Index, ill, p.331.During World War II, the U.S. Navy's submarine service suffered the highest percentage of casualties of any branch of the American armed forces. One in five submariners was lost. But despite the odds, these underwater warriors accounted for almost sixty percent of Japanese shipping losses and were a major factor in winning the war.submarine warfare - world war ii, world war 1939-1945 - naval operations - united states

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.224.Within three months of the Japanese entering World War II on December 8, 1941 over 22 000 Australians had become prisoners-of-war. They went into camps in Timor, Ambon, New Britain, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Singapore and Malaya, and a few were scattered to other points in what was briefly part of the Japanese empire. Later most of the prisoners were to be shifted further north into South-east Asia, Formosa, Korea, Manchuria and Japan itself. They were captives within lands and cultures and to experiences alien to those known to all other Australians. At the end of the war in August 1945, 14315 servicemen and thirty service women were alive to put on new, loose-fitting uniforms and go home. One in three of the prisoners had died. That is, nearly half of the deaths suffered by Australians in the war in the Pacific were among men and women who had surrendered. Another 8174 Australians had been captured in the fighting in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: but of these men only 265 died as a result of wounds, disease or execution.By any quantitative measure the imprisonment of so many Australians is a major event in Australian history. For many soldiers it was living --and dying --in captivity which made World War II different from that of World War I. But the prisoners have received no permanent place in Australian history. Their story is not immediately recalled on celebratory occasions. In a general history of the nation in which a chapter is given to the war the prisoners might be mentioned in a sentence, or part of a sentence. Where the horror, stoicism and gallantry of Gallipoli have become part of a common tradition shared by all Australians, the ex-prisoners are granted just the horror. The public may be sympathetic; but the horror is for the prisoners alone. To make another comparison: in five months of fighting on the Kokoda Trail in 1942 the Australians lost 625 dead, less than the number who died on Ambon. Yet the events on Ambon are unknown to most Australians. There were no reporters or cameramen on Ambon and, for the 309 who defended Ambon's Laha airfield, no survivors. How many of them died in battle or died as prisoners will never be known. But there are more than just practical reasons why the record of the prisoners of war is so slight and uneven in the general knowledge of Australians. They have not tried to find out. No historian has written a book to cover the range of camps and experiences, and only in specialist medical publications has anyone investigated the impact of prison life on subsequent physical and mental health. The complexity of the experience and its impact on particular lives have not been expressed in a way to give them significance for other Australians.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, world war 1939-1945 - personal narrativies - australia

Index, bib, ill, p.558.Packed with insight and terrific spy stories, this masterly book looks at the secret war on a global basis, bringing together the British, American, German, Russian and Japanese histories. In 'The Secret War', Max Hastings examines the espionage and intelligence machines of all sides in World War II, and the impact of spies, code-breakers and partisan operations on events. Written on a global scale, the book brings together accounts from British, American, German, Russian and Japanese sources to tell the story of a secret war waged unceasingly by men and women often far from the battlefields but whose actions profoundly influenced the outcome. world war 1939-1945 - espionage, world war 1914-1918 - secret service

Index, bib, ill, p.236.non-fictionIt is difficult to overestimate the excitement that accompanied the birth of the Spitfire. An aircraft imbued with balletic grace and extraordinary versatility, it was powered by a piston engine and a propeller, yet came tantalisingly close to breaking the sound barrier. First flown in 1936, the Spitfire soon came to symbolize Britain's defiance of Nazi Germany in the summer of 1940. Flown by pilots of many nations, it saw service as far afield as Australia and the Soviet Union. Spitfire: The Biography is a celebration of a great British invention.spitfire, world war ii - air warfare

Index, ill, bib, maps, p.308.non-fictionAlmost 35,000 Australian service personnel were taken prisoner during the Boer War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Living as a POW demanded extremes of courage, defiance and mateship from our servicemen and women. Some lived to tell their tales about extreme suffering and hardship and many would carry with them forever the memories of those who died. AUSSIE SOLDIER: PRISONERS OF WAR is about the men and women who found themselves on the wrong side of the wire. The heartfelt stories will transport you on their very personal journeys. You will relive the capture, living conditions, escape attempts, punishments, humour, strength and morale -- and for some -- the eventual taste of freedom.prisoners of war - australia, prisoners of war - australia - pictorial works

