The Experiences of Archie Royce, YMCA Representative in the AIF 1916-18

Abstract

The YMCA was one of the most effective support organisations for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during World War One, its evangelical orientation motivating it to heights of influence on hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This paper explores the experiences of Archie Royce, YMCA Representative in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) from late 1916 to the end of the war. Royce served on a troopship, then at AIF bases around Weymouth in England, finally completing a short period of service in the front lines late in the war. It examines his diary and letters, which detail his work in social welfare and religious activities on behalf of the soldiers and his relationships to the various military and civilian personnel connected to his work. His papers also capture his relationship with his wife and children in Australia, his son serving in the AIF, and the friendships he cultivated, in particular with several women who provided him with considerable emotional support. The discussion offers an evaluation of his contribution, using it as an example of the influence that the evangelically-minded YMCA had on servicemen in World War One.