HERBERT, Kathleen Josephine
| Other Name: | HENRY, Kathleen Josephine - Married Name |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 109835 |
| Enlisted: | 29 July 1943, Woolloomooloo, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Aircraftwoman |
| Last Unit: | Air Force Headquarters |
| Born: | Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, 3 June 1925 |
| Home Town: | West Maitland, Maitland, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Home Duties |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 29 Jul 1943: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftwoman, 109835, Air Force Headquarters, Woolloomooloo, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1946: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftwoman, 109835 |
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Daughter of Christopher Charles HERBERT and Ellen Theresa HERBERT nee CLARKE, 'Langlands' Glenoak, West Maitland, New South Wales.
Kate was born in Kempsey, NSW, in 1925 and was one of 12 children.
Before her war service, Kate moved to Sydney and worked as a nurse assistant looking after unmarried mothers and their babies. In July 1943, aged just 18, she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF).
Kate received her initial training at the No. 5 WAAAF Training Depot at Bradfield Park in Sydney before she was sent to Adelaide where she completed a clerical course at No. 4 School of Technical Training. Kate was then posted to Melbourne and served as a clerk in the Records Section at Air Force Headquarters.
Kate recalls that the best thing about her service was sneaking out with the other girls in their pyjamas, with boots on and their greatcoats over the top, to go to the movies on chilly Melbourne nights.
Kate was discharged from the WAAAF in May 1946. She then studied art at the North Sydney Technical College. While there, she met Paul Henry, who had served in an infantry battalion in Papua, where he was wounded, and later New Guinea and New Britain. The couple married in 1949 and have 3 children. Kate became a stay-at-home mum and returned to work in the early 1970s. Paul sadly died in 2009.
When Kate was younger, she used to paint with watercolours and oils. Now she enjoys visits from her family.
Kate credits her long life to being a non-smoker and leading a healthy lifestyle.
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