Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people please be advised that the following contains the names, images and objects of people who have died.
When: 1 September, 1939 – 2 September, 1945
Where: Fighting began in Europe, but spread to the Pacific (including Malaya, Hawaii, Philippines and Guam to name a few), Asia (mainly China and Japan), North Africa (including Egypt, Libya, Somaliland, Gabon and Tunisia among others) and the Atlantic.
Why: Officially, World War II began when France and Great Britain declared war on Germany after they (Germany) invaded Poland. However, there were many, complex events leading up to this that caused such widespread conflict. Some of these included the impact that the Treaty of Versailles had had on Europe after WWI, the decade long Great Depression, rising aggression and militarism of both Germany and Japan, and the failure of the League of Nations.
Who: Almost every country in the world participated in WWII, with only 14 remaining neutral for the entirety of the conflict, though some “neutral" nations did provide support for either the Allies or Axis powers.
Major players in the Allies were the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, United States, France (excluding 1940 – 1944 while they were occupied by Germany) and China. Fighting with the Allies were Australia, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, South Africa and Yugoslavia. Then later in the war, Mexico, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Iraq, Brazil, Bolivia, Iran, Colombia, Liberia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.
Major players in the Axis powers were Germany, Italy and Japan, however Italy later joined the Allies. As the war progressed, a number of nations joined the Axis powers, either because they were left with little choice or because they were promised land or protection. These were Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Finland.
The Townsville Connection
Did you know Townsville was bombed by the Japanese in three separate air-raids during World War II?
Fortunately, all three raids were unsuccessful, with most of the bombs landing in the ocean or largely uninhabited areas. The only damage sustained was to a coconut palm and some fence posts in Oonoonba.
Townsville Bulletin, 3 August 1942
Though generally considered to be luck more than good planning, there were some preparations in place for a potential attack. Pictured here are air raid trenches (known as “slit trenches", constructed on Flinders Street.
Air raid trenches, Flinders Street, 1942
Want to Know More?
Australian War Memorial “Second World War"
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/second-world-war
Encyclopedia Britannica “Allied Powers"
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Allied-Powers-international-alliance#ref754272
Encyclopedia Britannica “Axis Powers"
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Axis-Powers
Encyclopedia Britannica “Causes of the Great Depression"
https://www.britannica.com/story/causes-of-the-great-depression
Encyclopedia Britannica “World War II"
https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II
Lectures on NQ History “Townsville During World War II"
https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_241786/Lectures_on_NQ_History_S1_CH15.pdf
National Museum Australia “Great Depression"
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/great-depression
State Library of Queensland “70th anniversary of the bombing of Townsville during Wold War II"
https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/70th-anniversary-bombing-townsville-during-world-war-ii
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Holocaust Encyclopedia
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/en
Northern Beaches State High School wishes to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we live and work, the Wulgurukaba and Bindal people. We pay our respects to their elders, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.