The Soldiers' Club, 1915-1923

My interest in this subject arose out of an interest in the women who supported Australia's involvement in the first world war. The general soon led to the particular in the form of the physician and conservative social activist Dr Mary Booth who had a high profile on the Sydney home front, principally through the Soldiers' Club, which was formed on 3 June 1915. The Club leased part of the old Royal Hotel in George Street and was a place where 'other ranks' of the AIF could go instead of roaming the Sydney streets. It had a Board of Trustees and a Committee which took care of policy, administration and daily maintenance, of which Booth was Honorary Secretary. This article represents some early findings about the daily and nightly life of the Soldiers' Club which offer glimpses of Booth's patriotic activity set in the wider picture of the home front during the war. While the work of women's organisations on behalf of soldiers has been documented to some extent, the records of the Soldiers' Club afford the opportunity to look in on the relationship of Booth and other women like her with the soldiers of the first AIF.