Australian Women At War - Hardcover

Patsy Adam Smith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0170064085 ISBN 13: 9780170064088

Publisher: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1984

Synopsis

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN AT WAR is a history of how women have responded to war, from 1900, when the first nurses sailed to the Boer War, to 1945 and its aftermath. In World War I, the only outlet for women was knitting socks, packing "comforts"' for troops and raising money for the war effort. But when World War II threatened our shores, Australian women demanded a chance to defend their country. They suddenly became part of the greatest social experiment with women to be carried out in Australia. Never before had they been so emancipated from the tyranny of home, family and conventional society. Women worked as mechanics, drivers, coders, on searchlight batteries and in coast artillery; they built planes, manufactured small arms, worked in factories and shipyards and on the land. Women eagerly took jobs which released men for active service overseas. Patsy Adam-Smith enlisted as a VAD and served in orthopaedic hospitals in northern Australia. She knew the comradeship and the heartbreak of war, and has spoken to enlisted and civilian women: the AWAS, WAAAF, WRANS, VADs, the nursing services, the Red Cross and all the women who worked, laughed, worried and prayed while Australia was at war. This book records the achievements of our women for all time. It tells of bravery, self-sacrifice, endurance and devotion. It examines the effects of a great upheaval on women's roles. Women who had been tried by the fire of Depression and war stepped forward to work for and demand opportunities for their daughters. They are no longer a forgotten part of our history. And when they are asked, "What did you do in the war grandma?", they may truly say, "I served." PATSY ADAM-SMITH OBE enlisted as a VAD at the end of 1941 and went north with No. 1 Australian Orthopaedic Unit. She has travelled all over Australia talking both to women who belonged to the women's services and those who, as civilians, worked in factories and contributed to the war effort.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thomas Nelson & Sons
• Publication date: 1984
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0170064085
• ISBN 13: 9780170064088
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 386