Australia's World War I soldiers not of 'substantial European origin'

Balbir Singh Banwait looking through his father's documents

Balbir Singh Banwait looking through his father's documents Source: SBS

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Laws in the early 1900s made it hard for Australians not of "substantial European origin" to enlist for service in World War I but that didn't stop hundreds of people with non-European heritage from taking their places on the battlefield.

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