"Commentators described the men of the Australian Imperial Force on the Western Front as being in their finest fighting form in the early spring of 1917. By the end of that year, many of our best men lay dead in the fields of Bullecourt and elsewhere on the Western Front," the Minister said today.

"This new publication, launched to coincide with the commemoration of the battles as part of Anzac Day commemorations in France on 21 April, gives an insight into the events of April -May 1917, with historical images that graphically illustrate the experiences of our men on the battlefield. The book has also been published in French and will be available in France."

While 1916 had seen hard fighting and heavy casualties, Australian troops entered the new year strong and battle hardened. From February 1917, Australian troops pursued the Germans withdrawing to the Hindenburg Line. After a hard-fought advance over many kilometres, heavy losses-10,000 men killed, wounded or taken prisoner-were suffered in ill-conceived and costly attacks on 11 April and 3 May against enemy defences at Bullecourt.

"Thousands of men fell and ground was gamely taken, but in the end it proved to be of little strategic value," Mr Billson said.
"We remember their sacrifice, as do the residents of Bullecourt, who will gather at Anzac Day services to commemorate the diggers who fought there ninety years ago.

"More Australians were killed in action or died of wounds on the Western Front than in all other campaigns and conflicts of the 20th century combined. From 1916 to 1918, some 306,000 Australians served on the Western Front in France and Belgium and were prominent in the devastating battles at Pozières, Fromelles, Mouquet Farm, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele and Amiens. To recognise Australia's contribution, the Australian Government has committed $10.5 million for major commemorative projects on the Western Front," the Minister said.

1917: Bapaume and Bullecourt is the second book of the Australians on the Western Front series being published by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The first, 1916: Fromelles and the Somme, was released last year. Further editions in the series will be published to coincide with anniversaries of other key Western Front battles over the next eighteen months. The series is available from the Australian War Memorial Shop or online at www.awm.gov.au.