In 1914, Australia sent around 330,000 soldiers, sailors and nurses overseas to fight the enemies of the British Empire, a great sacrifice for a newly federated nation with of fewer than 5 million people.

The initial romantic battle cry was that the war would be ‘over by Christmas’, however, by then a war of attrition had set in and it would be another four years before an armistice would occur.

The ‘Great War’ affected almost every Australian family, with many losing more than one son or other family members.

The war cost more Australian lives than in any other conflict throughout the 20^th century.

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Australians were lost in New Guinea in 1914, Gallipoli 1915, the Sinai and Palestine campaign, Belgium and France before the guns fell silent at 11am on November, 11 1918.

By the end of the four-year struggle, some 60,000 Australians lost their lives and another 160,000 were wounded. 

In the decade following the war, another 60,000 died as a direct result of injuries sustained during the fight.

Nearly every town in NSW erected a memorial to those who served and those who died during the first ‘world war’.

To Commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the ‘Great War’, Mittagong Antiques Centre has mounted a window display of photos, equipment, uniforms and posters used throughout WW1.

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