D is for Digger

ANZAC was their official name, but ‘Digger’ is what the soldiers called themselves. Where do you think the name came from? No one really knows! Some people think it was used because many soldiers had worked in the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo before the war. Others think is was used because of all of the digging in the trenches. For whatever reason, it is the name the soldiers preferred.

Today, if you call someone a Digger it means they are your mate.

(Above) An ANZAC looks happy to receive a comfort parcel from home. (AWM E00403)

(Above) Life for the Diggers in the trenches. (AWM E862)