LE MAR, Oswald George
| Service Number: | SX28313 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 January 1943 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/2nd Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Medindie, South Australia, 30 October 1921 |
| Home Town: | Macclesfield, South Australia, Mount Barker, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St Joseph Macclesfield |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Natural causes (war service related), Macclesfield, South Australia, 1 October 1989, aged 67 years |
| Cemetery: |
Macclesfield General Cemetery Catholic Section - Family Plot |
| Memorials: | Macclesfield ANZAC Memorial Gardens, Macclesfield Honour Roll WW2 |
World War 2 Service
| 23 Jan 1943: | Enlisted Private, SX28313, Woonamah, Northern Territory | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jan 1943: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, SX28313 | |
| 24 Jan 1943: | Involvement Private, SX28313, 2nd/2nd Machine Gun Battalion | |
| 30 Nov 1945: | Discharged |
Swimming with Sharks
The one story Ossie did tell the fmaily about his time in the Army involved an encounter with a current friend and a future friend he met during their landing at Labuan in 1945 during Operation Oboe Six. Whilst he was waiting offshore in his landing craft, he learnt the next craft over consisted on personnel from the 2/9th Cavalry Commando Regiment. A member of this unit was Vernon Huppatz, a close neighbour from Bugle Ranges who had enlisted and seen service in the Middle East and whom Ossie had not seen for 3 years. Ignoring warnings about sharks, Ossie decided to swim across and visit his old friend. Making the journey under the watchful eye of the machine gunners of his Company – Ossie met with Vern who was none too pleased about his risk taking. They had a chat and then swum back to his own craft. The second crossing was a little bit more risky than the first, as shark numbers had increased because of the activities of the cooks at the rear of the vessels. It would be another year before they met again back home in Australia. They remained close friends and in a coincidence of life – passed away in 1989 only 7 weeks apart.
His second encounter came when he came across Arnold “Max” Smith whilst the 2/2 Machine Gun Battalion came ashore. Max had been born in Macclesfield and had enlisted in NSW and had been posted with the 2/43rd Battalion. And although they were not close friends – did recognise each other and had a short conversation at the landing site. After the war, Max was to return to Macclesfield, join the RSL Macclesfield Sub Branch and become a good friend of Ossie’s for another forty years.
Paul Lemar
Submitted 8 November 2015 by Paul Lemar
He never spoke
Dad never spoke to either me or my brother (Graham Dennis Lemar) about the war. When as we got a little older we asked, but he would either ignore the question or just say it was too long ago to remember. In fact Ossie never spoke to anybody we know of about the war. It was a topic he didn’t raise with our mother Roma – and herself being the daughter of a World War 1 veteran a subject she did not breach often. His lifelong friend and fellow Macclesfield RSL Life Member (himself in a Machine Gun Battalion – the 2/3rd) told me some twenty years after dads passing one Anzac Night that Ossie never spoke to anybody to his knowledge in the Sub Branch about it either – and he had been a member since 1946. In fact, it was a mystery to most in the Sub Branch about any of his service. Guerin knew that the loss of dad’s best school mate Dennis Cosgrave in New Guinea deeply affected him. My aunty and Ossies' sister Winn Mott once told me though – that she remembered a letter dad posted home to them whilst he was in Borneo. And one of the things that dad had penned was - “tell Mr Cosgrave (Thomas Cosgrave - Denny’s father) – “I got the bastard”. Winn said, these comments deeply affected Ossies' father Edmund who destroyed the letter - and when Ossie returned home it was never ever mentioned by anybody about what he meant and he never raised the subject of the war – we all knew she said. She did not know if the words were ever relayed to Mr Cosgrave who also lost another son in Nth Africa.
Paul Lemar
Submitted 31 October 2015 by Paul Lemar
Biography
Ossie was born on the family farm at Paris Creek Macclesfield in 1921 of Edmund and Dorothy and was the oldest brother to Betty and Winn and a half brother to Austin. Shortly after the family moved to Bugle Ranges in 1932 his mother died of TB and the young family was split up. It would be several years before Ossie and his sisters where reunited and cared for by their Grandmothers. Austin was never reunited with them and contact was lost until shortly before Ossies death so 50 years later. Attending school at the St Jospeth Convent Macclesfield and then later the Bugle Ranges school - he left schooling to be a farm labourer with his life long friend Martin Purcell.
With War approaching Ossie trained with the Militia. Later Ossie enlisted for war service at Mt Barker on th 8th October 1941 and was called up for FT Duty on the 2nd Feb 1942. He trained with the 48th Battalion at Woodside and then later with the 10th Battalion (both CMF units) before being posted to Victoria and finally NSW with the 19th MG Battalion. In Sept 1942 the Battalion was rushed to Darwin and endured 64 air raids whilst expecting the invasion of Japanese Imperial Troops. Ossie joined the AIF shortly after his 21st birthday (his father Edmund deny permission prior). He remained with the 19th MG Battalion until 2nd August 1944 and was then posted to the 2/2 MG Battalion. After extenisve jungle training at Ravenshoe he embarked for Morotai in April 1945. His Company then participated in the landings of Labuan Island in June 1945 - the last combat action for the 2AIF of the war. He lefted Borneo in November and was discharged from the Army on 30th November 1945. His total service was 1398 days - 650 days in an Operational Area. Shortly after his return to Australia he contracted Polio and spent 6 months in hospital discharging himself to be the best man at his sisters wedding.
Returning to work on the farm and then later with Jacobs Milk and Cheese , he married Roma in 1964. He took a job driving with the Highways Department in the early 70's but with his health declining due to War Service he was invalided early 1980's. Ossie was Awarded Life Membership of the RSL 1984 after serving as President / Vice and Secretary a total of 21 years. He was also a Life Member of the Macclesfield Horse Show and served on the Macclesfield Community Association, Hall Committee, Recreation Grounds Committee and the Catholic Church Committee. His eldest son Graham Dennis was named after his best friend Dennis Cosgrave who was killed in action in NG. His youngest son Paul is involved on the Committee of the Macclesfield RSL. Both are members of the RSL Macclesfield Sub Branch (along with Roma). Ossie passed away during Mass Service in the Macclesfield Catholic on Sunday 1st October - immediately after giving communion to his sister Winn. Later that week, his funeral held in that same Church was one of the largest funerals ever seen in the township. To cater for the wake, the Hall, the Hotel and the RSL where used. Ossie was placed in the Lemar Family plot at the Macclesfield Cemetery next to his mother and grandmothers who have cared for him and not far from his father.
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