Australian Women in War video

The film explores the Australian War Memorial, highlighting its role as a research centre, museum, and place to understand the Australian experience of war and peacekeeping. The narrator emphasises the representation of women in war, starting with the Second South African (Boer) War and World War I, where nurses played significant roles. Then, he discusses the impact of war on women, including grief and loss, and the changing roles of women in World War II, where 70,000 served and 180 died as a result of their service. He also examines the home front experiences, the rationing and the Women's Land Army. The film concludes with modern conflicts, noting the integration of men and women in the Australian Defence Force and the ongoing peace operations.

Written by Robert Lewis and Tim Gurry. Narrated by Tim Gurry with character voices by Julia Gurry.

Transcript

This is truly an amazing place. It's the Australian War Memorial here in Canberra. But it's more than a memorial. It's a research centre and it's a museum. A wonderful place to visit to find out about the Australian experience of war and of peacekeeping. Now inside, you'll find some wonderful, moving and very revealing displays, dioramas, photographs, paintings, statues and much, much more. Now I know that many students of Australian history explore a museum to understand an historical event, and this is a great place to do that, to explore the nature of war and the experiences of Australian servicemen. But of course, not all Australians who served in war were men. So how does this site, the Australian War Memorial, represent this other experience: that of Australian women in war? A good strategy for assessing a museum's presentation is to ask, if we only had this display to tell us about the women's experiences, what story are we being told? And is it a fair and accurate one? Come with me, and we'll see.

The Second South African Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902: museum study

The Boer War was the first war that Australian women were involved in, and this is a display case that's dedicated to the role of the nurses. Now, we have a red cape and we have some photographs of their uniforms. We have some medals and a few examples of their equipment. But what's particularly interesting is a letter that was written by one of the nurses, and that starts to give me some clues as to the experiences that these women went through during this conflict. ‘I asked him if there was any message I could send to his friends, but he said, “No, sister, I'm done for now, and they know.” So I didn't trouble him, and he died quietly enough with his hand in mine.’ This letter suggests to me that there were 3 main roles for the nurses. To nurse the sick and injured. To provide comfort. And where possible, to write letters back home for disabled servicemen. But who were these nurses? Were they brave? Was their service appreciated and honoured? Now this cape belonged to a Sister Jones, and a report on medical conditions at the time described her as nursing wounded men and working splendidly. And here's a reference to Annie Thompson. She has a Nurses’ Association badge and a Queen South Africa Medal. Recognition again. But do these medals tell us anything about the nurses’ experiences? I found this photograph of Annie on the Australian War Memorial collections. However, this is interesting, a medal that was sent to the family of men killed in the war. That's all that's left of their boy. So I'm starting to get a sense of grief and loss back in Australia that could have affected women as mothers, sisters, wives, sweethearts, friends. This is the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial, and as you can see, it records the names of all of those people who died serving in Australia's military forces. Now, like other war memorials, it doesn't record the names of people who were performing other essential duties in wartime. This is the Boer War section of the Roll of Honour, and it's right at the start of this long list of names, now, I can see the name of one nurse, Sister Fanny Hines, and of course, the list doesn't tell me the circumstances of Fanny's death, but I've done some research in the database collection at the Australian War Memorial, and I found out that she was one of more than 80 nurses who served in South Africa. I also found a letter from her friend, Sister Julia Anderson, describing the circumstances of Fanny's death. ‘Fanny died of an attack of pneumonia, contracted in devotion to duty. She was quite alone with as many as 26 patients at one time, no possibility of assistance or relief, and without sufficient nourishment.’ I'm getting a clear image of one of the roles of Australian women during the Boer War: the role of nurses. Their courage, devotion to duty, their working conditions, food deprivation, etc. But I'm also getting a sense that many women back home in Australia were also affected by this distant work.

