In 1932, Australia sent soldiers with machine guns to fight a war against birds. The birds won.
This is the true story of the Great Emu War: three soldiers, two machine guns, 10,000 bullets and about 20,000 emus with no interest in fighting fair. It involved a film crew, a jammed gun, a truck chase and a question in Parliament about medals. All of it really happened.
1. The enemy: 20,000 emus with a taste for wheat
After the First World War, Australia gave thousands of returning soldiers land to farm in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt. Much of it was poor land. Then the Great Depression hit, wheat prices fell, and the subsidies the government had promised never arrived.
In 1932, things got worse. Around 20,000 emus migrated into the farming district around Campion and found cleared fields, fresh water for livestock and an all-you-can-eat wheat buffet. They ate the crops, trampled what they didn’t eat and smashed holes in the fences, which let the rabbits in too.
Emus can stand almost two metres tall and sprint at about 48 km/h. In hindsight, that should have been the first line of the battle plan.
2. The farmers asked for machine guns. The government said yes.
Many of the farmers were ex-soldiers, and they knew exactly what a machine gun could do. They sent a deputation to the Defence Minister, Sir George Pearce, and asked for some.
Pearce agreed, with conditions. Soldiers would operate the guns, the state government would pay for transport, and the farmers would provide food, beds and the cost of the ammunition. He reportedly also thought the birds would make good target practice.
The army sent Major G.P.W. Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery, Sergeant S. McMurray and Gunner J. O’Halloran, with two Lewis guns and 10,000 rounds. A Fox Movietone cameraman came along to film the victory. One newspaper reported that the soldiers had also been asked to bring back 100 emu skins, so the feathers could decorate light horsemen’s hats.
So the war had a film crew and a fashion line before it had fired a shot.
3. Then it rained
The operation was due to start in October 1932. Rain scattered the emus over a much wider area, and the campaign had to wait until 2 November.
Round one went to the weather.
4. Day one: the emus refused to stand in a line
On 2 November, the soldiers spotted about 50 emus near Campion, but they were out of range. Local farmers tried to herd them towards the guns. The birds split into small groups and ran off in different directions.
The first burst of fire fell short. By the end of the day, only a dozen or so birds had been hit. Machine guns work best against an enemy that bunches together. The emus had clearly not read the manual.
5. The ambush at the dam
On 4 November, Meredith set an ambush beside a dam. More than 1,000 emus walked straight towards it. This time the gunners held their fire until the birds were close.
They opened fire, hit about 12 birds, and the gun jammed. By the time it was cleared, the rest had gone. No more emus were seen that day.
6. The emus had lookouts. The army had a truck.
Army observers noticed something unsettling. Each group of emus seemed to have its own leader: a tall, black-plumed bird that kept watch while the others ate, and raised the alarm when soldiers approached.
Meredith’s answer was mobile warfare. He mounted a gun on a truck and gave chase. The truck couldn’t keep up with the birds, and the ride over the rough ground was so bumpy that the gunner couldn’t fire a single shot.
By 8 November, six days in, the soldiers had fired 2,500 rounds. Estimates of the emus killed range from 50 to 500. Meredith’s report recorded no human casualties. Pride was not on the form.
7. The commander became the emus’ biggest fan
Meredith came away deeply impressed by his enemy. He said that a military division with the emus’ ability to soak up bullets could face any army in the world, and added: “They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks.”
The ornithologist Dominic Serventy later summed it up with a straight face: the “Emu command” had clearly ordered guerrilla tactics, splitting into countless small units that made the army’s equipment uneconomic.
8. Parliament asked about medals
By now the story was in the papers and the press was enjoying itself. On 8 November the operation came up in the House of Representatives. Politicians joined in too. When one asked whether a medal would be struck for the campaign, the federal MP A.E. Green replied that any medals should go to the emus, who had “won every round so far”.
The same day, Pearce withdrew the troops. He also picked up an unofficial new job title: Minister for the Emu War.
The same day, Pearce withdrew the troops. He also picked up an unofficial new job title: Minister for the Emu War.
9. Round two: exactly 10 bullets per emu (allegedly)
The emus, unsurprisingly, came back. Farmers asked for help again, and the Premier of Western Australia backed them. By 12 November the minister had approved a second attempt, and Meredith was back in the field the next day.
This time things went a little better, and by early December the soldiers were killing about 100 emus a week. Meredith was recalled on 10 December. His report claimed 986 confirmed kills using 9,860 rounds, which works out at exactly 10 bullets per bird. He also claimed exactly 2,500 wounded birds had later died.
Historians think these numbers are probably inflated. Real numbers are rarely that tidy. Neither are emus.
10. So who won the Great Emu War?
The Great Emu War: whose side are you on?
Three soldiers, two machine guns, one jammed trigger and a parliamentary joke that’s still being told more than 90 years later. Would you have backed the army or the emus? Tell us in the comments.
If this made you laugh, you’ll enjoy our round-up of 5 signs that said way more than they meant to. And pin this one for the next time someone tells you history is boring.