Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

We are saddened to hear of the recent passing of World War 2 veteran Leonard (Mac) Macdermott, probably South Australia’s oldest RAAF veteran at the age of 106.

Leonard Macdermott was born at Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, in November 1916, the son of Edward Macdermott and Mary Jane Feeney. He was educated at Northern Grammar and Melbourne Grammar School (from 1929-1932). Upon leaving school, he joined the Metropolitan Gas Company as a clerk working in the Distribution Department from 1933 until 1940.

He enlisted in the RAAF in September 1940 at No 1 Recruiting Centre, Melbourne. Although greatly desiring to be aircrew, Len enlisted as a Wireless Operator Mechanic and completed initial training at Somers, Victoria before Wireless Operator Training from October 1940 and June 1941 at the School of Technical Training in Melbourne and then the Signals School at Point Cook.

Completing initial employment training, he was posted to No 5 Service Flying Training School at RAAF Base Uranquinty, New South Wales. In January 1943, he was posted to No 5 Fighter Sector / No 105 Fighter Control Unit located at Darwin where he served as a Wireless Operator Mechanic until late 1944 including being promoted to Sergeant in April 1943.

He was demobilized on 14 December 1945.

During his time with the RAAF, he met and later married Beth Jemison who was serving in the Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force at the time.

After the war, Len briefly lived in Melbourne where he again worked in the Metropolitan Gas Company. However, Mac and Beth married in North Adelaide in May 1948.

Beth’s family had a fruit growing business at Ramco in the Riverland and Mac expressed interest in joining his father-in-law in the business allowing Beth to be located close to family. They lived in and Waikerie from the early 1950’s to they retired in the early 1980’s after later running the family business.

They moved to Adelaide to live in Leabrook, Kensington Gardens and finally to Belair in their later years. Beth sadly died in 2008 and Mac continued to live at the Kalyra Aged Care, initially in their independent living unit and then when 100 moved into the nursing home until his recent passing.

Len was a modest but quick-witted person. He loved woodwork which he was able to continue to do until a couple of months before his death. He built wooden toys for children.

Many children, including children in Timor, have wonderful examples of his generosity and craftmanship having personalised trucks, trailers, cradles, little stools, and boxes made by him. The trucks and trailers all had number plates bearing his amateur radio call number VK5FLEN. These trucks were all painted red with black wheels and had the name of the recipient on it made with great love and care.

Len was not a member of the Air Force Association but we were made aware of his life in 2022. We believe he was probably the oldest living Air Force veteran at the time.

Our President, Dr Robert Black, visited Len in May 2022 and Len gave Rob one of his wooden toys which now resides in the AFA-SA Main Office.

Len passed away in late January. Dr Robert Black attended his funeral representing the Association and ensuring that this RAAF World War 2 veteran who we believe was perhaps the oldest RAAF veteran in South Australia at the time was appropriately farewelled by the RAAF veteran community.

Fair skies Len and thank you for your service.


attributed to
AIR FORCE ASSOC OF SA article 12-2-2023

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