The Cup: comfort in times of war

It was late 1914. The First World War had only just begun. The first Australian troops had embarked for Egypt. 

‘In the Indian ocean somewhere, on Tuesday evening. November 3rd, we got the result of the Melbourne Cup by wireless.’ 

Many of the soldiers would soon find themselves as part of the 25 April 1915 landing at Gallipoli, the original Anzac Day. For the Allies, it proved a disastrous campaign. By the time the next Melbourne Cup came round, thoughts were turning to evacuation. A newspaper reporter was on the scene. 

‘Nothing in the faces of these men indicates that they have been living in danger of death at any moment for the past six months.

They expressed more interest in the result of the Melbourne Cup than in the result of British diplomacy in the Balkans.’

When Australians found themselves fighting in the trenches in France in November 1916 it was the same story. Trooper Johnson wrote to his girlfriend in country New South Wales, ‘We are anxiously awaiting news of the Cup.’ Military authorities knew it was a priority to send the results by telegraph. ‘We have a sweep on it, in fact worth £20, so it will be worth winning.’ 

Getting news of Cup results to troops overseas was still not always simple, but sooner or later the news got through. Soldiers fighting in the jungles of New Guinea managed to find bookmakers within their ranks and heard relayed radio broadcasts of the race. Australian prisoners of war in South-East Asia contrived to stage their own improvised horse-less ‘Melbourne Cups’ to celebrate the start of November. 

Troops of Headquarters, 7th Australian Division gathered around a radio set to listen to the running of the 1943 Melbourne Cup. Back, left to right) SX2325 K E Tamke, 2/10th Battalion; unidentified; Private Weston; Signaler H Weber; Private J.J Newman; Corporal R Hastings (arm in sling); unidentified; NX83040 Donald William Langham, 9 Company, Army Service Corps; NX53553 Corporal R L N Eastwood, Headquarters 7th Division; Private R Warren (leaning forward); Driver Rogers; Sergeant E Lovell; NX17143 Private L A Joass (wearing hat), Headquarters, 7th Division; VX23464 Corporal J D Rutherford; Private K Beckey (leaning on Sergeant Lovell); NX87724 Corporal E H Munro. Front left to right: Sergeant E C Chapman; Private Colin Geneave, 2/3rd Battalion; Sgt F Lamond; Warrant Officer Class 2 T Howard; unidentified (obscured); Private D Lyons; WX6512 Driver O'Donohue. (Australian War Memorial 060486)

Troops of Headquarters 7th Australian Division study the betting board for the 1943 Melbourne Cup.   They are: Unknown (1); NX168542 Private J.E.B. Maddrell (2); VX15393 Private F.S. Moon (3); Private J.J. Newman (4); Private Thornton (5); WX6412 Driver A.O'Donohue. (Australian War Memorial 060488)