Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Laconic Story Teller

Working at the Barmera Hotel as a night steward, Grant frequently returned to Glenelg to visit his parents. As a young man, he acted as groomsman for his older brother, Keith in 1938 with his other brother, Edward being best man.

Grant was a talented, reliable footballer for Barmera, regularly featuring in their best player list with post-match comments in the local papers praising that ‘Grant Thorpe battled hard all day and gave sound displays’ and ‘Grant Thorpe gave a brilliant exhibition for the two blues, and was one of the best men on the ground’ or ‘Charlie Reed and Grant Thorpe were again among the team's best.’

Born in 1910, Grant was approaching his 30th birthday when he enlisted for WWII, becoming SX8031 initially in the 2/48th Battalion. He was one of 13 casual and permanent staff from the Barmera Hotel to enlist in the AIF, a record of service of which the Hotel was justifiably proud as others from the Hotel also joined the R.A.A.F. Granted pre-embarkation leave at the end of October, Grant farewelled his family and friends before sailing in the Stratheden and arriving in the Middle East where he initially sustained a knee injury but was able to return to his Battalion.

By July ’41 Grant wrote to his brother-in-law about his first encounter with ‘Fritz’ an event he thought took years to play out but in reality, was over in a matter of minutes. The letter was republished in the local Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record.

“I always vowed that should I ever get to grip with the Huns you would be the first to hear of that experience. Alter all didn't I plague you with questions, "What was It like?" "How did you feel?" etc. Well now that It has happened. I want to tell you all about it.

“We were surprised by patrol cars, in fact some of the cars in our patrol drove on thinking they were A.I.F., but no! one Fritzy car swung around and opened up with a machine gun into our nearest car, I was in the third car and unaware that anything was wrong until I heard the said machine gun. Our S.M. jumped out and went to ground. The driver hopped behind his utility and stayed there. The other four also took cover. The S.M. who wore a huge pair of pants, stopped a slug in the rear; now the lad behind the car (the driver} was not idle, he shot the Hun with his machine gun, swung around and shot another Hun who was firing at him from the kneeling position—two down and two to go.

“Squinting through the undercarriages, the driver saw No. 3 wriggling towards him. A quick shot and number three was out. That left one more. He preferred to stand up and surrender. Three dead, one prisoner, and a slashing Nazi car. The other three cars had left this one to it. The driver, we hope, will hear more of this adventure. He started off with only six cartridges, so he had nothing up his sleeve.”

Grant wryly then explained his involvement in that incident, and his first experience being bombed, feeling each of the missiles were designed to fall on him as there was no cover or place to go:

“Nowhere at all, only lead was flying around when I had taken cover, so I grabbed my rifle and courage and moved in, but it was all over before I had gone 50 yards; yet I will never forget my first time under fire.

“Three hours afterwards we were divebombed and machine gunned by a Messerschmidt 109, and saw a dog fight and so we thought we had been Introduced to the lot, but no. The next day the Fritzy artillery found us, but now we don't take a great deal of notice of them. Each meal time they open up and land about four to five hundred yards away and as they have been doing this for days we say "Here he comes," and don’t dive into safety as we did at first.”

Grant’s astute assessment of his fellow soldiers was also included:

“The Tommies with us are a fine lot of fellows and honestly I believe they regard us as the best lot of troops they have ever met. We are well looked after in the line, and we are to have a rest soon, but the lads hate the idea of a rest. They would prefer to stay here, but they will appreciate the let up when it comes. Cigarettes are plentiful, which is just as well as I used seven packets the first day in, but have settled down now and smoke makings—a sure sign that the nerves are steady.”

It is obvious he plied other Barmera locals who had served, what their experiences were and was finally able to put their comments into perspective:

“One day when on leave at Barmera, I met Ern Caddy and told him I had been issued with a tin hat. He said, "Grant, when you are made to train with your tin hat on, it will feel like a full-sized beach umbrella made in iron, but when shells are bursting it will appear to be the size of an aspro." Ern was exactly right. When the shrapnel was bursting around one, I cursed the inventor of the tin hat for not making them big enough so that they would unfold and I could wrap Grant up in it.”

Grant’s observations of the country-side compared with back home on the Murray are perceptive:

“The Barmera lads are as fit as fiddles, this is the weather we are used to, and the country too is similar to the limestone around Morgan, minus the River of course, but dust always. A number of the Hun 18 lb. shells are duds. That suits me, but their anti-tank shells are nasty. I don't like them.”

