Children of the Home Front
As the last Australians who experienced WWII as children reach their final years, Children of the Home Front captures their memories of growing up during wartime, revealing how rationing, blackouts, school drills, and absent fathers shaped childhood on the Australian home front.
About the Project
During the Second World War, thousands of Australian children experienced the conflict not on battlefields, but from classrooms, homes and small communities across the country.
They remember air raid drills at school, ration books on the kitchen table, blackout curtains at night, and fathers or brothers leaving for military service.
Children of the Home Front is a documentary project recording the memories of Australians who were school-aged during the war.
Many of these stories have never been formally recorded. As the generation who experienced the war as children reaches their late eighties and nineties, there is a limited opportunity to preserve these memories.
Do you have memories of Australia during WWII?
If you were a child during the war, you may remember things like:
Hearing the announcement that Australia was at war
Practicing air raid drills at school
Blackout curtains and sirens at night
Using ration books for food or clothing
Collecting scrap metal for the war effort
American soldiers visiting your town
Waiting for letters from family members serving overseas
I’d love to hear from you!
If you would like to share a story or know someone who may be interested in participating, please get in touch.
You can fill out the contact form, or email me at jacob@ourpast.au
Frequently Asked Questions
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Children of the Home Front will combine oral history interviews with archival photographs, film footage and historical records to document what childhood was like in Australia during the Second World War.
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The project aims to preserve these memories before they are lost and to share them with future generations.
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This project is being developed by Jacob Ure, creator of the Our Past history platform.
Jacob produces documentaries and short films focused on Australian history, with a particular emphasis on preserving local stories and firsthand accounts.
His previous documentary Operation Seagull: The Stockton Bight Disaster recorded the memories of surviving servicemen involved in a 1954 military training tragedy off the NSW coast.
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You can reach out via the contact form above, or email me at jacob@ourpast.au
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Australians who were children during the Second World War, particularly those who attended school between 1939 and 1945.
People older than this are also encouraged to share their story.
Participants will ideally be based in NSW.
Family members are also welcome to contact us on behalf of parents or grandparents who may have memories to share.
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Interviews are relaxed conversations about your memories of growing up during the war.
They usually take between one and two hours and are conducted in person, at your home, or a place of your choosing.