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During the Second World War Australia was directly targeted by Japanese Air raids. The first attack, which would also prove the deadliest, occurred in 1942 when 242 aircraft attacked Darwin and killed at least 235 people. To mark the 70th anniversary of this event the Royal Australian mint issued this uncirculated twenty cent piece as part of the Shoes Under Siege three coin collection. The collection also includes an Sentry piece and a commemorative piece on the Bombing of Australia. (Australian War Memorial, 2014)
The reverse was designed by Aaron Baggio and shoes an air raid shelter from 1942. It features the legend BOMBING OF AUSTRALIA 1942 and the denomination 20. The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with the legend ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2012.
The Japanese bombed major cities causing havoc on the streets and Australia had been targeted almost 100 times. Air Raid Shelters were purchased by the public to protect themselves from the danger of being bombed. Even though the bombing attacks were limited to the north, the rest of the country began taking precautions in case the worse were to happen. In the UK, air raid shelters were given out for free, the Australian public were asked to buy their own. One of the most popular shelters was the Anderson Shelter named after the British Home Secretary and made under licence in Australia.
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