Index, ill, maps, p.378.non-fictionBased on the notebooks in which Vasily Grossman gathered the raw material for his newspaper articles, A Writer at War depicts the crushing conditions on the Eastern Front during World War II and the lives and deaths of infantrymen, tank drivers, pilots, snipers, and civilians. Deemed unfit for service when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Grossman became a special correspondent for The Red Star, the Red Army newspaper. A portly novelist in his mid-thirties with no military experience, he was given a uniform and hastily taught how to use a pistol. Remarkably, he spent three of the next four years at the front, observing with a writer's eye the most pitiless fighting ever recorded.". "Grossman witnessed almost all the major events on the Eastern Front: the appalling defeats and desperate retreats of 1941, the defense of Moscow, and the fighting in the Ukraine. In August 1942 he was posted to Stalingrad, where he remained during four months of brutal street fighting. Grossman was present at the battle of Kursk (the largest tank engagement in history), and, as the Red Army advanced, he reached Berdichev, where his worst fears for his mother and other relatives were confirmed. A Jew himself, he undertook the faithful recording of Holocaust atrocities as their extent dawned. His report "The Hell of Treblinka" was used in evidence at the Nuremberg tribunalworld war 1939-1945 - campaigns - eastern europe, soviet union - german occupation - 1941-1944

This bracelet is possibly associated with FJ Browne's service with the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War I. Identification bracelets were worn during World War I and II in England.Francis James Browne died in Sydney 1963. He had a long career in obstetrics and gynaecology. Summary of appointments include: General Practice in Wales, Maternity Department of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, 1st director of obstetric unit, University College Hospital London. Retired and continued postgraduate teaching in London and NSW. Married to Grace Cuthbert, who was director of Maternal and Baby Welfare in NSW. Collection of objects transferred from the Archives to the Museum collection found amongst Professor FJ Browne's papers.Silver identification bracelet. Bracelet is engraved "FJ BROWNE/ HEATH LODGE/ WATFORD HEATH." Reverse of bracelet is engraved "SILVER". browne fj

This pass was issued to Dr Margaret Alison Mackie during her time as Medical Superintendent of the Royal Women's Hospital during the Second World War. Dr Margaret Alison Mackie (1910-1991) was in active practice between 1936 and 1970. She was a Fellow of the College, and was appointed a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for services to medicine in 1975. Small cardboard identification pass. Cover of the pass is green. Front of pass is printed with the text 'GOVERNMENT/OF/VICTORIA'. Inside of pass has identification details for Dr Margaret Mackie, along with a passport photo of Dr Mackie. and attests to her employment at the Women's Hospital. The back cover of the pass is printed with the text 'No. 722/Date of Issue 10 APR 1942'.world war ii, ephemera

Program for welcome home to returned local servicemen who served in the second World War, held at St Kilda Town Hall on 24 April 1946.Pamphlet with white card cover and white paper insert, printed in blue, folded and stapledwwii, world war ii, wwii recognition of service, city of st kilda

Program for a rally arranged by the City of St Kilda on 26 June 1940 at St Kilda Town Hall to recruit numbers and raise war savings. Includes a detachable application form for War Savings Certificates on the back page. One of the speakers at the rally was Gunner Harold Holt MHR, who later served as Prime Minister in 1966-67. Holt was elected to Parliament in 1935 at the age of 27. He enlisted in the Militia in February 1939, joining a part-time artillery unit for businessmen and professionals and, May 1940, without resigning his seat, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force with the intent of becoming a full-time soldier. He was posted to the 2/4th Field Regiment, holding the rank of gunner. Within three months his brief military career came to an end when three senior government ministers died in a plane crash, an election was called, and he was given leave from the Army to campaign. He was re-elected and then resigned from the Army in October 1940 upon being sworn in as Minister for Labour and National Service.Cream coloured paper, printed in blue on both sides, folded and perforated at the fold city of st kilda, world war ii, wwii fund-raising, harold holt, arnold colman

