There was a war on...

“It is my melancholy duty to inform you officially that, in consequence of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war on her and that, as a result, Australia is now also at war.” From a radio broadcast by R.G.Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia, September 3^rd 1939.

The war, at that early stage, was a long way from Australia, but nevertheless, within a few months, about 20,000 men had volunteered for the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F) and in January 1940, the first contingent sailed for Europe from Sydney Harbour.

At home, the Government rounded up ‘enemy aliens’ for internment, and compulsory military training was introduced for home defence. Service overseas was voluntary throughout WW2, and those in reserved occupations, like my father, were exempt from active service.My first cousin, Basil Edwards, enlisted in the AIF in May, 1941. He was sent to Singapore. (more about him later)

Then, suddenly, the War got a whole lot closer. There had been warnings for years about Japan’s growing military forces, and on December 7^th, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American base at Pearl Harbour, killing 2,403 military personnel and civilians. Many more were injured, and several ships and planes were destroyed.

The Japanese then invaded Thailand and Malaya, and Manila, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong were under air attack.

In Australia, the danger of a Japanese invasion seemed very real. The Government took urgent measures to prepare the country. Volunteers were trained in first aid, fire-fighting and plane spotting. Air-raid drill was held in schools, offices and factories, and some householders dug shelters in the backyard. A modified blackout, called a ‘brownout’, was imposed.

In February 1942, Darwin suffered the first of 64 bombing raids. A Volunteer Defence Corps, modelled on the British Home Guard, had been formed in July 1940. My father joined the VDC on June 6^th 1942, and remained a member until it was disbanded in 1946.

Everyone, even in a small community like Lubeck, was affected by the war. It was an anxious time; sons and daughters were serving overseas, and memories of the dreadful loss of life in WW1 were still fresh in the minds of many.
Two of Dad’s older brothers had been killed in France.

Petrol was rationed – oil tankers had to run the gamut of German submarines – and also foodstuffs and clothing.

England, beleaguered and isolated, relied on shipments from Australia and New Zealand for survival, and Australians had to contend with ration tickets for clothing, footwear, tea, butter and sugar. Meat was later rationed too.

Austerity recipes were published in magazines and newspapers. Chocolate vanished – I remember Easter Eggs made of brightly coloured hard candy, almost impossible to eat. For farm households rationing was not such a problem; we had plenty of poultry and rabbits, and our own sheep; and farmers got extra rations of petrol.

 To be continued