Author(s): Dale Blair

First World War

One of the rarely discussed aspects of the experience of soldiers in the First World War was the refusal to take prisoners during battle and in some cases the killing of prisoners in the front line. No Quarter investigates the degree to which Australian soldiers were participants in this practice both as victims and perpetrators. Despite being outlawed by the rules of war, No Quarter was a grisly fact of life in the trenches. Using official histories, repatriated prisoner statements, personal accounts, unit diaries and battalion histories, this work assesses the degree to which such unlawful acts prevailed in the Australian war experience during 1915-18. As well, the precarious process of surrendering and subsequent prisoner of war experience is discussed. Dr Dale Blair is a freelance historian from Melbourne. He has written numerous articles on the First World War. He is also the author of Dinkum Diggers: An Australian Battalion at War (MUP, 2001).