Prayer booklet published by the Church of England Emergency Civil Defence Committee, Diocese of Adelaide, in 1939 for those on active service. Contains holy communion, commandments, prayers, psalms.Booklet with yellow card cover and white pages, printed in black, stapled.prayer booklet - war time, wwii, world war ii

Uncompleted certificate issued by the City of St Kilda to acknowledge with thanks service voluntarily given to the war effort during World War II.Cream coloured card printed in black, with green and brown borders and a drawing of St Kilda Town Hall. Red seal affixed.world war ii, wwii, city of st kilda, civil defence service

The Bofors 40 mm gun, often referred to simply as the Bofors gun, is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems during World War II, used by most of the western Allies as well as some captured systems being used by the Axis powers. A small number of these weapons remain in service to this day, and saw action as late as the Persian Gulf War.Brass shell casing 1955 40 mm. and gold coloured plaque with black writing.40mm. MK4. LOT 428 MF A^N 1955. Plaque: Bofers 40mm Mk II Anti-Aircraft Gun Dated 1955.anti-aircraft gun, shell casing, brass, wwii, world war 2, bofers

A limited edition framed collection with service medals presented over the past one hundred years to our dedicated service men and women, meticulously mounted and displayed on quality backing. Includes: 36 medals, 53 current bars and 12 World War II barsBrown timber frame with gold painted inner edge containing a poster headed with two springs of wattle either side of three flags above four rows of medals and ribbons on a white background edged with photograph negatives of soldiers and wartime.Australian Service Medals Centre of bottom edge - Christie's Pty Ltd Registered Design Number 1/2500australian, service medals

View of HQ Australian Army Services Corps Issuing Depot on Tarakan Island. The 2/24th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, which served during World War II .A unit of all-volunteers, it was formed in July 1940 from primarily Victorian volunteers and was known as "Wangaratta's Own" because of the time the battalion spent in the town during its formative period prior to deployment overseas. It served in North Africa in 1941–1942 as part of the 26th Brigade, which was assigned to the 7th Division, before being reassigned to the 9th Division. In early 1943, the battalion returned to Australia and later took part in campaigns against the Japanese in New Guinea in 1943–1944 and Borneo in 1945, before being disbanded in 1946. The 2/24th suffered the highest number of casualties of any 2nd AIF infantry battalion. The Unit was granted the Freedom of the City by the Rural City of Wangaratta in 1996 and one of the first, if not the first, to receive this type of honour. Reproduced black and white photograph of tent structures with supplies and vehicles in foreground. Handwritten on rear - Tarakan2/24th battalion, wangaratta, tarakan, ww2

Dame Gracie Fields, DBE (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 1898 – 27 September 1979) was an English actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall. When World War II was declared and whilst recovering from surgery she threw herself into her work and signed up for the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). Fields travelled to France to entertain the troops in the midst of air-raids, performing on the backs of open lorries and in war-torn areas. She performed many times for Allied troops, travelling as far as New Guinea, where she received an enthusiastic response from Australian personnel. In late 1945 she toured the South Pacific Islands. In 1979, seven months before her death, she was invested a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the entertainment industry.Reproduced black and white photograph of female wearing army jacket with soldiers kneeling and standing in background. Handwritten on rear - Gracie Fields in Pacificgracie fields, ww2, new guinea, 1945, south pacific islands

