servicearmyfemaleworld

The former Southern Guardhouse was constructed between 1941 and 1942. It was an important part of the most northerly munitions works constructed in Australia during the Second World War. At its peak the factory employed around 3000 workers and traffic in and out of the factory was immense. As the factory was an important and highly vulnerable establishment guardhouses were established as checkpoints through which all pedestrian and vehicular traffic flowed thus ensuring the security of the site. Since the war the building has been converted to serve other purposes. It is presently accommodates a picture framing business. At its peak the Rocklea Munitions Works employed approximately 3,000 people. The larger Footscray factory in Melbourne, by comparison, employed over 9,000. The peak for Rocklea was reached in May 1943 when 926 men and 1,573 women were recorded as engaged in factory work. An additional 500 men and women worked in the associated areas of Army inspection, food services, medical and welfare. Absenteeism was a problem. The reasons blamed for this included the introduction of night shifts, the regimentation of the work, industrial fatigue and lack of proper meals. Source: heritage.brisbane.qld.gov.au/heritage-places/1406

During World War II (WWII), Australia faced a dilemma: Many women were eager to do their bit and contribute their skills to the “war effort”, but there was still widespread resistance to the notion of a woman doing a “man’s job” – surely they could not handle the physical or mental exertion and maintain their “femininity”? Meanwhile, many able-bodied men were refused enlistment to the armed forces because their occupations were considered essential to civil defence or other critical services and industries. As the war progressed and came closer to Australia’s shores, this need for more “manpower” grew even more pressing. Eventually it was conceded that women’s services would be required, though one question was still perplexing some: what exactly could women do? Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/australian-women-work-wwii-keep-c...

During the Second World War, a number of fibrolite military buildings were constructed at various points in Victoria Park by the forces of the United States of America. Following the outbreak of war in the Pacific in late 1941, Brisbane was transformed into a locale of intense military activity with thousands of American troops stationed there before being shipped off to fight the Japanese forces in the Pacific. While most of the accommodation was canvas tents, a number of huts of fibrolite on timber stumps were constructed south of Herston Road and Gregory Terrace. After the war until 1947 many of these huts were used to house Australian war brides (Australian women who had married American servicemen). After these women married an American they became stateless, losing their Australian citizenship but unable to acquire U. S. citizenship or legal rights as several years of residence in the U.S.A was required. This left many women in a very difficult position. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Park,_Brisbane#Heritage_li...

During World War Two, labor shortages saw the drafting of many women into occupations that had previously only been performed by men. There was a wide range of such occupations – everything from bus driving to assembling fighter aircraft! The excerpt below is from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine and was written for male supervisors of women in the workforce who may not have previously been required to supervise female employees. Imagine offering these tips at induction for HR Managers today! Eleven tips on getting more efficiency out of women employees. There’s no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage. 1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they’re less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn’t be doing it and they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently. 2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. 3. General experience indicates that “husky” girls – those who are just a little on the heavy side – are more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters. 4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination – one covering female conditions. 5. Stress at the outset the importance of time – the fact that a minute or two lost here and there make serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up. 6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they’ll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. 7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change. 8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make allowances for feminine physiology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day. 9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can’t shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman – it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency. 10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl’s husband or father may swear vociferously, she’ll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this. 11. Get enough size variety in operator’s uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can’t be stressed too much in keeping women happy. Source: bcsv.org.au/vm/a-guide-to-hiring-women-in-1943/

Women were to be employed as ‘assistant conductresses’, under the supervision of male conductors, and so would not be burdened with too much responsibility. This image was underlined by their uniforms. While male conductors wore a military style uniform in blue serge paired with a peaked cap, the women's uniform was brown and consisted of jacket and skirt teamed with a forage cap. Furthermore, the badge numbers issued to conductresses were higher than ‘3700’, outside the normal range used for male employees – another point of differentiation. Rather than being referred to as a female conductor, the job title was deliberately feminized as ‘conductress’. Finally, frequent media reports regarding conductresses underlined both their efficiency and decorative appearance, especially the smartness of their uniforms, emphasizing their femininity. This approach defused accusations of masculinization of women, which was thought to be a characteristic of Communist ideology. This was particularly important, as influential conservative elements had an extreme fear of a Communist uprising. As a result, they were intensely suspicious of any initiative that was not aligned with their conceptions of civil society. Source: www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/conductressww2.htm