There was a great impact from World War Two on Australian soldiers. World War Two led to unemployment, lack of skills, and alienation. Many Diggers had a hard time, after the war, trying to find their place in Australia once more.
Returned soldiers were impacted by unemployment. This was caused by women, who had taken over in the workforce. Employers refused to fire their female staff for returned soldiers because women were just as efficient and were paid less, meaning employers received a bigger profit. Some of the jobs women were involved in were; welding, operating tractors, ploughing, building trucks, tanks and airplanes, etc. One news item stated “Many returned soldiers complain that the promise of employers, to keep their jobs open, has been broken.” This impacted soldiers because they felt let down by their employers who had promised to reassure soldiers’ positions.
Lack of skills was also another impact. It was a disadvantage especially to soldiers that were keen to return to the workforce. Australia had its mind on improving technology, during the war. So, soldiers arrived home to a new country that had replaced all unskilled workers with high-tech machinery. Therefore, many unskilled diggers were left for civilian life. Civil rehabilitation centres were opened and helped by training, housing and ensuring soldiers of jobs and a future. This was an impact because many soldiers were now able to forget their time at war and focus on jobs and civilian life.
Soldiers ,that did not experience any help, were alienated from the rest of the country. Where once they were looked up to and had purpose, they now felt isolated. The soldiers prided in Australia and its place in the war. However, many civilians thought of soldiers badly rather than heroes. Percy Samson said “For some men, the hardest adjustments were those of the mind. In the cities there was an upsurge of violence and drunkenness… trying to blot out gruesome sights…” This can clearly explain how the soldiers might have felt. They had seen different sides to the world than the rest of Australia. All they
