Schools score an A for war effort
Vol 18. Number 01, January/February 2009
By Claire Munro
In 1943, Prime Minister John Curtin's plea to children did not fall on deaf ears.
'You, the children of today, are passing through a terrible period in Australia's history... We cannot waste food or clothing or boots, paper or ink or other school material... You can each help in the war effort and bring the days of peace much closer to us all.'
And help they did.
Queensland schoolchildren knitted socks, recycled and wrote letters to boost morale. They practised aircraft recognition and made model aircraft for RAAF training.
Some schools became military hospitals and others were refuges for evacuees and troops. Children helped dig slit trenches for air raid drills and rejoiced in peace in 1945.
In 1942, Silkstone State School prep student Mary Hughes thought air raid drills were 'fun'.
'When the whistle blew, we jumped into the trenches and put sugar bags over our heads for camouflage,' she said.
World War II saw a severe shortage of paper, supplies of slates delayed and textbooks treasured. Most schools were closed for a short time in early 1942 and children evacuated from coastal and northern schools.
Teacher numbers dropped drastically as enlistments increased, the Queensland teaching service faring the worst in Australia.
Les Winkle was 18 and had been teaching for only two weeks when he was called up for service in 1942.
'I trained for several months with the Citizens Military Forces at Goondiwindi and Singleton in New South Wales,' Mr Winkle said.
'When I turned 19, I enlisted with the AIF and served in Bougainville with a special task unit of the 2/6th Australian Armoured Regiment. It was a long way from the classroom.'
Today, Queensland schools continue a tradition that started on April 25, 1916, one year after the historic landing at Gallipoli.
Schools mark Anzac Day in various ways, including parades, assemblies, essays, wreath laying and the playing of the Last Post.
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