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  4. Australia under attack 1942-1943
  5. Australia under attack: Mobilising the nation
  6. Australia under attack: Austerity suits and home-m...

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Australia under attack: Austerity suits and home-made toys

  • Introduction
  • Under attack
  • Mobilisation
  • The End in sight

 

With Australian production dedicated almost exclusively to the war effort, supplies of non-military goods dwindled. There were shortages of civilian clothing. People were encouraged to reuse clothes. Cheaply-made “austerity” garments replaced clothing stocks as they sold out.

Luxury items and commodities the government considered “non-essential”, such as children’s toys, became almost unobtainable from 1942. Factories that had once made mechanical toys converted to the production of weapons or military equipment.

Carved kangaroos

Flight Lieutenant Harold Venning, No. 14 Squadron, RAAF, of Youanmi, Western Australia, purchased carved kangaroos for his son and daughter from Aboriginal artisans on the Nullarbor Plain. He was heading home on leave aboard a Perth-bound troop train when it stopped to take on water. By 1943 children’s toys were very scarce.

During his leave Harold spent time on the south coast of Western Australia with his wife Eileen and their two children, Lorraine and Keith. Originally from the goldfields, Eileen and the children had agreed to live with Harold’s parents in the south-west while he was serving in the RAAF.

Carved Kangaroo

Carved Kangaroo

Collection Item C297319

Accession Number: P02175.007

The Venning family at the beach near Denmark, Western Australia

CWA Toys

Helping mothers manage in austerity, the Country Women’s Association of Queensland mounted an exhibition in Brisbane in 1943 to demonstrate that household items, such as these toys, baby booties and apron, could be made from material readily available without coupons.

Collection Item C119133

Accession Number: REL/15581

CWA apron

Collection Item C119134

Accession Number: REL/15582

CWA Doll

Collection Item C210225

Accession Number: REL/15583.001

CWA blue toy rabbit and pink bootees

Madame Maude’s patterns

Madame Maude’s patterns

Mobilisation

  • Mobilising the nation
  • Air Raid Precautions
    • Identification labels
    • The Anderson air raid shelter
    • “When the air raid siren sounds …”
  • Scanning the skies
  • The man who killed Santa Claus
    • Austerity
    • Suits and home-made toys
    • Investing in victory
  • Inventors and industry
    • Civil Constructional Corps
    • Rail transport
    • Feeding the men
  • Recruitment
  • The Australian Military Forces
    • Lines of communication
    • Militia training
    • Australia’s home guard
    • The Nackeroos
    • The RAAF at war
    • The Z men

Last updated: 28 November 2019

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TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS

The Australian War Memorial acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and waters. We pay our respects to elders past and present.
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Campbell ACT 2612
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The Australian War Memorial

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Campbell ACT 2612

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In preparation for the daily Last Post Ceremony,

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