Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Hello,

I have recently been researching about my grandfather Edward who was enlisted in the army what seems many moons ago.
He had a couple of close mates and Neil MacPherson comes up a lot. When my grandad died as an elderly and loved mani believe Neil attended his funeral to which I was honoured to be a pallbearer.

Grandad didn’t speak to us about the days, well years, of war so getting information more photos has been tricky.

Grandad was a POW captured by the Japanese. Needless to say a harrowing time for those captured. My mother told me a few stories she knew stating how Grandad and his team were shacked up and a tiger walked through their dwelling. It looked at them and strode passed, even it saw no meat on their bones. Another time of when grandad would trade his cigarettes for food to share w his friends (grandad didn’t smoke).

Grandad spent his entire time as a POW on the Burma Railway aka Death Railway and once returning home he never looked back. He also never ate rice again. If it was served by accident, it was left untouched.

He loved bowls, his RSL club and reading the Pioneer Battalion articles.

Grandad went on to marry (first Shirley then Mae). They are together at Fremantle cemetery where between them they shared four daughters.

He was a gentle and kind man. As many would say “a gentleman through and through” up until his last breath.

Lest We Forget x