It’s a topic that has captured the hearts and minds of internet users all over the globe: How did the Australian Army lose a war to a bunch of flightless birds?
But the Great Emu War, spanning just over a month in 1932, was serious business.
After World War I, many returned Australian servicemen were given land by the government in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, with hopes they would start a new life.
Then the Great Depression of the early 1930s sent wheat prices plummeting, and farmers expanded their crops as they looked to muster a profit.
As many as 20,000 migrating emus found their way onto farms after breeding, in the process destroying fences and valuable grain.
Desperate for support, local farmers called for help from then-Defence Minister Sir George Pearce, who sent the army over to help.
A worthy competitor
Three soldiers from the Royal Australian Artillery arrived in Campion on November 2, 1932, after catching a train from Perth.
Local newspapers at the time reported the party were “bent on the destruction of thousands of emus”.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“The emus are more than holding their own,” read one report from the Daily News dated November 3.
Only 20 foes were reportedly killed on the first day of battle, with many more injured.
Major GPW Meredith, who was heading the mission, compared the birds with army tanks.
An ambush on November 4 went awry when a machine gun jammed, with just 12 of the 1,000 assembled birds killed.
When the army withdrew on November 8 after six days of battle, 2,500 rounds of ammunition had been used to kill between 300 and 500 emus.
If at first you don’t succeed …
The birds continued to run amok on farmland after the soldiers left, and farmers were again desperate for help.
On November 12, the military effort was reinstated after calls for support from then-WA Premier James Mitchell.
The second attempt proved more successful, with Major Meredith claiming thousands of fatalities before a final withdrawal on December 10.
In Merredin, 60km south of Campion, library manager Wendy Porter has trawled through the archives to discover some details of her own.
One newspaper report found two local farmers had tried — and failed — to pay their tax bill with emus.
There were also complaints from conservationists in Australia and overseas about the war being inhumane.
Ms Porter believes politics may have boosted the story’s profile, with the West Australian secession movement in full swing at the time.
“West Australian farmers were having problems with how expensive equipment was over here [compared to other states] … so WA kept saying we need help, and the [federal] government kept saying no,” she said.
“The Wheat Growers Union in WA actually pushed for secession, saying, ‘We can do this on our own, if you’re not going to help us, go away’.
“Then the federal government realised they needed WA, and thought, ‘Oh, they’re having problems with the emus, we could do something to help’.”
Emus continued to be a major problem in subsequent decades, despite an expansion of the state barrier fence and an emu bounty system set up by the state government.
Emus ‘in heaven’ among crops
The unique local history continues to reverberate, with a feature film starring English comedian John Cleese set to begin production soon.
Former Campion farmer Ralph English owned a property next to the battlefield, but it was his father who ran the farm during the Emu War.
He says when in full flight, the birds do serious damage.
“When they had dry seasons in the pastoral areas the emus would just naturally migrate south,” Mr English said.
“Of course, as soon as they came across some crop or some wheat, or something, they thought they were in heaven.”
Mr English says it isn’t emus eating farmers’ crops that is the biggest issue.
“The worst part about emus is … it’s not what they eat, it’s what they flatten. They just trample around on the crop and knock it all over,” he said.
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