World War I 1914-1918: museum study

What about World War I? Well, if we come to the other end of the Roll of Honour, we start to get some idea. Here are the names of 23 nurses. Now this is already starting to tell me something about the numbers who enlisted and their changing experiences. But before we explore World War I further in the galleries of the Australian War Memorial, I want to take you to a very special place. Come with me. It's right over here. This is the Hall of Memory. It's where the Unknown Australian Soldier is interned. But it is a hall that's full of symbolism. Have a look around you, and you'll see soldiers, sailors and airmen from World War I. This place is saying that these men showed these qualities, coolness, control, audacity, endurance, service and chivalry, and that these qualities are part of the Anzac tradition that we are so proud of. But what images of women are there in the hall, and how do they represent the role of women in wartime? Here's a beautiful window depicted to the World War I nurse. Look at how she's represented. What impressions do you get? And more importantly, what predominant image do the designers of this memorial want us to take away? Devotion.Here we have the World War I nurse. I think she's very similar appearance to a nurse from the Boer War. She's wearing her travelling cloak in this particular scene, but she had the long dress on, wearing the veil, a very difficult uniform to work in, I think. Here's some of her equipment, which should help us to better understand the medical tasks the nurses performed. This is a very moving exhibit, and there's so much detail here. You can almost smell the mud that's on the soldier's uniform and the trench and the duckboard around him. And look at the despair on his face. I think you come away from an exhibit like this really understanding and empathising with the worst of the soldiers’ experiences. But what evidence is there of the nurse's experiences in these displays? I know that some nurses were awarded medals, but for what? They nursed in places like this, a casualty clearing station. Sometimes quite close to the battlefront and the shells. Was it dangerous? Was it difficult? How did they face the awful suffering that must have existed and that we can see in the displays on the soldiers? Now, what am I doing standing beside this soldier’s uniform? I know this is not a replica. I know this is a real uniform taken from Sergeant Giles in 1918 the very day he walked out of the front. But there's a little gem here. I know that this man carried a little piece of Australiana with him. That piece of Australiana involves these photographs here of his family. Now we've been exploring the role of nurses in World War I. But what about the millions of women on the home front? What did they do during the war? This soldier’s uniform helps me. I know that for every man, there were many women back home: wife, mother, fiancée, sister, friend. All of them waiting anxiously for news that their man was safe. I think this is a powerful display because one small object in its context makes us understand so much about the predominant role of women in World War I. So, let's now try and find out a bit more about this homefront experience. This is a very interesting display. It's a bridal gown, and we can see the shoes here and the veil and the headpiece, and it reminds us that many women married and were widowed during the war, and that others who intended to marry lost that opportunity. So, there were consequences for individuals and society. And this gives me an understanding of a very individual experience of Australian women in war. But most men didn't die. Many were left damaged physically. Look at these. Evidence of the continuing impact of the war on many soldiers. How did they cope? How did they feel? Were those men who returned physically well but mentally damaged? And what impact did this have on their families? And of course, it was usually the women, mother or wife who bore the brunt of family life. These questions are raised in such a display, but not really explored. But that's okay. This site is providing avenues for you to follow up later, which is good.

