Skyring

From 1918, 1919 and into 1920 Australia was rocked by a series of riots involving returned soldiers. From brawls in small regional towns to major riots in capital cities, thousands of men took their grievances to the streets, where in some cases police spent days quelling the chaos. Yet this noisy and violent chapter of our history has been absent from our contemporary commemorations of Anzac.

In Riots, historian Fiona Skyring uncovers the truth behind these violent events, examining the forces that drove returned soldiers to such extreme actions. Against a backdrop of social upheaval, mass bereavement, and a cost-of-living crisis, these riots reveal a side of Australia’s post-war experience that has long been untold. Why did these soldiers, after gruelling years of trench warfare and being welcomed home as heroes, resort to collective violence once they returned? What does this tell us about the making of the Anzac legend in these crucial years when the diggers came home?

Drawing on historical research and compelling storytelling, Riots brings to light these untold stories of angry and lawless returned heroes and the conflicts that shook Australian society at the end of the war.