Ivanhoe East author Jacqueline Dinan compiles World War II stories of more than 300 women

THE World War II stories of more than 300 amazing women inspired an Ivanhoe East author to record their special yarns.

Jacqueline Dinan who has compiled a collection of stories about women and their various roles in WWII, called Between the Dances. picture : Mike Keating.

THE World War II stories of more than 300 amazing women inspired an Ivanhoe East author to record their special yarns in Between the Dances.

After writing A Woman’s War with her husband John, Jacqueline Dinan decided to follow her curiosity about the role women played during the war years and put feelers out to the Country Women’s Association and Legacy.

Little did she know how much interest her questions would garner from women and families across the country.

For more than two years, Dinan received hundreds of responses from women, not only in Australia, but across Asia, Malta, the Middle East, New Zealand, and the UK.

“Serving their country as nurses, farmhands, munitions workers or members of the defence forces, these fascinating stories expose their struggle with gender stereotypes, the difficult release of social liberties and the dawning of new opportunities,” Dinan said.

Dinan spent three years writing and travelling around the country to speak with women and families about many simple, but amazing, personal stories.

Among the stories the book will tell are those of three women interned by Japanese forces who later immigrated to Australia as war brides.

“An indigenous woman had five sons who joined the war to protest against not being considered Australian citizens,” Dinan said.

One of Dinan’s personal favourites is about a grandmother called Dorie.

“She lived in Seymour during World War II, and her husband worked at the train station,” she said.

“He would get advanced warning of when the troops travelling up north were going through.

“She would bake biscuits, either using her rations or churning the butter herself, and would wheel them down in a pram with her granddaughter and hand them out to the soldiers.”

Dinan said many soldiers came back to find the woman who gave them the biscuits.

“It was a simple but big effort and expense for people who she didn’t know or who might never come back,” she said.

“I find it beautiful that she didn’t expect a thank you.”

For more information, go to janecurrypublishing.com.au

Women in action

During World War I, nurses, who were recruited from civilian life, served in the 1st Australian Imperial Force.

They were sent to Egypt and Lemnos during the Gallipoli Campaign, and later served in England, France and Belgium supporting the men fighting on the Western front and in Greece, Palestine and Mesopotamia.

There were at least 2139 nurses serving overseas during the war years and 423 working in military hospitals in Australia.

More than 20 nurses died on active service.

Australian women volunteered for service in auxiliary roles, as cooks, nurses, drivers, interpreters, munitions workers, and skilled farm workers.

In World War II, Australian women fulfilled similar roles.

The government generally rejected women other than nurses for service overseas.

For most of the war, nurses were the only females to serve outside of Australia in any capacity, except for the Australian Women’s Army Service.

During World War II, 3477 nurses served and 71 lost their lives on active service overseas.

Source: Women in action, Australian Government and the RSL