Description
Title: The Waratahs South Coast Recruiting March, 1915
Author: Clark, Alan
Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st Edition
Publication Date: 1994
ISBN: 0959607242
Cover: Soft Cover without Dust Jacket – 61 pages
Comments: During World War I, recruitment marches or snowball marches to Sydney were a feature of volunteer recruiting drives for the Australian Imperial Force in rural New South Wales, Australia. Between October 1915 and February 1916, nine marches were held starting from various points in the state; the most notable was the first march from Gilgandra, known as the Cooee march. There was also a similar march in south-eastern Queensland. In 1918, in an effort to promote recruitment, another march was staged, but this was less spontaneous and the marchers in fact traveled by train.
The marches were called “snowball marches” in the hope that like a snowball rolling down a hill will pick up more snow, gaining more mass and surface area, and picking up even more snow as it rolls along, the marchers would also collect more marchers as they progressed to the recruiting depot.
The men of the Waratahs South Coast Recruiting March came from the south coast: Nowra, Bomaderry, Meroo, Berry, Gerringong, Kiama, Jamberoo, Albion Park, Dapto, Unanderra, Port Kembla, Wollongong, Balgownie, Corrimal, Woonona, Bulli, Thirroul, Coledale, Scarborough, Stanwell Park, Helensburgh, Heathcote, Sutherland, Hurstville, Kogarah, Rockdale, arriving at The Domain, Sydney. The contingent included men from Jervis Bay, and Kangaroo Valley even though these towns were not on the route. The Waratahs entered camp at Liverpool on 17th December 1915.
Now a scarce and highly desirable title.