World War II 1939-1945: museum study

Now, let's investigate the role of women in World War II. Once again, we begin our study here at the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial, and already, I can see significant evidence. There are more names listed, and not all of them are nurses. Now I know that some 70,000 Australian women served in the forces during World War II, and that 180 of these lost their lives. So, what does this tell us about the nature of their experience? Was it more dangerous during World War II? And did women now have new roles in the armed forces? This nurse's uniform is very interesting. It's more modern than the uniform from World War I, and it's a different – a lighter fabric. Now, what does that tell you? Perhaps nurses served in different parts of the world during this conflict. If you look very carefully, just above the belt, you can actually see a bullet hole in this uniform. What does that tell us about the experiences of women in World War II? Were they different? Were they more dangerous? This uniform belonged to Sister Vivian Bullwinkle, who survived the sinking of a transport ship, the massacre of Australian nurses on Banka Island, and 3-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war in Sumatra before she finally returned to Australia. Rich information like this can be researched at the Australian War Memorial. This is a great little display. It's 4 dolls, but what interests me are the uniforms that they're wearing. Different uniforms for different services. Now, little girls have been shown the reality of life: that women are now involved in a greater variety of services. And look at the variety of jobs women performed in the services and in industry, as well. Drivers, messengers, butchers, cooks, servicing aircraft, testing weapons, scientific role, as conductresses on trams but not drivers, delivering ice – remember, there was no refrigeration for many homes at the time – and a whole range more. Very much the jobs that men normally would do. But here's the thing: why are they doing these jobs? Is it because they are valued for their skills and abilities? Or because they are just freeing a man for a combat role? And does it matter? Perhaps there's a hint here in this advertisement: do a man's job. But I wonder what will happen when the men return? Will the women be kept on, or will they be expected to return to the kitchen? And what will the women themselves want to do? To keep working or to return to their more traditional roles? But not all women were involved in the services or industry. In fact, most were not. So what were the predominant roles of women during World War II? Here are roles we've seen before: voluntary work, providing comforts packages to soldiers, and fundraising. But this is interesting. It's telling women that even if they are carrying out their traditional domestic role, that is, in fact, a war-related job. The war can be fought in the kitchen, as well as in the services and in industry. I reckon that might have had the effect of making the Australian home front more united during the war because everybody felt they were contributing to the war effort all the time. What do you think? During wartime, food and goods were in short supply and so they were subject to strict rationing. People had a making-do attitude. They were resourceful with food and with other items. Here are 2 examples where materials have been recycled. A petticoat made from an old parachute and a wedding dress made from curtain lining and mosquito netting. Some women went from cities to work on the land, in the Women's Land Army. Here, we see them on farms replacing the work of farm labourers. They're keeping the troops fed. A very important role. But there are other fascinating aspects here. There's a bit on enemy civilians, including women who were interned in Australia. And here's a display on the presence of American service men and women in Australia. I wonder how that affected society. These women certainly were affected. They went to the United States after the war as war briars. Well, I've seen a really rich representation of women's experiences of World War II in the Australian War Memorial. And I've certainly got a whole lot of ideas and information and even some questions from this site. Now I've come back to the Hall of Memory to look at the mosaic, which symbolises the predominant role of women in World War II. As you can see this time, it's not a nurse, it's a service woman. The question you should ask yourselves is this: is this the most appropriate depiction or symbol of Australian women's roles during World War II?

Conflicts 1945 to Today galleries: museum study

This is the most recent gallery to be opened and it features conflicts post-1945 and peace operations until today. Now, this includes British Commonwealth Occupation Forces in Japan after World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and modern peace operations. I know I'm going to find some fascinating stories about women's involvement in war, but I'm also going to ask this question: have these roles changed in recent times? This Korean War display tells me that, once again, the main role of Australian women was looking after the sick and the wounded. Army nurses in Seoul worked under terrible conditions preparing the wounded from the battlefields for transportation to hospitals. These photos show RAF nurses caring for their wounded patients on a flight to hospitals in Japan. Some 10 years after the end of the Korean War, Australia entered the longest conflict it has ever been involved in – the Vietnam War – which was to continue until 1973. The main role of Australian women in Vietnam was medical, but this exhibit is a little different. You can see a sequined dress worn by the entertainer Sylvia Ray. She performed with the ABC Concert Band at an army base in the heat and humidity of Vietnam. Why? Well, obviously, to entertain the troops, but I also think to bring a little bit of Australia to boys a long way from home. But what was happening back home? Why were people protesting against the war? Were the protesters all wild radical uni students? Some were, and some of these were women. But look at these protesters. They are members of the Save Our Sons movement protesting against national service. And of course, most women did not protest, and many did not oppose the war at all. Australia has had peacekeepers in the field with the United Nations continuously for over 50 years, and Australian women have served in these missions since 1988. This story displays the stethoscope owned by Major Susan Felsch, a doctor. She died in a plane crash in the Sahara Desert while part of a United Nations peacekeeping force in Africa. It's not a typical experience. She is the only woman of 12 Australians who have died during peacekeeping operations, but it does remind us that peacekeeping can be dangerous. This is the final image that I want you to look at at the Australian War Memorial, and it shows the INTERFET Commander, Major General Peter Cosgrove, in East Timor. Now, in the background is an Australian woman performing the duties of a soldier. Now perhaps this is telling me that we no longer have to investigate the roles of Australian men and women in the defence forces separately. Perhaps they're performing the same duties. Well, to help you answer that question, we've included some interviews with modern-day women in our defence forces on this DVD.

