Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Aliases: Also known as "Jack" & "John"

Childhood: Ultimo

Siblings: Edward, William & Robert (all half siblings to a different mother), a (full) brother who died in childhood and another whose name is lost to me at this moment.

William ("Bill") may have served in WWI and had three children, William, ("Bill"), Margaret & Nancy ("Nan"). (Young) Bill served in the AIF in WWII and was posted to Greece.

Robert served in the merchant marine in WWI had three children, Graham John, Heather Flora & Stella.

Education: Mechanical Engineering at Ultimo TAFE (which was, I'm sure, known by a somewhat different name at that time)

Employment at time of Enlistment: Engaged to build a fish processing factory in New Zealand. Had idea to settle there permanently until war intervened.

Service: Seconded to RAF. Trained in UK prior to shipping out to North Africa. Had many photos from his time there and as many stories - including one where Jack sought leave to search for Bill in Palestine. Bill, who was quite academically inclined, had known enough ancient Greek to help his company escape after the fall of Greece to Crete - again, only to escape in the nick of time to Palestine. Incredible though it may seem, Bill spotted Jack in a crowd and was quickly reunited.

Nan later used this story as a source of inspiration for a poem she published (with Margaret's assistance) after the war. Despite some conjecture, Bill survived Crete and went on to wil Bob Dyer's "Pick-a-Box" & twice become "Australian Mastermind". Bill was a solicitor in Wollongong. Bill, Margaret & Nan were also members of the Historical Society there.

Jack also told a story of (as an aircraft maintenance engineer) on a test flight having to ditch in the Mediterranean - the aircrew then being picked up by a British submarine.

There were also many stories of desert patrols to scavenge whatever parts could be scrounged - all of which gave the men a covered vehicle that could be used to traffic alcohol & cigarettes from Cairo with the explanation to Military Provosts that, "No, you may not inspect out vehicle - Top Secret".

Thus Jack's experience of WWII was something out of "Boys Own" with starting with cruises (to UK & the Med), desert service, flight & even time in a submarine in a warzone.

Discharge: A fall from the back of a truck on rough desert road resulted in a spinal injury that healed slowly.

Legacy: Jack never married, but did dedicate much of the rest of his life to the wide & daughters of a war comrade who (as I recall it) did not return from the war.

Provenance: Stories related to me mostly by Jack, but also my father (Graham), (young) Bill, Margaret, Joan (Bill's wife), Heather, Stella, & Ron