Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

I was told by my mother that during World War II (year unknown) Dad together with some of his Army mates went to the Kedron Park Hotel in Brisbane for a beer or two. Dad and at least one of his mates could handle themselves extremely well having participated in a bit of boxing. When they arrived, there were a few American GI’s drinking at the hotel. The Americans taunted the Aussies by saying that while they were away they would ‘look after’ their wives and girlfriends. With that a brawl broke out between the Australians and Americans. It was rumoured that palings were ripped off timber fences and used as weapons by the Australians. At that time mum was living with her parents in one of the Avenues at Glen Kedron – now called Kedron. Mum received advice that dad and some of his mates were in the Brisbane City Police Watchhouse and that she would have to go there to bail them out. As the only means of transport in those days was by tram she had to wait until the first tram the next morning – she caught a tram to the City and bailed them from the watchhouse.
Submitted by his son Richard James Losberg.
25/03/2018

A story as told by mother to son – I was told by my mother that a new raw young private was posted to my father’s unit. An Officer of the Unit was particularly hard on the new private, ‘riding’ him making the new privates life sheer hell & miserable. Dad warned the Officer to ‘back off’ and to leave the young private alone. However, the Officer didn’t and as a result, one day dad grabbed the Officer and dragged him out into the scrub and tied him to a tree leaving him there as punishment for being so hard on the private. It is unknown how long the Officer was left in that predicament. As a consequence, dad was fined and also sentenced to detention. It is unknown if the Officer remained with that unit or was posted elsewhere. My mother believed that the indiscretion occurred whilst my father was based at Kissing Point, Townsville.

I was told by my mother that when dad was stationed at Kissing Point in Townsville he had to cook for the Officer’s. The Officer’s would be given beef to eat - the enlisted men did not have the same privilege. Dad would go into the scrub and kill goannas and substitute them for the beef in the Officer’s stew and then give the beef to the enlisted men. Apparently the Officer’s couldn’t tell the difference.

Submitted by his son Richard James Losberg