BARB & STAN WW II AND ITS IMPACT. 16/6/2022 , 3/3/2021

1 Introduction WW II 1/9/1939 – 2/9/1945 ie 6 years of war had a great impact on the world and Barb & Stan and all those engaged in it or at a formative age – directly, forming character, and opening up opportunities post war. In Australia there was a big threat of invasion.

Looking back now, Barb, me, our siblings and parents had been severely influenced by the Great Depression and WW II. Our parents had also survived WW I and the Spanish Flu. Our grandparents also didn’t have it easy. My grandmother was born in a tent in the Victorian goldfields and my grandfather killed in a gold mining blast.

This story aims to record some of Barb and my experiences, their effects during and immediately after WW II, and how we handled them; and so pass on to our children and others that life can be exciting, deadly and beautiful in different ways and can be lived with great good and happiness.

Service. Enlisted 15/8/1944 – discharged 15/11/1945. Served only in Victoria and South Australia. While at work I joined the Air Training Corps in 1942 as I was mad keen on aircraft from about 5.

Joining up The Welcome. Since 2 acute rheumatic fevers, I had a heart murmur which the RAAF doctor detected, told me and said “Don’t worry the Japs will get you first”. Also at the Exhibition Bldgs. a new mate collapsed on entering the “hospital” – he was an outback stockman and it was his first time in a hospital and with its new smells. He also probably was preconditioned as in those days hospitals looked like courts and were only for the really sick or dying and you were forced to do things you didn’t like.

Initial training At Shepparton Showground and Goulburn River for about 6 weeks learning to fight, get fit and live tough. For my first RAAF breakfast I was late (again), and had to sweep the seat and table clear to sit down and then have a bowl of yellow liquid – left-overs from scrambled eggs. Taught me a lesson. Out on bivouac next to the Goulburn River we learnt to shoot; and I had fixed the broken bridge of my glasses with a twig and sewing cotton. I was ok with the rifle but after a few rounds with a Bren machine gun and it’s vibration, my glasses came apart and I missed the target – and mates.

Transit. After Shepparton, transferred to Melbourne Showgrounds to wait a week cleaning dishes and peeling spuds for about 2000, and then guard duty at No 1 Stores Depot in the wastelands at Fisherman’s Bend. See Story Stan Learning to Lie, Cheat and Thieve RAAF 1944/5 TBA

Troop Train See below in 4.

Basic Tech. Training At Adelaide where we camped in tents in the grounds of Emmanuel College in North Adelaide. Got injections for overseas at the School of Mines – in line with about 50 others and lurid injection tales which resulted in a few collapses. Sick parades were in the open at Colonel Light Statue and Saturday morning PE was in nearby parks learning “two up”.

Metalwork training was at the tech. school on East Terrace. This was about a mile from our camp and the march each day was fun and not too orderly. We passed the Children’s Hospital, and the nurses and some kids and us all waved. On the return marches often apples, saved from lunch, would be thrown on the lawns for nurses and kids — once also at the sergeant who then knew where to stand. Also once on return when it was hot and we only had on underpants and overalls, one bloke had oily waste cotton material put in his bum pocket and set on fire. It took him a while to feel what happened. Our marching became a little more ragged.

I can’t find the photo of my 3 close tent mates and me at Glenelg – Vic Balingall, Ken Ashton and Bob. C ? They helped fill in time at weekends and I got to know them well. We were all a bit crazy and visited many places in Adelaide which is a nice city. Once I took on a “dare” to dive off the high diving tower at Henley Beach? It looked easy from the ground but very different from up top. It took about 3 minutes to jump off. Lesson: A lot of things differ from what they look at first sight. “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

See Story Stan Learning to Lie, Cheat and Thieve RAAF 1944/5 TBA

See 4 below for some other action.

One problem with the RAAF basic training was that on finishing it I lost all my mates. I don’t know where they went and never saw them again. They we’re good guys, but like me not good letter writers either or didn’t think ahead. I wished them well.

Flight Mechanics Training At Melbourne Showgrounds where we camped and trained on aircraft engines for about 6 months. Roger A has the training manual and my notes and probably a photo of Beaufighter and a Kittyhawk. fighter.

This time I didn’t do extra duties in the kitchen or guarding but played Aussie Rules against the army. See 4 below. I learnt a great deal about engines, what to do and not do.

1 OTU Refer to: Stories # 1 OTU & Beaufort Bombers1944-45 ; includes VJ Day and end of WW II and Stan’s 2nd love letter to Barb 25/9/1945. (In this letter I also recorded that all at 1 OTU had been asked if we would like to join the Occupation Force in Japan. I didn’t have Japs on my mind then.)

