At the end of the First World War, there were up to 200,000 Australian soldiers in Europe. Getting them home after the Armistice was a task of epic proportions that would take more than two years. In the meantime, how to keep these disgruntled, damaged men with guns occupied? In a word: sport.
The Oarsmen tells the story of the servicemen who survived the war to row for the coveted King’s Cup at the 1919 Royal Henley Peace Regatta. Competing against crews from the US, New Zealand, France, the UK and Canada, themAustralians were a ragtag bunch of oarsmen thrown into a boat and expected to race. They had survived the worst of the war at Gallipoli and the Western Frint, and carried the scars both physical and psychological. The baggage they brought to the boat would soon threaten to capsize the whole endeavour.
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