World War II: Australians at War: Indigenous Australians

Facts & Figures

• 1 in every 20 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people made a direct contribution to Australian WWII efforts, either as servicemen or women or civilian labourers.  • At present, it is known that 34 Aboriginal men served at Gallipoli, 12 of whom were killed.  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples served for 87 years in the armed forces before they were considered citizens of Australia.  • It is estimated that 27,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were killed in the Frontier Wars.  
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have fought for Australia in every war since Federation in 1901.
• In 1944, nearly every Torres Strait Islander man was a member of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion - in proportion to population, no community in Australia contributed more to Australia’s effort in World War II than the people of the Torres Strait Islands.
• The first Japanese Prisoner of War in Australia was captured by Aboriginal people after his plane crashed on Melville Island, north of Darwin, in February 1942.  
• NORFORCE, which relies heavily on the knowledge and talents of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the north of Australia today, monitors the largest area of operations of any military unit in the world.  
• Despite rules against their enrolment, over 3000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women are known to have enlisted in World War II—a further 400 are known to have served in World War I.
• Only one Aboriginal man ever received land under the soldier settlement scheme. Returned Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women were often denied the honour and rights given to other returned servicemen and women. 

Source: LaTrobe University, The History of the Service of Australian Service men and women 2014