The Philippine Liberation Medal is intended to recognize military service during the last eleven months of World War II when the military of Japan was driven from the Philippines before their surrender in September 1945. Robert Hamilton Hutchieson PM 4802 served on HMAS Westralia as a landing craft coxswain in the Southwest Pacific Campaign 1942 to 1945. The Australian Army played virtually no part in the Philippines. However, units from the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy, were involved.The ships that delivered American troops included three Australian landing ships, HMA Ships Kanimbla, Manoora and Westralia. In 1995, fifty years after the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation, the Republic of the Philippines announced the awarding of a Philippines Liberation Medal to Allied veterans who served in the country or its territorial waters during 1944-45. More than 3000 Australians have received this medalGold with white enamel irregular shaped medal attached to orange ribbon with central thin blue and white stripe. Liberty (front) For The Liberation of The Philippines (back)philippine liberation medal, ww2, robert hutchieson

Hand drawn Coat of Arms for the soldiers known as the Rats of Tobruk with signatures of those involved in the engagement between 5th April to the 22nd of October 1941 The drawing is signed by artist John DOWIE AM, SX6087 who served with the 2/43rd Battalion Signatories are: VX42389 Eric Hamilton, 2/32 Battalion; VX30189 F.Baldwin, 2/23 Battalion; VX34544, F.J.Mc.Intosh 2/24 Battalion; VX34554 W.Harrison, 2/24 Battalion; WX7281 P.Bone 2/25 Battalion; VX33719 Duke Goldsmith, 2/24 Battalion; VX41179 Harry Frazer, 2/24 Battalion; VX29652 A.R.Stribley, 2/24 Battalion; SX6367 Jack Foley, 2/43 Battalion; VX48340 Harry Jones, 2/23 Battalion; VX42317 Aub Jarrott, 2/24Battalion; VX28869 Rod Deering 2/24Battalion; VX15719 Ian F. Joss 7th Division AASC; VX19723 Len Dauria, 2/12 Field Regiment; NX35852 R.E (Snowy) Cornelius 2/13 Battalion; VX32559 Jim Gray, 2/24Battalion - James Cyril GRAY Born 6/1/1916 in Orroroo South Australia. Enlisted 28/5/1940 at Mildura. Awarded Military Medal for remarkable coolness, bravery and leadership at Tobruk on 24/4 and 1/5/1941. He was promoted to Sergeant on 14/8/1941, Lieutenant in November 1942 then Captain on 9/4/1945. He was wounded in action on 11/9/1943 and discharged on 20/12/1945. He married and had three children. He died on 10/4/1992 aged 76 and buried at Wangaratta Cemetery.This original drawing is by John DOWIE SX6087 who served with the 2/43rd Battalion during the second world war and is signed by the artist and soldiers from the 2/24th Battalion known as "Wangaratta's Own". John Stuart Dowie AM (15 January 1915 – 19 March 2008) was an Australian painter, sculptor and teacher. He was born in the suburb of Prospect in Adelaide, South Australia, and studied architecture at the University of Adelaide. During World War II, Dowie worked in the Military History Unit of the Australian Imperial Force, and as an assistant to Australia's official war sculptor, Lyndon Dadswell. As a soldier, he was one of the Rats of Tobruk. After studying art in London and Florence, Dowie returned to Australia. His work includes over 50 public sculpture commissions, including the "Three Rivers" fountain in Victoria Square, "Alice" in Rymill Park, the "Victor Richardson Gates" at Adelaide Oval and the "Sir Ross & Sir Keith Smith Memorial" at Adelaide Airport. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1981 in recognition of service to the arts as a sculptor and painter. Dowie died on 19 March 2008, aged 93. There is a similiar version of the drawing on page 32 of the book Desert Sand and Jungle Green by Geoffrey Boss-Walker which is an illustrated history of the 2/43rd Battalion.Timber frame containing hand drawn Coat of Arms consisting of "rats" as shield supporters, crest with a swastika in the centre and motto surrounded by signatures.Signatures of artist John Dowie and soldiers engaged at Tobruk. The crest depicts a latrine and the motto reads NON FASCES SED FAECES (Latin translation - "Do not move but the dregs") rats of tobruk, coat of arms, 1941, john dowie

