Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Alexander James Blank grew up at Alton Downs Queensland and although very intelligent, he was also the oldest of 8, hence he left school to go droving, aged 14.
He courted and marred my mother Maggie Henderson Connell from Maryborough Qld. They married at the end of the war and had their one and only son Malcolm on 30 May 1946 followed by 5 daughters: Elizabeth 25 August 1947, Kathryn 23 July 1950, Lynette 15 September 1951, Bronwyn (me) 1 February 1954 and Carolyn 3 August 1957. He finished his RAAF service at Rathmines where he was instructing as a radio operator. Mum & dad eventually bought a home at Toronto where he opened his own car radio business. He then worked as a manager for AW Barrs, radio for cars. He was offered life membership but Wal, his fishing buddy died. Every second year we would camp at Tuncurry NSW after Christmas for 4 weeks and the other year we would visit mum's family at Maryborough and pop Blank at Tenterfield NSW.
Shortly after his 60th birthday in late January 1984 Barry was in hospital at Rathmines, The drugs made him hallucinate and relive the horrors of the war so he came home and shot himself. Unfortunately there was no debriefing after WW 11.
This was 2 days before my 30th birthday which I still celebrated as I could not change the circumstances.