Now It Can Be Told · Character

The Australians

The men from the far side of the world who come ashore at Boulogne packed like herrings, march into the Somme, and prove that citizen-soldiers can out-general the professionals.

supporting

Also known as VI, VI Australians, the Australians, Australians, The Australians

First appearance: i

As a supporting figure in Now It Can Be Told, The Australians is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as troops whose fighting merit was not accounted for by smartness in saluting, contrasting with the generals' criteria.

In the storyPart I: Observers and CommandersOpen this moment free

See The Australians in Part I: Observers and Commanders Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

They arrive in the same endless stream as the English, Scots, and Canadians, but the narrator singles them out for the quality of their commanders—Monash, Hobbs, men who were civilians before the war and whose business minds cut through the rigid traditions of the Regular Army. Their presence is a quiet rebuke to the Staff College and the closed corporation of Sandhurst men. In the book's argument about how the war should be fought, the Australians are the evidence that the old school was not merely inefficient but replaceable.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of The Australians sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See The Australians in i

Character Web

51 connections

A slice of how The Australians sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Key military and civilian figures
Protagonist

+46 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of anticipation a…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Unknown Narrator
friendship · positive
The Australians are allied troops fighting alongside the Narrator, with a camaraderie… How this plays out →
The Officer
friendship · positive
The Germans
rivalry · negative
Unknown Narrator
friendship · positive
The Australians are allied troops fighting alongside the Narrator, with a camaraderie… How this plays out →
The Officer
friendship · positive
The Officer
friendship · positive
The Germans
rivalry · negative
The Germans
rivalry · negative
Unknown Narrator
friendship · positive
The Australians are allied troops fighting alongside the Narrator, with a camaraderie… How this plays out →

Unknown Narrator
The Australians are allied troops fighting alongside the Narrator, with a camaraderie born of shared combat.
The Officer
The Australians and the Officer share an allied bond, fighting together against a common enemy.
The Germans
The Australians and Germans are direct combatants on opposing sides of the war.
Unknown Narrator
The Australians are allied troops fighting alongside the Narrator, with a camaraderie born of shared combat.
The Officer
The Australians and the Officer share an allied bond, fighting together against a common enemy.
The Officer
The Australians and the Officer share an allied bond, fighting together against a common enemy.
The Germans
The Australians and Germans are direct combatants on opposing sides of the war.
The Germans
The Australians and Germans are direct combatants on opposing sides of the war.
Unknown Narrator
The Australians are allied troops fighting alongside the Narrator, with a camaraderie born of shared combat.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See The Australians in i

In the story

The Australians appears across 21 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Part I: Observers and Commanders
Mentioned as troops whose fighting merit was not accounted for by smartness in saluting, contrasting with the generals' criteria.
XV
Cited as an example of troops whose fighting merit was not measured by smartness in saluting or parade.
XX
Cited for able generalship under civilian commanders like Hobbs and Monash.
XV
An Australian gives an imitation of a laughing-jackass and recites 'Gunga Din'.
III
Australian fighting-men among the crowds in the rue des Trois Cailloux.
VI
Described as grim, lawless, primitive, and fierce fighters; they behave as equals to all, with a humorous contempt for death and authority.
XII
Australian soldiers wander the cathedral with wonder and scorn, their appearance reminiscent of Norman-English knights.
XVI
Mentioned as being summoned from Flanders to help relieve the line near Amiens.
XVII
Australian headquarters are near Villers-Bretonneux; Australian troops help hold the lines outside Amiens.
XVIII
Observe the return of the girls to their destroyed home, offering sardonic commentary.
III
Described as hatchet-faced, hard, merry-eyed, and reckless; they are fresh from the Dardanelles and Egypt, eager to fight, and enjoy the French countryside and sweets.
IV
Noted for their refusal to salute officers other than their own, showing a casual defiance of military protocol.
The Butcher's Shop of Corbie
Mentioned as garrisoning Corbie in 1918, sniping pigeons off the church towers and taking little notice of shelling.
X
The Australians are not directly mentioned in this excerpt, but the Indian cavalry and Dragoons are noted as part of the cavalry masses.
XVIII
Suffered 20,000 casualties in six weeks at Pozières; fought stubbornly despite shattered nerves.
XIX
The Australians are described swarming into Bapaume with trophies and setting up the 'Coo-ee Theater' amid the ruins.
The Breaking Point on the Somme
Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but included as a placeholder for potential future check-ins.
Part VII: The Fields of Armageddon
The Australians are noted as part of the Allied forces, though not elaborated upon in this chapter.
IV
Australian tunnelers contributed to the mining operations that beat the enemy.
IX
Broke the enemy's line beyond Amiens on August 8th and supported the Hindenburg line assault.
What of England?
Noted for their British quality of courage and harder physique from outdoor life; fierce in battle but humane to prisoners.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for The Australians unlock in the free preview.

See The Australians in i

See The Australians in Part I: Observers and Commanders