Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Foster Lenard Gregor (1917–1975)

Private Foster Lenard Gregor SX9354 was born on 9 April 1917 at Curramulka, South Australia, the son of James Clare Gregor (1882–1968) and Stella Muriel Gregor (née Goldsworthy) (1891–1962). His birth was registered in the Daly District of South Australia. Raised in the farming districts of Yorke Peninsula, Foster grew up during a period when hard work, self-reliance and community spirit were central to rural life.

As a young man Foster lived in the Parilla district of the South Australian Mallee. Like many Australians of his generation, he answered the call to serve during the Second World War. On 20 July 1940, at the age of 23, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) at Adelaide. His attestation papers record his birthplace as Curramulka, his occupation as a farmer, and his father, James Clare Gregor, as his next of kin.

The enlistment photograph taken in July 1940 shows a serious young South Australian preparing to leave civilian life for military service. The image remains a powerful reminder of the thousands of rural Australians who volunteered during the war years.

Second World War Service.

Foster was allotted the service number SX9354 and joined the 2nd/43rd Infantry Battalion, one of the South Australian battalions raised for overseas service. The battalion would become part of the distinguished 9th Division, which later earned fame in the Middle East and the South-West Pacific.

His service record shows a succession of training postings and battalion movements as he prepared for active service. During his army career he served with the battalion through the demanding wartime years and experienced periods of illness and hospitalisation that interrupted his service. His casualty forms record admissions to military hospitals before his eventual return to duty.

After nearly four years in uniform, Foster was honourably discharged on 22 July 1944 with the rank of Private.

Like many returned servicemen, he returned home carrying the experiences and sacrifices of wartime service. His later admission to the Repatriation Hospital system reflects his status as a veteran entitled to repatriation benefits.

Marriage and Family

With the war drawing to a close, Foster began building a family life. On 18 July 1946, he married Norma Edith Pearce at the Methodist Church, Parilla. Norma, born at Balaklava in 1923, was the daughter of Bertie Clifton Pearce and Stella Ann Stephenson.

Their marriage would endure for almost twenty-nine years and produced three children:

Shirley
Stephen
Helen
The family relationships are proudly recorded on Foster's memorial plaque, which describes him as the:

Beloved Husband of Norma

Loved Father of Shirley, Stephen and Helen

Norma later remembered Foster throughout the remainder of her long life. Following his death she remarried twice, but her 2022 death notice still named Foster among the husbands she loved and mourned.

Kangaroo Island Ex-Serviceman Settler

Following the war, Foster became one of the many returned servicemen who participated in the development of Kangaroo Island's soldier-settlement districts.

His name appears on the Parndana Kangaroo Island Ex-Servicemen Land Settlers 1939–1945 Roll, identifying him as one of the veterans granted an opportunity to establish a farming life on the island after the war.

The post-war settlement schemes transformed vast areas of previously undeveloped scrubland into productive farmland. Returned servicemen and their families endured difficult pioneering conditions, clearing land, building homes and creating communities that would shape Kangaroo Island's agricultural future for generations.

Parndana became Foster's home and the centre of his family's life. The district remains closely associated with the achievements of the ex-servicemen settlers who helped build modern Kangaroo Island agriculture.

Later Years and Death

Foster spent his later years living at Parndana. Although still relatively young, his health deteriorated and he was admitted to the Repatriation Hospital at Daw Park, Adelaide.

He died there on 5 March 1975, aged 57 years. His death registration records his residence as Parndana, Kangaroo Island, and identifies his wife Norma Edith Gregor as his surviving spouse.

His memorial plaque records:

FOSTER LENARD GREGOR

9 April 1917 – 5 March 1975

and honours him as a beloved husband and father.

Legacy

Foster Lenard Gregor belonged to a generation shaped by war, hardship and rebuilding. Born in rural South Australia during the First World War, he served his country during the Second World War, returned to civilian life, raised a family, and helped develop one of South Australia's most significant post-war settlement communities.

Today he is remembered as:

A World War II veteran of the Australian Imperial Force.
A member of the 2nd/43rd Infantry Battalion.
A Kangaroo Island ex-serviceman settler.
A devoted husband to Norma Edith Gregor.
A proud father of Shirley, Stephen and Helen.

His life reflects the story of many South Australian servicemen whose wartime sacrifice was followed by decades of quiet contribution to family, community and the development of rural Australia.

Sources

South Australian Birth Registration: Foster Lenard Gregor, born 9 April 1917, Curramulka, son of James Clare Gregor and Stella Muriel Goldsworthy.
National Archives of Australia, Service Record SX9354, Foster Leonard Gregor, Australian Imperial Force, enlisted Adelaide 20 July 1940; next of kin James Clare Gregor; discharged 22 July 1944.
South Australian Marriage Registration: Foster Lenard Gregor and Norma Edith Pearce, 18 July 1946, Methodist Church, Parilla.
South Australian Death Registration: Foster Lenard Gregor, 5 March 1975, Repatriation Hospital, Daw Park.
Memorial plaque inscription naming wife Norma and children Shirley, Stephen and Helen.
Parndana Kangaroo Island Ex-Servicemen Land Settlers 1939–1945 Roll.

Biography by Trevor Pyatt 24/05/2026