Comments on: Why we fought?

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:28:14 +0000

Yes, it’s a little excessive, isn’t it? Interestingly, that poster matches one described in an oral account but which Stanley (who was the Australian War Memorial’s principal historian) suggests was confused with the other “he’s coming south” poster (in my other link). If the former principal historian of the Australian War Memorial didn’t know about it, it must have had a limited life or distribution range. I wonder how it ended up in NZ?

By: Alan Allport

Alan Allport — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:37:20 +0000

“Safety demands obedience” – good grief, what an Orwellian injunction, even in an emergency.

By: Airminded · Slap the Jap and make the Hun pay

Airminded · Slap the Jap and make the Hun pay — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:40:22 +0000

[...] feared that to recognise the equality of races would mean that Australia would have to abandon the White Australia policy. This aimed to prevent immigration by non-British, non-white people: in particular, Chinese and [...]

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:16:47 +0000

For most Aussies of that time it must have been the culmination of decades of Yellow Peril warnings.

Absolutely. Peter Stanley covers this very well in his recent book Invading Australia: Japan and the Battle for Australia, 1942 (which, despite the title, argues that there was no battle for Australia and no possibility of a Japanese invasion). This famous poster shows the sort of propaganda around at the time. (And this one.)

By: Leinad

Leinad — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:57:16 +0000

My grandmother related to me how she used to be terrified of the Japanese due to newsreels and cartoon portrayals of them as these ghoulish nearsighted goblins with big sharp teeth. For most Aussies of that time it must have been the culmination of decades of Yellow Peril warnings.

By: Erik Lund

Erik Lund — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:34:39 +0000

I changed my mind. I’m rooting for the Japanese now.