After the battles fought on the River Somme, in northern France, in late 1916, the name ‘Somme’ became a byword for ‘slaughter.  

The initial offensive was on 1 July 1916 and still remains the most costly loss of life in British military history, with almost 60,000 casualties, a third of them killed. Australian troops engaged the German army around Pozieres and Mouquet Farm between 23 July and 3 September 1916. They launched attacks that were largely unsuccessful, with a huge loss of life. Australian official historian Charles Bean said the Pozières ridge, "is more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth."  

Until this point the AIF had relied on voluntary enlistment. However, as the loss of life on the Western Front became more widely known in Australia and there seemed to be no quick end to the conflict, the numbers of volunteers fell steadily. Britain argued that Australia needed to provide reinforcements of 5,500 per month to remain operational. The Somme offensive put additional strain on Australia's voluntary recruitment system, and led to the first conscription referendum on 28 October 1916. The referendum was narrowly defeated, with 1,087,557 votes in favour and 1,160,033 against.