Dream port: Morale, memory and allied submariners in Western Australia during the Second World War

Abstract

Fremantle, Western Australia, served as a major Allied submarine base during the Second World War. Among the American and British submariners who served there, Western Australia is remembered as the best leave centre in the Pacific. This study argues that Fremantle’s reputation relied in part on the lack of comparable amenities at other bases. At the same time, Western Australia’s civilian population was especially welcoming and enabled visiting submariners to experience the community as a surrogate home during the war.