Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Douglas was born on the 31.1.1925 in Queensland. He went to two high schools and took a Junior Public certificate test at 15. In his second last year of high school the second world war broke out. He managed to pass all his classes except History but was “first class” in algebra. He also seemed to be quite the sportsman, listing football, cricket, tennis, swimming, athletics and rowing as achievements when signing up. He dropped out of school and was a clerk for 3 years, before enlisting to join the airforce in Brisbane as aircrew. It was 1943 and he was 18. He did training in Australia, and at one point was confined to the barracks for 14 days for gambling late at night. Finally, he was sent to the UK in April 1944.

He was promoted to pilot before long, and was in some respects lucky that he would only have to serve for a year. He wasn’t injured abroad, and was discharged on demobilisation. He received the flying badge, flew airspeed oxfords, and received a defence medal after the war.

In June of 1945, he met Vera Ferneyhough in Staffordshire. He wrote in a notebook she owned the following inscriptions:

Love is a ticklish sensation

Around(?) the heart that one

Cannot scratch

Douglas Bamford

15 June 1945

R.A.A.F

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Honey is sweet

And so are you

“Man from Down Under”

15.6.45

Two months later, he took 14 days private leave taken from 8.8.45 to 25.8.25. He took this time off to go to Tynemouth, where he married Hilda Bamford from Northumberland. He was discharged soon after in January 1946 and returned to Brisbane. Presumably, he took Hilda with him, as it appears they had a daughter. The records include a letter from Mrs Vivienne Read concerning her father’s medals, written in 1997.