Australians and wartime experiences

Australia joined the war after the United Kingdom declared war on Germany in 1939.

The war affected all Australians, especially those who served and their loved ones. Australians who became internees and prisoners of war had some of the most horrific experiences.

These are stories of those who served overseas, as well as those who remained on the home front. This provides us with a glimpse of the varied experiences of Australians during World War II.

See also

Shifting Tides: Australia and the Pacific in the Second World War
Veterans' Stories oral history interviews

Learning Activities

A group photo of Indigenous men wearing suits

First Nations Australians serving during World War II

A recruitment poster showing colourful drawings of 6 women in uniforms of the Australian army, navy and air force women's auxiliary services, the Australian Women's Land Army, a nurse and a munitions worker. Text reads: Join us in a victory job: Apply at your nearest National Service office.

Australian women

Informal group of 9 men at a long table wearing military uniforms and paper party hats raise tin mugs in their hands

Christmas away from home

Gaunt, skeletal figures lying on beds inside a hospital on the Burma-Thailand railway. Griffin's use of light and shade in this work accentuates the physical condition and obvious suffering of the men as well as drawing comparisons to the depths of hell

Australian Prisoners of War 1940-1945