A Local Community: Central Gippsland study site

We have seen museum displays on women in the Boer War, 2 world wars and now modern conflicts. We've asked how the Australian War Memorial represents those experiences, and you can study these for yourselves. Your local community can complement your understanding by investigating stories of women living in your local area. That's why I've come here to Gippsland in Victoria, and my local site study begins at the Briagolong Cemetery. Remember in the Australian War Memorial, we began to explore the impact of war on families at home. Well, look at this. Annie Whitelaw lived in Briagolong, and when she died, a local group erected this memorial to her. Now this tells us a lot, but it also raises questions. It says she had 4 sons who died in the war, but I could only find 3 listed on the Mafra War Memorial under the heading ‘Killed in action’. Then I found out from the local historical society that Ken, her eldest son, died of war wounds sometime after he returned. Look at this. [‘Happy is she who can die with the thought that in the hour of her country's greatest need she gave her utmost.’] Do you think it's a statement about how Annie felt? Now, she did not create these words. In fact, it's a quotation from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a famous Scottish author and poet, perhaps trying to make sense of the tragedy of war. Do you think Annie would agree with this sentiment? Perhaps the answer to that question is here at this honour roll in the local Briagolong hall. Now, Annie used to visit here very often, and the names of her sons are recorded on this roll. Now, above the roll, there are some brackets. Now, according to the locals, who tried to work out what the brackets were there for, they think the brackets were there because there would have been a blind, and when Annie was present in the hall, they would pull the blind down so she wouldn't have to look at the names of her sons. Perhaps, if Annie had had a choice, she may have had a different inscription on her gravestone. And there's more. This is the local war memorial that I referred to earlier with the names of Annie's sons. Now a local philanthropist, Rebecca Mills, who apparently did a lot to provide comforts to soldiers in the nearby camp, unveiled this memorial. However, just one day after the unveiling, the dedication plaque disappeared and was replaced with this one, but nobody knew what had happened to the original and why it had been taken. Now, 50 years later, when some friends were cleaning up Annie’s son's old home to sell, they found the plaque in an old tank. Now the only surviving son, Frank, apparently said, ‘Well, if you had 3 brothers whose names were on the memorial, and some society biddy from Mafra was coming over to get her own name on it, what would you do?’ Well, I don't know, but the stories get more complex as you drill down deeper and deeper. Not far from Briagolong is the lovely town of Stratford with a very impressive local museum. And once again, that tells us a lot about the experiences of women in war. And, as you can see, I'm sitting here at this sewing machine. What's that got to do with war? Well, it was used by Alice Mitchell, and she made many, many shirts for the soldiers as part of her voluntary comforts work. There's evidence of other women's activities here as well. Here's a mosaic to a local girl, Louie Blanche Riggall, who joined the British Red Cross during the war and died of an illness in France in late 1918. So not a nurse, but a Red Cross volunteer. She was serving on the Western Front, died during her war service, but her name was not put on the local honour roll. This is a war cemetery, but it's not on the Western Front. It's not at Singapore. It's here in Sale in central Gippsland. What's it doing here? Well, during World War II, there was an RAAF training base nearby, and these are the graves of some 57 crew and service personnel who were killed in war-training-related accidents. But it's not only boys who are buried in this cemetery. Now I found this gravestone of a Sergeant Beale, and as you can see, she was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force, and she died aged 25. Once again, as a result of a war-related-training accident. A site study is a fascinating pursuit. It's about exploring the past, discovering objects, learning stories, talking to people, and every now and again, finding that very special and sometimes poignant piece of evidence. Now I think we've found that here with this desk at the Stratford Museum, and I'm going to talk to 2 local historians, Wemyss Struss and Linda Barraclough, who are going to tell me more about this desk. This desk was given to us in 1973. It belonged to the headmaster at Invermichie School. There's no longer a school at Invermichie, and we treasure this for the list of the names the headmasters. Underneath the lid, all the teachers signed their – this is a little one-teacher school – where, when they arrived, they wrote their names under the desk. And especially poignant is Edward H Jones, who arrived on 11 August 1913. He enlisted, and the teacher that followed him was Irene Hannon, and it fell on her to write, ‘killed in action, March 1917’ beside Edward Jones's name. This points [to] how much women were more relied on during World War I because all the young men that were teaching were called up to war. And in many cases, there were women that went into these small bush schools, where perhaps they wouldn't have gone so readily before. I've learned a lot from my site study about the changing roles of Australian women in war and in peacekeeping. I've visited the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and been fortunate enough to come to central Gippsland in Victoria and explore a community that's rich with memories and memorabilia. You know, a study of the past can reveal so much about us personally and as a nation. Good luck with your own investigations. I hope you uncover some fascinating stories.