Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Stanley McNair was my grandfather. He told me a few stories. My favourite comes with a language warning.
Stanley McNair told me that when he was sent to Bougainville he was captain of a division that included quite a few men from Blackall in Queensland.
His division had captured a Japanese gun which they were unable to use.
After a supply ship arrived a message came asking whether any division had anything that could be used as ballast on a ship returning to Australia.
Captain McNair asked his men if they would like to see the gun sent to Blackall where it could go into a local park.
The men in his division agreed that the gun could go back to Blackall so Captain McNair wrote a reply that said:
“Regarding the request for ships ballast. I have asked my men who have agreed that the gun could be used as ballast and they request that it be sent to Blackall to be placed in a local park. This way the gun could not only act as ballast but could act as a permanent reminder of the service of the division to the people of Blackall and at the same time it could give the lie to that age old adage that there’s f--- all in Blackall”