The Australian Women's Register

Mrs Batt was a ballet mistress who enlisted as an Army Amenities officer in 1943 in the Northern Territory. She discusses the entertainment provided by the army for the troops: revues, dances. She mentions conditions in Darwin during the war, including the general feeling of the population: tedium, neglect by the rest of the country. The civilian population in Perth felt isolated and had a harder time as regards rationing than did the service personnel. Mrs Batt comments that entertainers were very important to keep up the morale of the troops.