These are Robin Boyd's World War II medals. Robin Boyd commenced full-time war service on 19 November 1941 and was discharged in September 1945. He spent much of his war service preparing maps in the 3rd Field Survey Company in New Guinea and late in the war near Mareeba, Queensland. The Walsh Street Archive also holds the Demobilization Procedure Book (item D457).awards, honours, robin boyd, walsh st

Cogan is a textile artist and her work is political in nature. 'War and Peace' is about the Vietnam War and a statement about patriotism in war, of lessons not learnt, of remembrance and never forgetting. This work is an expression of her feelings towards this time and of her husband's experience who fought in this war. The Republic of Vietnam 'Vietnam Campaign Medal' is from the former country of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). Established in 1966, it was awarded to members of United States, Australian, and New Zealand military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations. The medal is issued with a device known as the 1960 Bar. The bar displays the date of 1960 followed by a dash and a blank space. The unusual appearance was caused by the government of the Republic of Vietnam stating that the 1960 bar would show the dates of the Vietnam War from start to finish, with the ending date placed on the 1960 bar after the South Vietnamese had triumphed over North Vietnam (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam). Since South Vietnam fell, and the government ceased to exist, an ending date for the 1960 Bar was never established. The Vietnam Campaign Medal is considered a foreign award by the U.S., Australian, and New Zealand governments. The joint Australian and New Zealand campaign medal awarded for service in the Vietnam War is the 'Vietnam Medal'. The obverse of this medal shows the crowned head of Queen Elizabeth II, with titles, while the reverse has the inscription VIETNAM above a symbolic representation of the ideological war in Vietnam. The RSL poppy (the Flanders poppy) has long been a part of Remembrance Day, the ritual that marks the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and is also increasingly being used as part of Anzac Day observances. During the First World War, red poppies were among the first plants to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium. In soldiers' folklore, the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. The poppy soon became widely accepted throughout the allied nations as the flower of remembrance to be worn on Armistice Day. Today the RSL continues to sell poppies for Remembrance Day to raise funds for its welfare work. "War and Peace' is significant as it explores and highlights a period in history (the Vietnam War), which was contentious both socially and politically. Cogan and her family lived locally, in the Shire of Eltham during this time, and her work is a reflection of the experiences and sentiments of a section of the Nillumbik community. Textile piece. 'War": Cast muslin, machine embroidery onto white calico. Tanin dye, poly thread, side bust view (hand, shoulder and arm). Black machine stiching on shirt and shirt pocket with two vietnam medals. A replica of the 'Vietnam Medal' in muslin is shown reverse and has the inscription VIETNAM above a symbolic representation of the ideological war in Vietnam, which is of a male figure standing between two spherical shapes. The ribbon has a vertical central section of bright yellow which has centrally superimposed on it three thin stripes of red, (representing the South Vietnamese flag) flanked by two stripes of red (representing the Army). On the left is a dark blue stripe representing the Navy and on the right, a light blue stripe representing the Air Force. A replica in muslin of the second medal is the Republic of Vietnam 'Vietnam Campaign Medal' of the former country of South Vietnam. The ribbon has green and white strips with a device bearing the inscription ‘1960 – ‘. The medal is traditionally a gold and white enamelled star with a green, red and gold centre motif. Right hand is touching the medals/heart, while left arm is left resting to the left side over a crutch which ends in a rolled up bandage. 'Peace': Cast muslin, machine embroidery onto calico. Black dye, poly thread and RSL poppy. Side bust view (hand, shoulder and arm). Yellow machine stiching on black shirt and shirt pocket with RSL red poppy on shirt pocket. Right hand is reaching to touch the poppy, while left arm is slightly bent resting on its' left side. Nonetextile, muslin, embroidery, vietnam war, medals, vietnam medal, vietnam campaign medal, rsl poppy, war, peace, armistice, remembrance day, anzac

Two letters dating from 1943 from the Anama Pastoral Co. Ltd, Central Bungaree, Brinkworth, South Australia, to W.R. Lang re: wool testing and measuring service.wool - testing world war ii, anama pastoral co., ltd, lang, dr w. roy, wool - testing, world war ii