Similarly, the laconic sense for which the Aussies became renown is illustrated in two of his recounts:

“Yesterday looked out of my rock shelter and saw the lads running like blazes —Nazi bombers, I thought. But no, an issue of one bottle of Melbourne Bitter, one tin of Capstans and a packet of papers, no wonder they ran, this was a real surprise.” And “Jack Stoddart called to see me today. He has been on a lasting post for a while and said the desert makes his hair stand on end. I laughed as his hair is clean shaven. I am on H.Q. Sigs now, and have a beaut Itie bike to get around on— one of the many motor bikes we have captured lately.” A more sobering story was that “One of our boys was hit by a mortar bomb—lost one leg below the knee. We all sympathised with him while he was being dressed for the hospital. All he said was, "I had a tiresome in-grown toenail on that foot, it won't worry me again."

Grant also wrote to his friends, the Reids, back home at Glenelg while sheltering in a dug-out with other cobbers from Holdfast Bay. That letter was re-published in the ‘Advertiser’ of September ’41. “I’m sure my first experience of the famous dive-bombing attack will Interest you. Well, on seeing 50 or 60 planes above, I might assure you that I did not Dilly Dally or seek an Adviser on where I belonged, as in next to no time I was hid below in old mother earth until the Tempest was over. The Whimsical look on my face outdid the one on the Lass In your fine stable, so if these planes had Waxwings or not I could not say, as I sure wasn't that Interested! Really. Mick Medhurst couldn't have ridden those that crashed to the ground any more vigorously than what I did.” 

For those back home, any small skerrick of information was avidly shared. Grant and his friend, Len Semmens, also a Riverland ‘boy’ managed to have a brief spot on a broadcast from the Middle East. Grant’s effervescent personality was evident to all as reported in the local Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record of January 1942: “Grant's "Whacko Barmera" will be long remembered by all who had the good fortune to listen to this cheery lad's broadcast.”

By January ’42 Grant had transferred to No 5 Company ASC, eventually returning to Brisbane and some home leave which was immediately noticed and reported on: ‘The many friends of Ptes. Grant Thorpe, and Eli Miller were pleased to see these two members of the 2nd AIF. enjoying a few days' leave at Barmera, after many months in the Middle East. Both confess that the Murray has not lost any charm for them.’

From there, Grant was off to Port Moresby before again transferring, this time to the 2/2 Supply Depot where he was appointed L/Corporal. In the tropical conditions, mosquito borne Dengue fever with the associated high fever, rash, muscle and joint pain followed in January 44, followed by malaria in July.

Some home leave helped regain better health after that bout in New Guinea and enabled Grant to attend a Friday evening dance in aid of the Church of England Building Fund. By October Grant received another promotion to A/Corporal with the 2/9th but soon after, reverted to Private by November and later being diagnosed with middle ear deafness, which preceded his discharge in March of 1945.

Grant’s sense of humour was evident with his ‘souveniring’ of a delightful metal strip with the word ‘Direzione’ presented to Alan Tonkin, the owner of the Barmera Hotel. The ‘Advertiser’ reported this as being ‘not just swank, but that plate is an appropriate souvenir for an old digger like the River Murray's ideal mine host. It really came off the door of a manager's office at a hotel in Derna in Libya. When the 2nd AIF were there, Grant Thorpe, night steward at Barmera Hotel for years, saw it, and said to his mates, "Just the thing to take home to old Tonk' " He did’.

Returning to his pre-war role at the Barmera Hotel, Grant quickly became involved in local activities. A return excursion was organised for a group of 20 children (accompanied by seven adults) from Solomontown in Port Pirie to Barmera, a town only one child had previously visited. This included visits to lock 3 on the river, the Berri Coop to view the dried fruit industry and associated orchards as well as a visit to the poultry and pig projects at the Loveday Camp. On the return journey a brief visit was made to the Garden of Memory before the final visit to the Barmera Hotel. The Murray Pioneer reported that “From the front verandah, a panoramic view with the spring flowers in the foreground and the lake in the background made a delightful setting. Mr. Grant Thorpe, of the Hotel staff, explained the proposed beautification scheme from a large blue print. After visiting Hawdon's monument and Sturt's cairn the visitors adjourned to the Primary School. Master Adrian van Velsen, on behalf of the visitors thanked Mr. Thorpe for his Interesting talk. ‘

Post war, Grant also became involved in the local RSL events, readily welcoming visitors to the Barmera sub-branch and proposing a formal toast of "The Visitors" at the D Day social of 1950. His war service earned him the 1939/45 Star and the African Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and Active Service Medal.

Grant remained in Barmera after his marriage, welcoming a daughter born in the local hospital in 1947. He died on the 3rd December 1980 and his remains are interred at the Casino Lawn Cemetery in New South Wales.

Researched and written by Kaye Lee daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.