The Anzacs, Religion and God: The Spiritual Journeys of Twenty-Seven Members of the AIF

Abstract

Capturing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Anzac diaries and letters offer access to the souls of those who served in the Great War. While big-picture thematic studies of the interaction of religion and war can reveal so much, the interplay in the lives of individual men and women can remain hidden. This study follows the particular spiritual journeys of twenty-seven members of the AIF, taken from their own writings, as they wrestled with their pre-existing beliefs in the crucible of war. By highlighting the personal narratives, we see more clearly the complexities of the relationship between war and religion. These existed at more than the collective level – they played out in the lives of individuals as well.