Soldiers and Aliens: Men in the Australian Army's Employment Companies during World War II

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June Factor

Soldiers and Aliens

Men in the Australian Army's Employment Companies during World War II

June Factor

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English

MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PRES
15 June 2022

History; Australasian & Pacific history; Oral history; Military history; Second World War

A forgotten history of the remarkable contribution of non-British subjects to Australia in World War II

Four thousand Australian soldiers in World War II who signed up for service were never to fire a weapon. Their work was essential for the war effort, but they were 'aliens' - non-British subjects - many born in other countries. Scholars and peasants, musicians and factory workers, communists and royalists, Jews and Catholics, animists and atheists, they all laboured under standard strict Army regulations, living in tents and huts, loading and unloading trains, working the wharves, cutting timber and transporting goods. They raised money for good causes, gave public concerts and staged theatre performances. And every day they feared for loved ones caught up in the horror of occupied Europe and Asia. They were a multicultural force in the Army long before the term 'multicultural' was coined. Largely forgotten, their contribution to Australia during World War II makes for an engrossing story and provides new insights into a critical period of Australian history.

By: June Factor
Imprint: MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PRES
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 35mm
Weight: 488g
ISBN: 9780522878585
ISBN 10: 052287858X
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 15 June 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

June Factor is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and the University of London and is an Honorary Senior Fellow in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and an Honorary Associate of Museums Victoria. She is a well-known and highly respected folklorist, social historian and writer. Her social history, Captain Cook Chased a Chook- Children's Folklore in Australia, was awarded the United States Opie Prize.

Reviews for Soldiers and Aliens: Men in the Australian Army's Employment Companies during World War II

"""Soldiers and Aliens is the best kind of history: cautious in its judgments and vibrant in its narrative ... This book delivers its message with the suavity and sophistication of the people it honours."" --THE AGE"