The men fighting at Lone Pine were representative of all Australian states, with the exception of Queensland. The battalions of the 1st Brigade had been raised in New South Wales, the 7th Battalion from Victoria and the 12th Battalion from Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. The majority of these men were city or urban dwellers, where many worked as labourers and tradesmen. They were mostly single with an average age of 25.
These men had enlisted for various reasons – some for adventure and an escape from routine work, others from a sense of responsibility and loyalty to the British Empire. Some may have joined up for a cheap trip home to Britain, but instead found themselves thrust into a new campaign against the Turks on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Over a third of all men who enlisted in 1914 were civilians with no previous military experience.
By the time of the August offensive, many of the Australians taking part in the operations had been on Gallipoli since the landing on 25 April. They had suffered from combat, inadequate diet and appalling living conditions. Many were sick with diarrhoea and strained with lack of sleep and heavy work. However, Charles Bean notes that prior to the attack, the anticipation of the advance after months of trench life "provided an excitement which put new vitality into the troops".
