The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act (1903), neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force (PMF) could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to do so. The Second AIF fought against Nazi Germany, the Kingdom of Italy, Vichy France and the Empire of Japan.
Read more about Second Australian Imperial Force: Formation, Operations, Disbandment
Famous quotes containing the words australian, imperial and/or force:
“Each Australian is a Ulysses.”
—Christina Stead (1902–1983)
“Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.”
—Apocrypha. Ecclesiasticus, 44:14.
The line “their name liveth for evermore” was chosen by Rudyard Kipling on behalf of the Imperial War Graves Commission as an epitaph to be used in Commonwealth War Cemeteries. Kipling had himself lost a son in the fighting.
“We are to have a tiny party here tonight; I hate tiny
parties—they force one into constant exertion.”
—Jane Austen (1775–1817)