The home front workplace

Examine the following selection of items on the theme of the workplace.

Larger versions of the sources can be seen in the text version.

Poster showing determined looking woman with a clenched fist and wearing work clothes in front of an Australian flag. Text says, 'change over to a victory job, apply to your nearest National Service Office'.

Title: Change over to a victory job

Date: 1943

General advertisement about the clothing industry. Text reads,'Our job to clothe the men who work and fight'.

Title: Our job to clothe the men who work and fight

Date: c.1943

Publisher: Department of Information, Advertising Division

Advertisement for Australian Mills showing two soldiers wearing only shorts. Smaller image at bottom shows family thinking of the soldiers. Main text says “ Can we leave them in clothing ruined by the battle”?

Title: Can we leave them in clothing ruined by the battle?

Advertisement with main image showing female worker at a food cannery with a battle scene in the background. Main text says “We feed the men who flight for us”. Secondary text says “There are many ways to help them, but none more important than this”.

Title: There are many ways to help them - but none more important that this…we feed the men who fight for us

Advertisement for Kraft showing solider in the jungle eating a piece of cheese. Smaller image shows female Kraft worker packaging boxes of cheese. Main text says “FOR HIM we’re doing this”. First sentence of smaller text says, 'because the Army needs Kraft Cheese for Australia's fighting men and women, our good Australians at Kraft have increased Kraft's output by more than 100 per cent.

Title: Kraft Cheddar ad in the Women's Weekly

Main text says “FOR HIM we’re doing this”. First sentence of smaller text say, 'because the Army needs Kraft Cheese for Australia's fighting men and women, our good Australians at Kraft have increased Kraft's output by more than 100 per cent'.

Ausmill advertisement showing two woman and one man at the beach using Ausmill towels. Smaller inset shows fan arrangement of seven towels. Main text says 'the colourful days to come'. Secondary text reads: 'We are looking ahead with you to the time when our beaches will again sparkle with gay, vivid, carefree people ... beaches as colourful as gardens speckled with flowers ... with bronzed men and sun-kissed girls and soft, downy, thirsty Ausmill Towels scattered among them, like many-hued blossoms, and then, as now, hard-wearing as an old friendship.

When that time comes, Ausmill Towels will be obtainable everywhere ... towels sunny as your most vogue-ish beach wear, vivid as the lasses and lads who'll sport them ... but stoutly durable towels, ultra-absorbent, woven to welcome water and wear.

Meanwhile, we continue weaving Ausmills for the Services to whom we will supply as many as will see them to Tokyo and back ... tens of thousands of dozens ... every single one of the same dependable quality that made Ausmills such favourites. A reasonable number of towels, too, are being made for home use, of modified designs in keeping with the need for austerity. Look for the name 'AUSMILL' on each towel'.

Title: advertisement for Ausmill

Small text reads:

'We are looking ahead with you to the time when our beaches will again sparkle with gay, vivid, carefree people ... beaches as colourful as gardens speckled with flowers ... with bronzed men and sun-kissed girls and soft, downy, thirsty Ausmill Towels scattered among them, like many-hued blossoms, and then, as now, hard-wearing as an old friendship.

When that time comes, Ausmill Towels will be obtainable everywhere ... towels sunny as your most vogue-ish beach wear, vivid as the lasses and lads who'll sport them ... but stoutly durable towels, ultra-absorbent, woven to welcome water and wear.

Meanwhile, we continue weaving Ausmills for the Services to whom we will supply as many as will see them to Tokyo and back ... tens of thousands of dozens ... every single one of the same dependable quality that made Ausmills such favourites. A reasonable number of towels, too, are being made for home use, of modified designs in keeping with the need for austerity. Look for the name 'AUSMILL' on each towel'.

Title: Woman making uniforms

This was one of several photos in the exhibition showing women at work including jobs that had previously been the sole domain of men, such as bus and tram conductors, ammunition factory workers and bread-making delivery people.

Title: Joining us in a victory job

Creator: Maurice Bramley for the Department of National Service

Date: 1943

Read more here.

Text reads:

'Dear Sir, In reply to your letter we regret we cannot book the order for roses in such quantities this year. We are particularly short stocked owing to lack of manpower and expect to sell available quantities out by the end of May.

