Searchlights, Slate Pencils, and Suspicions

These memoirs record life in Brisbane, Australia during the Second World War, as seen through the eyes of a child. Pamela Davenport was two and a half when the war began. She has vivid memories of this time. As a lifelong historian, Pamela knows that childhood reminisces of the war years are rare, and are important to preserve. With wry humour and fond anecdotes of suburban life, Pamela evokes this era with clarity and rich detail.

What makes these records most useful is that the author, who grew up to become a respected teacher and historian, lived in the key wartime suburb of Moorooka on Ipswich Road, watching American convoys pass daily, and seeing American and Australian troops from nearby camps. Her parents discussed with her the events of the war and this openness contrasted with the refusal of many other parents of the time to discuss these topics, lest they frighten the children.

The aim of the book is to bring to life this momentous era through a child’s memories and perspective, and perhaps persuade even a few people that war is never a desirable solution but also to illustrate to readers that history is not only an absorbing pursuit in itself, but vital to understanding the present world.