I don't think the OP was trying to take away the cost extracted in getting ashore it shows that places of small populations like this country town the losses had a far more reaching affect on them than say a city the size of Chicago or Illinois.
Here is another look at figures and how war touches many, in WWI Australiahad a population of just 5 million 416,809 men enlisted of these the latest figures given for KIA/MIA is 62,000/14.87% with 156,000 WIA/POW 37.42%. So the war touched allot of families here. The population of the USA
in 1917 was 103 million.
For the town of Bedford the losses only equated to .733 % this figure is really irrelevant, and I stress its the loss to the families and communities who's sons were so very important to the continuance of that country town and there were plenty of other small communities who shared the same distress.
The whole lot of the conflicts every one of them costs both our countries and others allied to the cause the flower of their youth to keep oppression and tyrants in check the best we can do is to honour them eternally for what they gave us and sacrificed themselves.
Sorry Mark I sincerely did not mean to hijack your post it becomes so very real when faces appear and how in an instant they are gone.......RIP.