Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Written by the Great Granddaughter of Michelmore

 Life before the war

 Jeffery was born on the 12th of November 1921. Jeffery was always a happy kid with his infectious smile and curious mind. He had a heart full of sunshine, leading a trail of happiness wherever he went. When Jeffery was just a boy, every school morning he would ride his beautiful big horse to school. The school that he went to was called Kuitpo Forest school, which was 3 miles away from his home. He didn’t have a problem riding his horse to school as he loved his horse very much. You could also tell he had a very strong love for all animals.

 Life during the war!

On the 5th of February 1942, Jeffery was enlisted to go to war. He was enlisted in the Adelaide Hills, in a small town called Meadows. On the 14th of April 1943, Jeffery was sent off to start his war journey. Jeffery Gordan Michelmore was aged 19 when he was enlisted for the war. He was just as scared as everyone to go to the war. He made friends easily because of how kind he was.

When he first enlisted, he joined the 25th infantry Battalion, and went to Donadabu near Port Moresby for training.  Jeffery also spent time with the 18th Battalion. He spent this time mainly serving in homeland defence and coastal watch.  The soldiers in this Battalion, surveyed and scanned defence hot spots to ensure that the country was safe from any offshore attacks.  They moved from Dimra back to Adelaide in 1942 were camped at Mount Barker, SA.  Jeffery’s final posting was with the 32 AIF Battalion located at Cowra.  He was involved in the defence of scarlet beach and liberation of New Guinea.  Jeffery was discharged in mid-1944 after 14 months of service, as the WW2 battle started to slow down.

Jeffery was a very hard-working soldier, he did everything he was told, to the best of his abilities every time. Jeffery Gordan Mitchelmore, had a very kind heart and soul. He was nice to everyone. Jeffery always had a smile on his face and a high spirit. Jeffery embodied kindness and loyalty in every aspect of his life. He genuine transferred light to everyone’s life, making him a beacon of warmth and understanding. Jeffery’s loyalty knew no bounds earning him the trust to everyone he knew.

Life after the war 

Jeffery and his brother Wesley, both went to different parts of the war. Jeffery was enrolled to field and Wesley was enrolled to the air force. Before Jeffery went to war, he worked on his family’s dairy farm with his dad and brother. On the 26th of June 1944 they finally came back from war, Jeffery and Wesley took over the dairy farm from their Dad. The dairy farm was a big responsibility for them, as they had to look after their parents too.

The roots run deep in Jeffery's family, starting at his Mum and Dad, Archie Michelmore and Sarah Michelmore. He also had one brother called Wesley. He then got married to a beautiful woman in the Adelaide hills, the love of his life called Norma. They had 6 children called, Julie, Grant, Cheryl, Denise, and Tony. He had 3 nieces and 9 Grandchildren.

Jeffery Gordon Mitchelmore was my Great Pop, he lived a very long and fulfilling life. He lived in a little house in Quorn. When he was 94, he could no longer live on his own, so he moved into Flinders House in Quorn. He passed away on 29th of January 2023 at the age 101. He was not buried, he was cremated. He still is with us today, even beyond physical form. He is forever in our hearts. I miss his great stories and his funny sense of humour, to us he was a true Australian hero.