Like World War I, World War II also affected life at the school. Due to fear of Japanese invasion, the Queensland Government closed all coastal state schools in January 1942, and although most schools reopened on 2 March 1942, student attendance was optional until the war ended. The closed schools were sometimes occupied for defence purposes, and some schools remained closed "for special reasons" after the rest had reopened.Ronald Wood, 1993, Civil Defence In Queensland During World War II, p.79'Schools reopen; some await shelter survey', The Courier Mail, 2 March 1942, p.3 Slit trenches, for protecting the students in the event of Japanese air raids, were also dug at Queensland state schools, often by parents and staff. Zig-zag trenches were dug at Junction Park State School, skirting the oval.Buch, p.331 A call went out for volunteer helpers to dig the trenches at the school.'School trenches should be finished at once', The Telegraph, 29 January 1942 Traces of some of these trenches are visible in a 1946 aerial photograph of the school, along the south side of the oval. Junction Park also hosted students from Moorooka State School, which was occupied by the United States Army between February and July 1942.
