World War II 1939-1945

Component identifier:

Series 44

Content Summary:

During the War Ivy Brookes was an executive member of the Australian Comforts' Fund, the Women's Voluntary National Register, the Fighting Forces' Welfare Service and the Australian Women's Land Army Committee. There are subseries for each of these organizations.

Ivy Brookes was Deputy Chairwoman of the Australian Comforts Fund (Victorian Division) and convenor of the Branches and Functions Committee from 1939 until 1945. Included in the subseries is her correspondence with branches throughout Victoria, a list of branch office-bearers, circulars, copies of broadcasts from 1940 (mostly undated) and minutes of meetings from 1940 until 1945. In addition there is a book containing minutes of meetings of the Branches and Functions Committee from October 1939 until February 1945, notes and itineraries, and printed material, including the annual reports of the A.C.F. (Victorian Division) from 1941 until 1945.

The next subseries contains a small amount of material concerning the Women's Voluntary National Register which was set up in 1939, with Ivy as convenor of what became known later as the Women's Australian National Register. There are notes, a small number of letters, publications and press cuttings.

The Fighting Forces Welfare Service was formed in 1942 to coordinate all welfare activities for men and women on, or discharged from, active service, and their dependants. Ivy Brookes was Chairwoman of the provisional executive and later was one of its Vice-Presidents. The series is small, but contains some correspondence, the constitution and minutes of some meetings from 1942 and 1944. (In that year its work was taken over by the Australian Red Cross Society (Victorian Division).

There is a small collection of papers of the State Advisory Committee for the Land Army, including lists of members, agenda for meetings in 1944, and reports of trips of the Australian Women's Land Army mobile canteen during 1944 and 1945. Arranged next are financial papers and reports of the Victorian Amenities Committee for the Land Army, for the period 1944 until 1947. In 1948, the Australian Women's Land Army Ex-members' Association was formed and its trust deed, constitution and some financial statements and a small amount of correspondence up to 1962 is included.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers of Herbert Brookes were presented to the National Library in April 1967 by his widow Ivy Deakin Brookes. In October 1967 she deposited her own extensive collection, and together they form the Brookes Papers.

Names:

Brookes, Ivy

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