Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Emily Edith FOERS, 19 Imperial Avenue, Caulfield, Victoria.

Bruce was born in Ormond, Victoria and is a Second World War veteran.

Before his war service, Bruce was completing a plumbing apprenticeship. In January 1944, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy. Bruce completed his seamanship and gunnery training at the HMAS Cerberus naval base. In June 1944, he was posted to HMAS Platypus, which was a repair and maintenance vessel. Platypus sailed for New Guinea and later to Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia), acting as a ‘mother ship’ for other ships that would come alongside for repairs. The sailors from the other ships could also come on board to see the ship’s doctor or dentist, or watch a movie.

Being onboard Platypus was not all plain sailing. The ship was bombed, but not directly hit, and also strafed a number of times. Once, that resulted in the loss of a crew-mate’s lower legs. After the war ended, Platypus stayed on patrol in the Coral Sea and transported people who had been stranded on islands.
Platypus returned to Australia in December 1945 and Bruce was transferred to shore duties. He was discharged from the RAN in July 1946. He says the best thing about his service was the mates he made on board. Bruce’s advice to younger serving members is to ‘enjoy your time’. ‘We played cards and mahjong, and I continued playing cards throughout my life,’ he said.

After the war, Bruce returned to his apprenticeship. He worked as a plumber, then trained to become a tech teacher, teaching plumbing, sheet metal and maths. He ended up as Vice Principal in a couple of schools. Bruce was married to Valerie and they raised 2 daughters together. Sadly, Valerie died in 2021.

When Bruce was younger, he played football, cricket, golf, squash and lawn bowls, and was involved in the Men's Shed.

Bruce credits his long life to being independent, staying active, keeping himself busy, socialising and good genes. To celebrate his 100th birthday, Bruce is having a special tour of HMAS Cerberus.