Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Torance (known widely as “Toll”) was born at Kangarilla SA on 24 May 1887. His parents James and Martha were farmers and Toll moved into that role early in life. In early 1915 he married Ruby Ethel Osmond, and their first child Leslie was born 13 December 1915.

On 3 October 1916 Toll and his brother Willis (known as “Wylie”) both enlisted in the First AIF. They were allocated consecutive service numbers and both were sent overseas in November 1917 to England via Egypt. Posted as a Gunner to 113th Howitzer Battery, 13 Field Artillery Brigade, 5th Division AIF on 21 August 1918, Toll saw much action in the last 3 months of the war, and returned to Australia for discharge on 2 April 1919. Toll and two brothers (Willis, and Ernest whose enlistment was delayed) all had war service in that same Howitzer battery at the same time.

Toll resumed farming at Kangarilla, but now on his own land and he and Ruby had two more children, Kenneth (“Joe”) and Phyllis (“Joy”). Hard work clearing and establishing his farm was supplemented by work in the 1930's with his horses on construction of the Mount Bold dam and by 'wattle-bark stripping'.

In 1939 Australia was again at war, and in June 1940 Toll again joined up aged 53. He was allocated to 4 Garrison Battalion (made up mainly of older WW1 veterans for home and guard duty) and spent much of the next 3 years guarding Internment camps with 4, 25 and 33 Garrison Battalions, and was finally discharged 17 March 1944 as a Corporal at the age of almost 57.

Dairy and mixed farming then became his life. Ruby died in 1967, and Toll died in April 1976, just short of his 89th birthday.