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Soldiers and Aliens: Men in the Australian Army’s Employment Companies During World War II
A forgotten history of the remarkable contribution of non-British subjects to Australia in the Second World War.
Four thousand Australian soldiers in the Second World War 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, they all laboured under strict Army regulations, living in tents and huts.
They loaded and unloaded trains, worked the wharves, cut timber and transported goods. They raised money for good causes 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. Their contribution to Australia during the Second World War makes for an engrossing story and provides new insights into a critical period of Australian history.
Details: Non-fiction, published 2022.
Format: Soft cover, illustrations (photographs), 352 pages.
Dimensions: 23.4 cm (h) x 15.4 cm (w) x 3.5 cm (d) / 488 grams.
