Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Youngest of two brothers (Len and Harry) who served in WWII, Leading Aircraftman Harold Joseph Austen (Service No:74995) enlisted in the RAAF on 8 January 1943 at No 2 Recruiting Centre Sydney as an Aircraftman I - mustered as Aircrafthand, re mustered as Recorder. Promoted to Leading Aircraftman on 15 October 1943, LAC Austen served with Fighter Sectors in Lambton and Cairns in 1943, and 111 Mobile Sector HQ at Bohle River via Townsville in January 1944. LAC Austen embarked from Townsville for Lae on 13 February 1944, and served at Nadzab, Gloucester, Tadji and Port Moresby, and in June 1945 was attached to RAAF Command Brisbane. LAC Austen was attached to 2 Central Recovery Depot at Discharge on 31 January 1946.

Harry was born in Killarney, QLD in 1924, second of five children of Ernest (Earl) Lenard Austen (b1902 in Grafton, New South Wales) and his first wife Edith Elizabet Heber (b1906 in Greta, New South Wales). Earl and Edith married in 1922 in Bellingen and lived at Coff's Harbour, Killarney QLD, Cowper, Coramba and Grafton - Earl was a Labourer and Railways Ganger. In 1934 the couple separated and Earl's mother cared for the surviving four children until 1935, when they were placed in St Joseph's Orphanage in Cowper. Both Earl and Edith remarried - Earl in 1937 in Lismore to Mona Thelma Martin (b1902 in Annandale, New South Wales) - Earl and Mona settled in Ballina. Edith remarried in 1941 in Newcastle to Stanley Burrows (b1905 in Woolongong, New South Wales).

Harry was working in Mullumbimby as a Banana Inspector in 1943 when he enlisted in the RAAF, and following his Discharge in 1946 was in Sydney when he married Pauline Millicent Koller (b1925 in Sydney, New South Wales). Harry and Pauline settled in Sydney, where they raised their family and Harry, having completed Training, worked as a Carpenter until retirement. Pauline died in 2001 and Harry in 2008.