Thursday, July 06, 2017

Soldier Settlement


The Last Battle by Bruce Scates documents the opportunities offered and in many cases the difficulties faced by returned servicemen following World War One.

Family History Researchers can search their Victorian First World War Soldier settler ancestors at Battle to Farm: WW1 Soldier settlement records in Victoria from Public Records Office of Victoria
The War ended in November 1918.  More than 112,000 Victorian men had enlisted  and 91,000 saw service overseas.  About 17,000 were killed.
In order to repay the sacrifice and help returned servicemen return to domestic life, men were offered to opportunity to farm.  The nationwide Soldier Settlement Scheme was established providing blocks of land on which it was hoped that families could rebuild their lives. Across Australia thousands of returned servicemen took up the challenge and reinvented themselves as farmers.

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