Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Aircraftwoman Mary Kain (Service No:107636) enlisted in the WAAAF on 26 April 1943 at No 5 Recruiting Centre Adelaide as an Aircraftwoman - mustered as Telegraphist. ACW Kain was attached to 3 Air Observer School at Discharge (on compassionat grounds) on 6 August 1945.

Mary was born at Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia in 1923, eldest of six children of Lawrence Kain Snr (b1887 in Blumberg in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia) and Mary Ellen Murphy (b1891 in Adelaide, South Australia). Lawrence was a Labourer in Blumberg in 1915 when he enlisted in the AIF (Private; Service No:119). Following his Discharge from the Army, Lawrence was a Dairy Farmer/Labourer in 1922 when he and Mary married in Marion, and settled at Gumeracha where they raised their family and Lawrence was a Dairy Farmer. Lawrence enlisted in the ACMF on 4 June 1941 (Private; Service No:S1572), and was attached to 25/33 Garrison Battalion in 1943 when he died in an accident at Loveday Military Camp. 'Pte Lawrence Kain, whose death occurred at a military camp on December 6, was an Anzac in the last war, in which he served abroad for nearly four years. After his discharge in 1919, he was engaged in dairy farming at Birdwood on the old homestead where he was born. He was serving in an Australian garrison battalion at the time of his death. A son is serving in the navy, and a daughter is in the WAAAF' (Trove; 1943).

Mary was engaged with home and farm duties in 1943 when she enlisted in the WAAAF, and in 1945 in Birdwood married Norman (Norm) Charles Thomas Hall (b1922 in Norwood, South Australia) - Norm served in the Army (Private; Service Nos:S41517/SX37306). Mary and Norm (an Apprentice French Polisher before he enlisted) settled in Adelaide, where they raised their family. Mary died in 2004 and Norm died in 2006.