Almost a million Australians, both men and women, served in the Second World War. Many of those who came home chose not to talk about their experiences.

The Great Search uncovered a previously unknown story about Australian airmen who, when they ran out of bombs, decided to drop bottles on the enemy. To the distracted foe, the bottles sounded just like shells.

Another story begins with a photo of an Aussie Beaufort Bomber, minutes after being shot down over the Pacific and turns into one of the most remarkable stories of survival behind enemy lines you are ever likely to read.

FEVER CAUSED MORE GRIEF THAN THE ENEMY

NAME: Lionel Abeshouse

DATE: 1942 - 1945

UNIT: 8th Platoon, 55th Battalion AIF

LOCATION: New Guinea

Shortly after disembarking from the Taroona on arrival in Port Moresby with the 8th Platoon, 55th Battalion AIF, in May 1942, Lionel Abeshouse found himself marching 20 km to camp, carrying full equipment.
 

THE LOW DOWN ON MALAYA

NAME:  Anonymous, Through magazine

DATE: 1941

UNIT: Signals 8th Australian Division

LOCATION: Singapore

Through magazine was the official journal of Signals 8th Australian Division. The first edition was produced in Singapore in December 1941, shortly before Singapore fell.
 

WOMEN'S LAND ARMY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE DURING WORLD WAR II

NAME: Isobel Anstee

DATE: 1943 - 1944

UNIT: Australian Women's Land Army

LOCATION: Victoria, Australia

One of the most important products during World War II was flax. It was used for all sorts of clothing and equipment from coats to parachute harnesses, from ropes to tarpaulins and even to cover gliders used to transport troops.
 

CHRISTMAS MORNING 1942

NAME: Ray Baldwin

DATE: 1942

UNIT: 2/27th Battalion

LOCATION: Papua New Guinea

Some of the hardest and most costly battles of World War II took place in Papua New Guinea in 1942 and 1943. Australian soldiers were pitted against strong Japanese forces, fighting in inhospitable and treacherous terrain, often with limited supplies of ammunition and food. The Battle of the Beachheads, fought between November 1942 and January 1943, was such an exchange.
 

WE HAD THE SKILLS, THEY HAD THE MONEY

NAME: Charles Hilton "Snow" Beal

DATE: 1944 - 1945

UNIT: 11th Repair and Salvage Unit, RAAF

LOCATION: New Guinea

Hilton Beal became an expert wheeler-dealer in New Guinea during World War II. He discovered he had a talent for making jewellery out of all sorts of spare bits and pieces - and there was a ready market among the well-paid US servicemen
 

THOSE AT HOME ALSO SUFFERED FROM LACK OF NEWS

NAME: Emily "Queenie" Bennett

DATE: 1943

UNIT: Civilian

LOCATION: Vic, Australia

Much of the focus during any war is on the family members who have gone away to serve their country. Service men and women tell of their longing to receive mail from home and how excited they are when it arrives.
 

LEN BILLS' LETTER IN A BOTTLE FINDS ITS WAY HOME

NAME: Len and Cyril Bills

DATE: 1941 - 1945

UNIT: 2/19 Battalion AIF

LOCATION: Singapore, Malaya

Len and Cyril Bills were brothers who enlisted in the army at the same time and sailed on the Queen Mary in February 1941. They both wrote to their sister Mary on a regular basis.
 

MALAYA THE UNKNOWN

NAME: C.C.  Bingham, Through magazine

DATE: 1941

UNIT: Signals 8th Australian Division

LOCATION: Singapore

Through magazine was the official journal of Signals 8th Australian Division. The first edition was produced in Singapore in December 1941, shortly before Singapore fell.
 

LIVING THROUGH 'FRIENDLY FIRE' IN NEW GUINEA

NAME: Henry Booth

DATE: 1943 - 1944

UNIT: 100 Squadron RAAF

LOCATION: Milne Bay, New Guinea

Being shot at by planes and having bombs dropped near you was a fairly common occurrence in New Guinea during World War II, as Tony Booth would be the first to tell you. But when the bullets and the bombs came from Australian aircraft, it was a bit hard to take.
 

SURVIVING FREEZING WEATHER IN POW CAMP

NAME: Alexander William Bourne

DATE: 1943 - 1945

UNIT: POW

LOCATION: Keijo Prisoner of War Camp, Korea

Signaller Alexander William Bourne was taken prisoner by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore. He was later transferred to Korea where he spent the rest of the war at Keijo Prisoner of War Camp.