One big fund’

The outbreak of the First World War sparked widespread voluntary efforts to raise funds or knit comforts in support of the war overseas. The proliferation of disparate patriotic initiatives, particularly those soliciting funds from the public, raised concerns about the sustainability of these parallel appeals. State governments passed legislation to regulate patriotic appeals and encourage the centralisation of these efforts under a handful of established voluntary societies such as the Red Cross, the South Australian Soldiers Fund, or the Victoria League. This article examines the tension between the states’ effort to centralise voluntary patriotic work and the emotional factors that motivated volunteers.This article has been peer reviewed

Economic history · Political science · Australian History and Society · History · World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact