Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

None of my direct ancestors went to war.

Their names aren’t carved into distant memorials. No medals have been passed down through the generations. Yet war has a way of finding its way into family histories all the same.

I’ve always known about my great-great-uncle, Paul Adolph Doering. In 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War, he was one of many German-Australians interned at Torrens Island, Adelaide, and later moved to a camp at Liverpool, New South Wales. His 'crime' was simple enough: failing to report to authorities, likely in relation to new wartime firearms regulations.

But this afternoon, while turning the pages of the Doering family history book 'Daring Pioneers,' I discovered that Paul’s son - Heinrich Otto Doering - had served in the Second World War. Heinrich was my grandfather's cousin.

Intrigued, I went searching. The National Archives held no records relating to ‘Heinrich Otto Doering,’ but there was a ‘Henry Doering.’ Close enough to raise suspicion. When I opened the file, the first page confirmed my hunch. He was born at Frankton in 1905, and his next of kin was his wife, Ida. They had married in Balaklava in September 1927.

Bingo.

Heinrich's service file is thin, but like so many archival fragments, it speaks volumes.

In July 1940, Heinrich enlisted in Adelaide. He was thirty-five years old and living in South Plympton. On the enlistment form, under religion, he wrote ‘Church of Christ.’ Heinrich had been baptised Lutheran, but to openly admit this was often frowned upon.

There is a photograph in the service file. A man with a neat, combed-back hairstyle, trimmed to the skin at the sides. He stands just over 5ft. 9in., but his hair seems to give him extra height.

He began training at the No. 2 Infantry Training Depot at Wayville, a place many South Australians passed through on their way to war. By October 1940, he had been assigned to the second reinforcements of the 8th Field Ambulance. Soon after, he was promoted to Transport Lance Corporal.

In February 1941, he left Australia via Melbourne. Before he left, he was transferred to the 9th Australian General Hospital. His overseas journey took him first to Bombay, specifically to the Deolali Transit Camp, before he continued toward Egypt.

For a few short months, his service seemed steady. His duties changed from driving ambulances to serving as a cook. But then the desert took its toll.

In August 1941, Heinrich was admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station with sandfly fever - a common but debilitating illness in Northern Africa. From there, his condition worsened. He was transferred to hospital with myocardial failure. Even as his health declined, he was confirmed with the rank of corporal.

By early January 1942, the verdict was final. A Medical Board declared him permanently unfit for service. Just weeks later, he was aboard the hospital ship Netherlands, heading home.

He arrived in Adelaide on 6 March 1942 and was granted ten days’ leave. He probably went to see his wife, Ida, and their two teenage children, Micky and June. But the war had left its mark.

Diagnosed with coronary sclerosis, Heinrich spent further time in a military hospital before being officially discharged on 8 May 1942. His service, brief and interrupted, was over.

It is difficult to know what Heinrich thought as his son, Micky (whose full name was Alan James Doering), enlisted to serve in January 1943. He must have been relieved that his only son survived the war. 

He lived a quiet and joyful life with his wife, Ida, their two children, and four grandchildren, until he died on 4 September 1971. He is buried at Centennial Park Cemetery, Derrick Gardens, Path 21, Grave 81B. 

~ Written by Samuel Doering, 25 April 2026.