Between the Dances: World War II Women Tell Their Stories

The start of World War II changed women’s lives and their place in Australian society forever. Thousands of women ventured where few had gone before – into the services and workplaces previously considered the sole preserve of men. For the first time, women were doing their bit as nurses in war zones, members of the services, farmhands, factory workers or volunteers in community service. The last tradition left was the weekly dance, which ceremoniously brought these courageous women and men together for a quickstep, fox trot and brief respite from the rigours of wartime. For this book, the author interviewed over three hundred women around Australia to collect the last firsthand stories from World War II. Revealing poignant and personal conversations, photographs and letters, this volume is a testament to real life during World War II.