The fifth decade 1940-1949
Student Profiles Industry Profiles
At first the war seemed distant to Australians and memories of the consequences of supporting Britain during World War I had not faded. However the loss of the Sydney just off the coast of Carnarvon in November 1941, along with all of the 645 crew brought the war to Australia’s doorstep. This was followed by the fall of Singapore in February 1942 and by the landing of the Japanese in Timor. Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 1942
By March the Western Australian Coastline was under attack by enemy aircraft at Broome and Wyndham. Japanese patrols and submarine attacks on shipping also continued along the coast and valuable merchant ships were sunk east of Esperance. This immediate threat to Australia resulted in full conscription, with all male allied nationals between the ages of 18 and 60 having to register for some form of ‘national service’.
As early as 1941, according to Principal J. Downie's submission to the Annual Report, enrolments at the Midland Junction Technical School were ‘seriously affected by the prevailing war time conditions’.
A Commonwealth/State conference on youth employment recommended the suspension of contracts of apprenticeship during the war and their subsequent renewal upon return from active service. The 1942 Report records that:
"During the year twenty apprentices were withdrawn from their classes on entering the fifth year of their apprenticeship, in accordance with National Security Regulations".
Other extracts from the 1942 Report reveal the extent of the impact of the war: "Attendance at the Building Construction class suffered largely as a result of Military camps and enlistments." However low enrolments were not only due to military duties. More overtime and shift work was required for war-related industries. According to the Report excessive overtime and night shifts were affecting numbers in the Motor Mechanics’ class. Having to work night shifts caused them to miss alternate periods of class work. The Railways Department granted them an extra half-day’s leave on each week of their day shift in order to attend an additional class, but this was not viewed as satisfactory as it was a mixed class of five grades.
The Midland Junction Railway Workshops had been converted to support
munitions production. Railway employees and others man-powered to support the
war effort made parts for tanks, cast bronze ship propellers, carried out
repairs on allied submarines based at Fremantle and manufactured tools, jigs and
precision gauges for other munitions industries. Due to manpower shortages
women were 
employed in the factory for the first time, manufacturing 25-pound
artillery shells. Women also took over many clerical positions in the
Midland Workshops during the war. Photo: 25 pounder at various stages of machining. Photo courtesy of Bill Kirkham.
Although women with children were exempt from being ‘man powered’ into
the war effort, many entered the workforce which resulted in the beginnings of
the Child care Industry. By 1944 there were 70
Child care centres in the State.
(Hetherington, P. Families and Children in
Wartime Western Australia: On the Homefront, University of Western Australia Press, 1996)
Large numbers of women worked in the clothing and textile industry making uniforms, tents, tarpaulins and kitbags for the defence forces. Traditional sewing activities attracted less interest during the war, for despite the fact that a modern ‘power driven’ sewing machine was installed at the Technical School, there was a decline in enrolments in Home-craft, Dress-cutting and Millinery.
Different types of training emerged during the war years. Aircrew training was carried out at Pearce Airbase through the Empire Air Training Scheme, which meant recruits could be trained locally instead of in Victoria. Although Aviation Studies was not introduced at Midland until the late 1960s, many of the expert lecturing staff have been drawn from Pearce which continued to expand after the war.
In 1940 the Commonwealth Government introduced the Commonwealth
Technical Training Scheme to meet the needs of the services - training
people in the Army, and the Airforce. Midland Junction Technical School was
included in this scheme. 
During 1942 and 1943, attendance rates rose steeply
when 189 servicemen were trained: 39 as Motor
Mechanics, 90 as Carpenters and 60
as Army Clerks. The following year 20 Army Clerks undertook a twelve-week course
in Typewriting, however by 1943 training for the
Armed Services was declining
because of a depletion of manpower.
The expansion of war production industries had created a demand for more and more tradesmen to be trained for civil industry. Although there was little improvement in education during the war, the shortage of skilled technicians, tradesman and the inadequate technical education arrangements had been made apparent to decision makers.
Issues of education in relation to post war repatriation were being discussed as early as 1940. Ed file 877/4 The Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme was set up in 1944 to provide training for ex-service men and women and civilian war workers. As well as serving to reabsorb these people into civilian life, the aim of the training was to satisfy labour requirements.
Considerations were given to people whose disabilities were caused by war service. Interrupted training or enlistment before any training could be undertaken were also taken into account. Since the start of the War industry changes had made some skills redundant which created the need for retraining. Also, a number of servicemen and women were keen to develop new skills they had learnt in the services. They were able to access training through the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme.
Brothers
Eric (left) and Gordon Hoare, who had served in the Airforce, trained other
returned servicemen as plumbers as part of the
Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme. They remained with the Technical
Education Division after the scheme was disbanded. In the 1980s
Eric became Principal of Midland Technical School at the same time as Gordon was
the Senior Lecturer of Plumbing at Leederville Technical School.
In 1944 the Technical Correspondence School was established with 37 courses to enable enrolments from the Armed Services. The Correspondence School (of which a large section was eventually transferred to Midland in 1995) trained 876 armed-service personnel, 135 post-discharge service personnel, 117 departmental students, and 5 self-supporting students in its first year of operation. (White, M.A. Historical Documents of Western Australian Education, Western Australian Institute of Technology)
The introduction of the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme provided an immediate boost to the Technical School. In 1944 two new Boilermaker Classes and a Moulding Class commenced and seven instructors were employed in the apprentices classes compared to three in previous years. In 1945 a workshop was built at the local High School to become a new Trades’ Block. The Motor Mechanics course was conducted there and the upper grades of railway apprentices engaged in practical instruction.
1947 Traders road race bicycles. Photo courtesy Midland Library.
When the war came to an end the District was able to return to more normal activities.
This was reflected in the Technical School.
" A pleasing feature was the increased total of evening students.
Considering the many unexpected interruptions to attendance occasioned by the
cancellation of classes owing to lighter restrictions and also the special
victory holidays, it is felt that a most useful years work has been carried out
in all subjects. It is hoped that with more stable years ahead further
improvement in attendance will be attained."
Annual Report 1945
The post war period saw a remarkable development of secondary industries. The Commonwealth Reconstruction Scheme was continued until 1953, apprentices returned to their original positions and many more new apprenticeships were created. In the first year after the war there were record enrolments including 345 railway apprentices.
The rapid growth demanded that old methods of operations be reviewed. At the State level the railways and the apprenticeship system were inquired into. In Technical Education teacher training was introduced and new infrastructures were created to support the various industries. At Midland Junction Technical School, due to the return of so many apprentice Car and Wagon Builders from the services, the Building Construction class was divided into two grades for the first time. Additional machines were installed in the Trades Block, but, according to the Annual Report, an oxy-welding plant was still urgently required.
Woodworking machines were installed in the eastern half of the building. Tools and equipment were supplied for a group of 20 Carpentry and Joinery Trainees transferred from Leederville Technical School to take advantage of the new Trades Block at Midland Junction. Three new instructors were appointed. The Principal, Percy Ffarington was also granted clerical assistance in the office.
By 1947 there were 41 classes in operation and the following year saw the introduction of day classes to private firm apprentices in the Carpentry and Joinery Trade. Classes in Theory and Drawing of Building Construction were introduced in 1949. A sixth Reconstruction group completed training and 25 Reconstruction students attended evening classes.
By the end of the 1940s a site for a new high school had been chosen and it was recommended that the old site be remodeled for a Junior and Senior Technical School. The Education Department saw the need to relieve the pressure on the Central Technical School in Perth by transferring certain courses to other Technical Schools including Midland Junction.
