Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Garth Bottroff was born on the 6th of July, 1914, in Mannum, South Australia, the third child of Louise and Loveday Bottroff (né Francis). Garth's family had moved to the Adelaide suburb of Cheltenham some time before the outbreak of World War II. 

During the war, Garth served as an army driver in North Africa. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war in north-eastern Italy. For some time he was held at Gruppignano Campo 57. The camp comander was said to be brutal, the food very poor, and the conditions crowded and insanitary. Garth was deeply scarred by the experience and its effects were felt throughout his life.

Having escaped to Switzerland in October 1943, Garth returned to Australia the following year. Once back home, he suffered the further tragedy of his father taking his own life, just a month after Garth's discharge from the army in August, 1945. He continued to live with his mother, moving to the Adelaide suburb of Findon. For many years, he ran his own business as a motor mechanic out of the garage on his mother's property, later in life becoming a mechanic with a commercial firm.

While Garth never married, he had a long-term relationship with a woman who lived nearby, and eventually they moved to a home of their own, together with the woman's disabled daughter from a earlier marriage. After so many years of living apart, Garth was finally there to give them support.

Never having completely recovered from his war-time experience, Garth eventually took his own life on the 2nd of April, 1980, at the age of 65. He is buried at the Cheltenham Cemetery, along with his father and mother.