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.

MERCHANT NAVY PLAYED IMPORTANT ROLE IN D-DAY LANDINGS

NAME: Geoff Maidment

DATE: 1944

UNIT: Merchant ship Isle of Guernsey

LOCATION: English Channel

Geoff Maidment had a good view of the D Day landings – from the deck of a merchant ship carrying Canadian troops to France.
 

PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS AIMED AT UNDERMINING MORALE

NAME: R. A. Maladay

DATE: 1944 - 1945

UNIT: HMAS Arunta

LOCATION: Pacific

Propaganda has been used by all sides during the various wars and the Japanese were no exception in Pacific during World War II.
 

SPECIALIST MECHANICAL UNIT PAVED THE WAY FOR TROOPS

NAME: Eric Mallen

DATE: 1941 - 1945

UNIT: 2/1st Australian Mechanical Equipment Company

LOCATION: New Guinea

Early in World War II the authorities realised there would be a need to have earth moving machines and equipment with experienced operators to be used in various war zones including the Middle East and the Pacific.
 

WREN TRAINED TO INTERCEPT GERMAN NAVAL SIGNALS

NAME: Elizabeth Marshall (Agar)

DATE: 1940 - 1944

UNIT: WRNS

LOCATION: England

Elizabeth Agar [now Marshall] was visiting England when World War II broke out. She decided her duty lay in war service and joined the Women's Royal Naval Service (Wren) in July 1940 where she was trained to intercept German naval signals.
 

BEING 'MANPOWERED' MEANT JEAN COULD DO A MAN'S JOB

NAME: Jean Mascord

DATE: 1945

UNIT: Voluntary Aid Detachments

LOCATION: Australia - Canada

Jean Mascord was working at the Commonwealth Bank when World War II broke out. She was obviously a good worker because despite the fact that she was only 18, the Bank had her 'manpowered'.
 

CIVILIAN CONSTRUCTION CORPS PAVED THE WAY FOR THE FORCES

NAME: Jack McAulay

DATE: 1940 - 1945

UNIT: Civil Construction Corps

LOCATION: Australia

While many young men left Australia to fight overseas during World War II, one large group of men made a significant contribution to the war effort back home.
 

FIVE WEEKS ELUDING THE GERMANS IN GREECE.

NAME: 'Snow' McBain MM

DATE: 1941

UNIT: 2/3rd Battalion AIF

LOCATION: Greece

The thought of spending five weeks travelling through the beautiful Greek countryside would make most people's eyes light up but when Sgt R A 'Snow' McBain and his mate Vic Shannon had that experience, things were a bit different.
 

LIFEBOAT NUMBER SEVEN

NAME: Ian McIntosh KBE CB DSO DSC

DATE: 1940 - 1941

UNIT: RAN

LOCATION: Atlantic Ocean

Ian McIntosh was brought up on the family property near Camperdown in Victoria's Western Districts. From as early as he could remember he had wanted to join the Navy.
 

BANDSMAN DEFIED EXECUTION TO KEEP DIARY

NAME: Alan Murnane

DATE:

UNIT: 2nd/21st Gull Force

LOCATION:

Alan Murnane, who joined the Army as a bandsman in 1940, kept a diary throughout the war. After travelling in Australia with the band, he was posted towards the end of 1941 to Ambon in the Dutch East Indies, where he discovered a new talent - as a stretcher bearer.
 

THEY CAN'T BEAT THE BOYS OF THIS OLD BRIGADE

NAME: Tom Murphy

DATE: 1941 - 1945

UNIT: No 4 Company, 8 Australian Signals

LOCATION: Malaya, Japan

Despite being only 15 years old, Tom Murphy was so keen to go to war that he borrowed his older brother's birth certificate and put up his age. His big problem was that he only looked 15 and he was turned away by several recruitment officers.