
This segment from an Australasian Gazette newsreel shows returned Anzacs marching through Melbourne streets as part of the 'Fill-the-Gap’ recruitment drive. A marching band leads a parade of returned Anzac servicemen holding placards that say 'Wanted – A man to fill this gap’. A replica tank motors down the street followed by trams and floats with returned servicemen, while the crowd looks on. Summary by Elizabeth Taggart-Speers.
This black-and-white silent newsreel opens with a title card that says 'Returned Anzacs Make 'Fill-the-Gap’ Appeal in march through the City’. This introduces the newsreel and explains that the parade is part of the recruitment drive for men to enlist in the armed forces.
The exact date of this footage is unknown, though the march may have taken place during the latter half of the First World War. It was possibly in support of the 1916 or 1917 referendum campaigns to introduce conscription.
Notes by Elizabeth Taggart-Speers
This silent, black-and-white clip shows returned Australian First World War soldiers parading through the streets of Melbourne. The placards indicate that the march was an appeal for more recruits to join the Army and it may been in support of the 1916 referendum campaign. The parade comprises marching bands, soldiers in various styles of uniforms, civilians, military hardware and a number of floats including a replica tank and a British bulldog straddled by a young man in a sailor’s uniform. Many of the marchers are carrying placards reading 'WANTED / A MAN TO FILL THIS GAP’. Spectators, standing three to four people deep, line the route. The footage from an Australasian Gazette newsreel opens with a title card and includes eight shots that cover the parade from different vantage points.
Education notes provided by The Learning Federation and Education Services Australia
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