Editing Joseph Cook (section)

===World War I===
{{see also|Military history of Australia during World War I}}
Cook was prime minister for the first six weeks of [[Australia in World War I|Australia's involvement in World War I]]. On 30 July 1914, he was informed via telegram that the British government was considering a declaration of war and advised that Australia should take appropriate defence precautions.{{sfnp|Newton|2015|p=17}} He told an election meeting at [[Horsham, Victoria]], the following day to "remember that when the Empire is at war, so is Australia at war".{{sfnp|Newton|2015|p=25}} At the suggestion of Governor-General [[Ronald Munro Ferguson]], Cook called an emergency cabinet meeting for 3 August. It was attended by only four members of his ministry, as the others were out campaigning and unable to travel to Melbourne in time.{{sfnp|Newton|2015|p=18}} The government decided to offer an expeditionary force of 20,000 men – "of any suggested composition to any destination desired [...] at complete disposal of the Home Government; cost of despatch and
maintenance would be borne by this Government" – and to give the [[British Admiralty]] control of the [[Royal Australian Navy]] "when desired".{{sfnp|Newton|2015|p=20}} Australia's offer was made 40 hours before the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, and it has been suggested that it may have intensified the pressure on the British government to enter the war, along with similar offers made by Canada and New Zealand.{{sfnp|Newton|2015|p=21}} The United Kingdom formally accepted Australia's offer on 6 August, and Cook subsequently authorised the creation of the [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] and the [[Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force]]; the latter captured and then occupied [[German New Guinea]] within a few months. Writing in 1962, [[Malcolm Henry Ellis]] described him as "the activator and originator of Australia's war effort".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-673245390/view?partId=nla.obj-673317017 |title=Joseph Cook: The Incredible Prime Minister |last=Ellis |first =Malcolm Henry |author-link=Malcolm Henry Ellis |work=[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]] |volume=85 |number=4317 |date=10 November 1962}}</ref>
Cook would have three sons serve in the AIF during the war, one of whom was twice wounded at Gallipoli but miraculously survived.<ref>Gorman (2023), ''Joseph Cook'', p.92.</ref>