Australia's Involvement In The War Dates Flashcards
Before the war what was life like for women? In terms of jobs how did this change?
Women rarely had jobs and the mainly stayed at home. During the war women took on many jobs which the then lost after the war. Between 1939 and 1945 the number of women in the workforce increased by 5% but what women did changed. They worked on farms, in munitions factories and did clerical work.
When was Robert Menzies elected MP?
1939
When did Australia enter the war? Why did they do this?
September 3 1939. Australia entered the war as an Allie of Britain. “British countries must fight together or fall together.”- Menzies
When was the national security act passed? What did this mean?
September 8 1939. passed the National Security Act which lead censorship and the interning of Germans, Italians and Japanese. Propaganda also became common.
When was the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force set up? How many members did it have? What did it do?
October 1940. The Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force was set up. Women never went over seas but they were trained so that servicemen could go overseas. By the end of the war it had 18500 members.
When was John Curtin elected MP?
1941 John Curtin was elected PM.
What Aboriginal fighting groups were set up and when did this happen?
- The Torres Strait Light Infantry was formed to defend the Torres Strait area. Anthropologist and solider, Donald Thomson was allowed to lead the Northern Territory Special Reconnaissance Unit. It had 51 aboriginals and 5 white Australians. They patrolled the coastline, living off the land, of northern Australia and if the Japanese struck they would fight back with Aboriginal weapons.
When were women evacuated from Darwin and what for?
Fear of Japanese attack after the fall of Singapore. December 1941
When did Curtin establish the Directorate of Manpower? What was it?
- The Curtin government established the Directorate of Manpower which allowed them to control the work industry and force people into certain job or to keep certain jobs and not go to war if their job was important. Dancers could be farmers as they were strong
When did Curtin start bringing changes? What were some? What was the allied work council? The civil construction corps? The volunteer air observers corps?
- It brought in other policies like blackouts and the maximum prices and opening hours in restaurants. Daylight saving and identity cards were also introduced. The Allied Work Council was set up to oversee the building of bridges, roads etc. As part of it the Civil Construction Corps was set up to oversee other jobs such as truck driving. It was run military style. The Volunteer Air Observers Corps was set up and people watched the sky for enemy planes.
After the fall of Singapore what changes did Curtin do to ensure safety? When? What relationships did this change?
Troops were moved to the Middle East by Curtin after the fall of Britain and Australia started to turn towards the USA for help. This involved joining the war in the Pacific campaign. American general Douglas MacAuthur set up a base for the campaign in Australia. Australia became more independent from Britain through its friendship with America. 1942.
When did the Japanese bomb Darwin? How many were killed?
19 December 1942. 250 were killed.
When was the rationing system introduced? What did it involve?
May 1942. The rationing system was introduced, limiting butter, milk, eggs, tea, shoes, meat and clothes. Families with young children or pregnant mothers were given more.
When was Sydney harbour entered by Japanese midget submarines? What happened?
31 May 1942. Three Japanese midget submarines launched from five larger submarines further from shore entered Sydney harbour. They were sunk.
When and what was the Battle of Brisbane?
26 November 1942. The Battle of Brisbane, a brawl between US and Australian soldiers. One soldier was killed. This was censored.
