The 26-foot Motor Dory produced by General Motors-Holdens at their Woodville Plant in South Australia. Many types of both wooden and steel boats were supplied to US Forces in Australia and the Pacific.

During World War II (WWII) Australia manufactured and supplied large quantities of goods and provided many services to United States Forces both in Australia and throughout the Pacific Theatre of operations.

Most would remember Australia as a recipient of goods during WWII with the United States of America (USA) supplying allied countries with enormous quantities of military equipment under a ‘Lend Lease’ scheme that deferred any payment until after the eventual cessation of hostilities.

Australia did have a comparatively limited manufacturing capability and capacity to the USA and did have a great dependence on ‘Lend Lease’ to provide military equipment that was otherwise not available in the quantities needed from traditional suppliers like the United Kingdom. Tanks, aircraft, searchlights and military motor vehicles were the ‘big ticket’ items the USA provided to Australia under the scheme. Large quantities of equipment and parts that were essential for the local manufacture of war equipment in Australia were also procured through ‘Lend Lease’. These Lend Lease supplies equipped and maintained Australia ’s military forces with the up-to-date equipment needed for the Nation’s defence and later, the pursuit of the enemy to the final victory.

But, while materials were coming to Australia under ‘Lend Lease’, Australia was also contributing to USA supplies under ‘Reciprocal or Reverse Lend Lease’ (RLL).

For a comparatively small country, Australia ’s contribution to the USA was vast and incredibly diverse. The supply of RLL was based upon three premises. Firstly, Australia would supply from those areas where there was already a sound and expandable basis of production. This included fresh and processed foodstuffs, timber, military cloth and clothing, and leather goods. Secondly, Australia would supply specialist items of military equipment developed and in production locally. This included AT5/AR8 aircraft radio sets, Light Weight-Air Warning (LW/AW) radar units, mobile steam cookers, mobile laundry trailers and 5,000 miles of combat signal cable. The third category was those items that could have been supplied from the USA, but were available within Australia and thus could reduce the transportation burden between the two continents. Motor cars for local use by United State (US) Forces, many of them impressed from Australian citizens for use by the military, fall into this category. Indeed, while the steering wheel position on the right side was unfamiliar to US service personnel, the makes were not, as many were pre-Pacific war American imports such as De Soto, Plymouth, and Hudson.

Shipbuilding was a major area of supply as well, with Australia manufacturing everything that floated from small dories to lighters, barges, tug boats and floating docks.

By 1944, more than 20 thousand Australians were directly involved in the manufacture of munitions and ships for the use of US Forces, with many more employed by sub-contractors. It was a huge national commitment that totalled $500 Million by August 1945, or about 75 per cent of the value of US Lend Lease aid provided to Australia.

While the US contribution of sophisticated military hardware cannot be underestimated, Australia can rightly claim that it was also a period when we supplied the Yanks.

Cloth products to US designs were manufactured in large quantities. Tentage, canvas goods and military clothing were turned out in factories such as this, mainly by women.