Twenty five of our men are in the army and as we have now to devote 80% of our time to vegetables we are sure you will understand it is impossible to keep stocks up to normal'.

Title: Letter to Claude C Crowe from Hazlewood Bros Pty Ltd Rose & Tree Specialists

Date: 1944

Creator: Hazlewood Brothers

Text reads:

'Dear Sir, In reply to your letter we regret we cannot book the order for roses in such quantities this year. We are particularly short stocked owing to lack of manpower and expect to sell available quantities out by the end of May.

Twenty five of our men are in the army and as we have now to devote 80% of our time to vegetables we are sure you will understand it is impossible to keep stocks up to normal'.

Title: Arnott's Women's Weekly ad

Text reads:

'Dear Sirs, My grocer cannot supply some of my favourite biscuits. Have you stopped making them?

Dear Madam, Our factories are working at full capacity. Arnott's Biscuits are 'on service' on every Australian battle front. We have removed many lines from our lists to enable us to fulfill war orders, and we look forward to that happy day when supplies will once again be ample.

Grocers everywhere are assisting us to distribute fairly our available supplies and avoid disappointment to our many friends'.

Advertisement showing soldier's rifle, pack and mug with a Cadbury's can of cocoa in the bottom right.

Main text reads, 'Food for action'

Smaller text reads:

‘Grand stuff, cocoa! There’s nothing like a steaming hot mug of it to dispel fatigue and set up a man again. That’s why cocoa is so popular with the chaps in the Army, Air Force and Navy. To weary men in from patrol ... to air crews climbing stiffly from their machines ... to muffled figures keeping vigilant watch in the cold dog-watches ... cocoa is a welcome prospect. In many cases it is Bourneville Cocoa with that recognisable chocolatey flavour. Government orders to Cadbury’s call for Bournville Cocoa in quantities of many tons per week, but there is still some Bournville Cocoa for the home front'.

Title: Ad for 'Cadbury’s Bournville Cocoa'

Date: 20 May, 1944

Creator: The Australian Women's Weekly

The smaller text reads:

‘Grand stuff, cocoa! There’s nothing like a steaming hot mug of it to dispel fatigue and set up a man again. That’s why cocoa is so popular with the chaps in the Army, Air Force and Navy. To weary men in from patrol ... to air crews climbing stiffly from their machines ... to muffled figures keeping vigilant watch in the cold dog-watches ... cocoa is a welcome prospect. In many cases it is Bourneville Cocoa with that recognisable chocolatey flavour. Government orders to Cadbury’s call for Bournville Cocoa in quantities of many tons per week, but there is still some Bournville Cocoa for the home front'.

Advertisement showing woman in a new uniform surrounded by three admiring girlfriends.

Main text says 'Hilda's doing a worthwhile job now'.

Smaller text reads:

'When Hilda (ex-accounts department) went back to see the girls at the office, they not only admired the smartness of her bearing,but there was a new sparkle in her eye that made them wonder ...

Why don't you get out of the rut of peace-time life and, like Hilda, do something worthwhile for your country? It's women with office experience that the WAAAF wants so urgently.

Ask yourself 'Is the job I am now doing essential to the war effort?' If not, do something about it. Why not pop over now and find out more about the WAAAF from the RAAF Recruiting Centre or your local RAAF Committee?

You'll be doing a better job with the WAAAF.

Title: Hilda's doing a worthwhile job now, WAAAF

This was one of numerous ads in the exhibition that encouraged women to join a branch of the service.

Smaller text reads:

'When Hilda (ex-accounts department) went back to see the girls at the office, they not only admired the smartness of her bearing,but there was a new sparkle in her eye that made themwonder ...

Why don't you get out of the rut of peace-time life and, like Hilda, do something worthwhile for your country? It's women with office experience that the WAAAF wants so urgently.

Ask yourself 'Is the job I amnow doing essential to the war effort?' If not, do something about it. Why not pop over now and find out more about the WAAAF from the RAAF Recruiting Centre or your local RAAF Committee?

You'll be doing a better job with the WAAAF.