Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Verna Rae Bull was born at Orroroo 7 May 1925 , the fourth child of George John and Pearl (nee Masterman) Bull. George and Pearl farmed Sect 87, Hundred of Willowie. Her middle name, Rae, was her fathers preferred name for her, it being the initials of the unit he served in during WW1 - the Royal Australian Engineers.    

Rae initially wanted to join the RAN, but eventually enlisted in the WAAAF 31 July 1944, aged 19 years. She completed her rookies four weeks later, being scored on Practical, Procedure, and Aldis lamp (a visual signalling device for optical communication, typically using Morse code), achieving an overall total of 76.2.

Rae was initially posted to Gawler RAAF base, which was established in June 1944, as a Wireless/Telegraphist (WT) operator, receiving and sending messages to other RAAF bases and aircraft. The headquarters communications centre, where Rae worked, was a Nissan hut shaped building constructed of one foot thick re-inforced concrete, 136 feet long by 30 feet wide completely buried below ground level.

The ‘Underground’ as it was commonly known, had twelve AR7 communications re­ceivers and teletypes installed which were operated by WAAAFs around the clock. Rae was driven to and from her camp to the base each shift in a covered tender.

May 1945 she transferred to Mount Gambier RAAF base, home of the No 2 Air Observers School. In addition to providing observer and recruit training, the base also housed detachments from a variety of maritime patrol squadrons, flying anti-submarine patrols around the southern coastline of Australia, mostly Avro Anson’s.

Flying was challenging on this southern coastline. Rae recalled one night when she was changing bands on her radio she picked up a mayday call. Unsure if she was hearing this correctly she called over her supervisor, and they determined the plane was, in fact, lost in thick fog. Every available light was procurred to light up the airport allowing the plane to land safely. Some, however, were not so lucky and memorials to fatal crashes can be viewed at Yambuk (Vic) and Reedy Creek (Sth Australia)

Rae was discharged from the WAAAF 12 February 1946. She married Ray Harris 20 April 1946 in a double wedding with her elder sister Yvonne Brown (nee Bull). She had met Ray before they entered the services (near the end of 1941). He was at that time studying for his Health Inspector's certificate through the Royal Institute of London.

Ray became a Warrant Officer in the RAAF being posted to the Admiralty and Trobriand Islands where he headed up a malaria control unit. Rae still lives in the same home at Flinders Park which she and her husband built after the war. She continued her association with the WAAAF association,  variously as Secretary and President, where she (almost singlehandedly) organised a national diamond jubilee for seven hundred delegates in Adelaide in 2001. She is a current member of the WAAAF Association.

Excerpt taken from "Diggers from the Dust" (2018) Di Barrie & Andrew Barrie.