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Sandbag efforts show extent of war support

Tyler BrownWanneroo Times

Three of the main things needed for the war effort were men, munitions and sandbags.

When the State Munitions Committee requested help in October 1915, the chairman of the WA Central Sandbag Committee followed with a letter to local authorities in November.

The Sandbag Fund was created to raise money for the creation of sandbags that would be used to help protect troops fighting in the trenches.

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WA's goal was two million sandbags at a cost of $20,000.

Members of the Wanneroo community came together to raise funds and make and fill sandbags. Wanneroo Regional Museum curator Micaela Pereira said a photo of the residents on Sandbag Day highlighted the level of community support for the war effort.

"The large number of women, children and the elderly and relatively small number of young men in the photograph serves to highlight the significant impact the war had on the community," she said.

From the Wanneroo district, 26 men enlisted for World War I, of which nine died while on active service.

During the war, a local committee was formed to make sure pilfering did not take place at property left by those who had gone to serve. At the end of the war, a welcome-home committee was set up and a dance was held.