Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The history page of the Wooroolin State School website states:
Former students
Quiet achievers and high profile achievers have passed through our doors. Rear Admiral Galfry Gatacre, a past student of Wooroolin State School would proudly lead the ranks of all past students who have served in conflict around the world.
Les Birch, a student here, was one of the dam busters in WWII. He survived that operation but was almost unique in surviving the entire war as a tail gunner in the Lancaster Bombers.

https://wooroolinss.eq.edu.au/our-school/history

Charles & Jessie Birch and their family arrived in Wooroolin West about 1928 from the Booie area. Charles was Secretary of the committee formed in 1929 and applied to the Dept of Public Instruction for the establishment of a Provisional School at Wooroolin West. The school opened on 2 Apr 1929 with 14 first day pupils that included his children Les & Audrey in the house of George Birt. Thanks to Eric Radunz, a first day pupil and his research at Qld State Archives for the book “From Federation to Future” we learnt: The following year (1930) the Gordonbrook School was removed, board by Board, transported and rebuilt on land donated by Charles Birch. He also submitted a tender for a sanitary service at the school which was accepted at the price of 5 shillings per fortnight. The Birch slab barn was the venue for many an old time country dance to raise money for the school. A particular memory of Eric Radunz was when a few sticks of gelignite were tied around a large box tree at a New Years dance. The old year was blown out and the New Year in along with the bark off one side of the tree! When the school closed in the early 1960’s the land, 2 acres was given back to Charles Birch who had already sold and left the district. He sold it to Sydney Gustafson.
Leslie John Birch, known as Les, was born 9 Feb 1921 at Kingaroy, the first child of Charles & Jessie Birch. Les attended Wooroolin West School as pupil number 8ww.
Les, aged 20, joined the Royal Australian Airforce on 1 Feb 1942 at Brisbane. At discharge on 14 Sep 1945 he was posted at 29 Operational Training Unit. His army records are available on the NAA website.
Gordon Moore wrote a memory of Les in the book From Federation to Future: Les Birch received the Distinguished Flying Medal as a tail gunner in a Lancaster.
His Airforce records state: In May 1944, on an aircraft detailed to attack a target at Salbria, Flight Sergeant Birch sighted a fighter coming in to attack. He promptly warned his co-gunner who opened fire at long range to prevent the enemy aircraft from pressing home its attack until the target had been bombed. Read more in the extracts from his records.
Les married Audrey Edmond-Inglis in Jan 1945 at Horncastle, Lincolnshire. (A war bride like his father!) Their son Peter Leslie was born in Oct of same year in Surrey. Audrey and Peter and a young girl named Sandra J Birch aged 4 years travelled from Liverpool on 27 Mar 1946 to Sydney of the War bride Ship Nestor. Les & Audrey lived at West Wooroolin for a while then at Fitoba near Murgon. Sandra Birch attended West Wooroolin School as pupil number 74ww and there are 2 photos of her in the book From Federation to Future.
The marriage of Les & Audrey did not last. By 1958 Audrey was married to John Charles Fieldhouse and by 1963 Les was married to Dorothy Ann. Les Birch died at Brighton, Qld in 1996.