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A Struggle For Recognition: The War Widows' Guild In Western Australia 1946-1975 ; And, Exegesis: Researching And Writing An Organisational History, Melinda Tognini

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis comprises an organisational history of the War Widow' Guild Australia WA Inc., and an essay about the research and writing process I undertook to construct such a history. The history outlines the development, struggles and achievements of the War Widows’ Guild in Western Australia from 1946 to 1975. While many were celebrating the end of the war in 1945, thousands of war widows faced an uncertain future without their husbands. Although Prime Minister John Curtin addressed the issue of war widows' pensions as part of his Post War Reconstruction initiatives, the pension was well below the basic wage. …