Wartime Stories

World War II shaped a generation. Here, 100 year olds share what they saw, what they did and what they lost, in their own words.

Jim served as a Coastwatcher behind enemy lines near Rabaul. Tom cooked for the officers on HMAS Westralia and survived a kamikaze attack. Hilary filmed for the RAAF, and Elizabeth worked for the secret Z Special Unit. Others remember nursing the wounded from D-Day, surviving Auschwitz or waiting years for a fiancé to come home.

These are some of the last first-hand stories of the war.