Eastern Adelaide Teacher resource.pdf - Army Museum of South ...

First World War 5 ÷ 24 = 21%
Second World War 5 ÷ 56 = 9%
The figures suggest that many more Australians served during World War II. In fact
just under one million Australians served in World War II compared to approximately
330,000 in World War I.
The comparative percentages also suggest that the likelihood of a service person
surviving World War I was considerably less than during World War II.
Some factors affecting casualty rates included;
The tactics that were employed during the First World War, especially the period
of trench warfare, which included frontal attacks by massed infantry against
heavily defended positions.
The ratio of personnel who served in the trenches or front lines, as opposed to
support jobs in the First World War was much greater than in the Second World
War.
Many Australians, who served in the armed forces during World War II, were
based in Australia in the event that the mainland was invaded. With some
exceptions, such as parts of Northern Australia, the risk to life in these areas was
minimal.
Improvements in the treatment of the wounded also reduced the numbers who lost
their lives during World War II. These included the application of surgical lessons
learned from World War I and other advances in medicine, which reduced the
numbers of those who, died from infection in the Second World War. Of
particular importance in fighting bacterial infection was the development of
sulphur drugs in the 1930’s and the development of a powdered form of penicillin
in 1941, which proved to be the most powerful antibacterial agent of World War
II.
History of penicillin: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpenicillin.htm
(6) Record the names and initials of the servicemen on the World War II
plaque with a cross next to their name.
Dillon L.J.
Hobbs H.C.
Newman P.F.
Smart E.R.
Tregeagle J.R.
(7) Record the name and initials of the last person to appear
on the First World War plaque.
Whitmore A.E.
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