PRITCHARD, Anita Olive
| Service Number: | VF515600 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 March 1944 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 1 Allied Translator and Interpreter Section |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 September 1923 |
| Home Town: | Carlton North, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Student |
| Died: | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia , 2014, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 31 Mar 1944: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Sergeant, VF515600 | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Feb 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Sergeant, VF515600 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement Sergeant, VF515600, 1 Allied Translator and Interpreter Section |
OAM
Anita under her married name, Anita Olive Campbell was awarded an OAM.
Submitted 6 April 2021 by Ellen Magill
Biography contributed by Ellen Magill
Anita was a very accomplished linguist in Japanese. She broadcast continuously to inform General Inamura, that the war was over. She missed a concert with Gracie Fields, while she did this, but was later presented with a signed picture.
At the tender age of 22, she was meeting with Generals and top officials and questioning Japanese prisoners of war.
After the war, she did research in New Guinea,lived among aboriginal people near Darwin and then travelled Australia listing aboriginal births for the first time. She translated different dialects, discovering information as she drove around outback areas. She was later recognised for her work.