Anne Curtis's story

Anne Curtis had been a keen sailor before the war, so her enlistment in the Royal Australian Navy on 9 November 1942 at Manly, Queensland, was a natural choice.

Anne joined the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS). She worked in Brisbane as a coder in the Special Coding Outfit within the Signals Department, at the AMP Building in Queen Street. The building was used by General Douglas MacArthur as the Allied forces' South West Pacific Area Headquarters from July 1942 to November 1944.

Anne often worked alongside the American service men. She remembers the jealousy Australian sailors felt toward them, a sentiment that contributed to the Battle of Brisbane riots.

Anne's husband Colin Curtis served on HMAS Shropshire during the war. Anne discharged on 6 October 1944.