Original: John Joseph Curtin ( 8 January 1885 -- 5 July 1945 ) , Australian politician and the 14th Prime Minister of Australia , led Australia when the Australian mainland came under direct military threat during the Japanese advance in World War II .
Simplified: John Joseph Curtin ( 8 January 1885 -- 5 July 1945 ) was Prime Minister of Australia from 1941-1945 .