Discharge About mid October 1945 I was transferred to Melbourne where I worked at Kellow-Faulkner’s place in St Kilda Road. It had been taken over by the RAAF as a discharge centre where I became a clerk again to help discharge personnel roughly “first in, first out”. Then my employer before enlisting, the Dept. of Public Works, wanted me back as a clerk to catch up and help people who had lost a lot in bushfires in the Upper Murray Valley NE of Melbourne. I was discharged on 15/11/1945 as a LAC without any good or bad things recorded on my discharge papers.

Thanks RAAF I had learnt a lot and grew up a bit and was lucky for many things – one, to get out so early. Max my great mate at 1 OTU didn’t get out until June the next year.

4 Home Front You don’t hear much about what happened on the home front during the war but at least 95% of all were affected and helped in some way. I helped and was helped. There was a lot of “US” spirit rather than the more “ME” of today.

It was marvelous to have a girls photo and letters. Attached is one Barb’s photo she sent me.It was taken about 1944/1945 at Warburton with one of the other St Paul’s girls who went there to cheer up wounded servicemen recovering in one of many special hospitals. (President Kennedy recovered in Mt Victoria Hotel, NSW where Rog and Alex had their wedding reception early 1991. It must have brought back memories for Barb)

Barb was air raid warden, helped troops at St Paul’s etc , letters to troops and a sailor. I never read these and Alex holds them with Barb’s letters, awards and certificates.

We had slit trenches, air raid shelters, blackouts, shortages, rationing coupons for food and other necessities, cars with gas producers instead of petrol, single-breasted suits with no trouser cuffs, air-raid wardens, censorship and told virtually nothing of attacks on AU. Looking after American servicemen who came for our defence and R and R. There was increased propaganda, security, censorship and internments. Transport was interrupted with preference to war production, then some troop trains. Many buildings were taken over for war administration, troops (eg MCG), training, stores etc.

Women filled men’s work eg on new aircraft, engines, tanks , landing craft, welding, transport, snoods, land army. They proved that they were as good as or better than men at many or most things. Many joined the WRAAF and other services eg land army for food production. Nurses did a fantastic job fixing blokes physically and mentally – many were killed.

I had some “special nurse treatment” in a RAAF hospital in Melbourne showgrounds, not with a war wound but a busted ankle playing Aussie rules against the army on rough ground at Puckapunyal. They removed my footy clothes and for a couple of days I hopped to the toilet only with a small ladies pink maternity bodice. I was the cheer-up bloke until my uniform came back. (I thus missed a “passing out” parade (not plonk) and learnt years later that I had topped the flight mechanics course). Also X , a mate a bit earlier got more “special nurse treatment” after he woke up in hospital and unexpectedly found he was circumcised. Nurses frequently laughingly reminded him if he was getting excited to use the special spray to avoid busting stitches.

Civilians took service personnel into their homes when there was an opportunity. I went one weekend with another RAAF bloke to a doctors home in Riverton 100 km north of Adelaide. I did not know whether to sleep on the heavily carpeted floor or the bed – both much better than dust and straw in a tent. The family included 2 girls who also helped a good 2 days – but I loved Barb.

Ladies, probably from the CWA somewhere out back in W. Victoria, turned on a great breakfast in the open air at a station when our troop train pulled up at about 6 am. It was great to meet them, see their smiles, have good food, and to be able to stretch. I had “slept” on the floor with a couple of others, one in the roof rack and 4 across seats, and toilet out the window. I can’t remember all the the yells exchanged when we passed an army troop train except “Pull ya head in mate, ya make it look like a cattle truck”.

At East Sale the town people turned on all sorts of things to make life better. Various dances and shows were put on where civilians mixed with service people and helped both.

Adelaide had a “Cheer Up Hut” near the station where they had occasional shows. I remember seeing Marjorie Lawrence sing there. The town hall was also used for orchestras for the troops. I have since learnt that it has excellent acoustics for orchestras. Also in Adelaide the pictures were also used for training etc; I saw the USA wartime film “Purple Heart” – you get one if shot.

In September 1945, a few days after WW II ended when still a Flight Mechanic in the RAAF, I send my 2nd “half” love letter to Barb. It started “Bubs darling,” and ended “(_ _ _ ), Stan”. I was still too shy to say what I felt – “I love you” – something I have done ever since I was about 9 or 10 when she moved next door in the Great Depression. (See my 25/9/1945 letter and her first love letter in July 1947)

We got closer and married in February 1949 when I was 22 and Barb 21. She had to resign her bank clerk job for an ex-serviceman. So she looked after her sick mum and her dad and me and then our first child Greg. We lived in East Coburg for 4 years and slept on a part open back-verandah of Barb’s parents rented home, and with little money, but were very happy. I don’t regret it at all.

I had been very lucky to get demobbed in November 1945 and later be accepted under special conditions for a 4 year Post War Uni. engineering degree which I completed in Nov 1949.

In 1953 Barb and I moved into a small War Service home we designed. It was built in the bush in Heathmont miles east of Melbourne on a cheap unserviced block of partly cleared land, with a very small deposit. Warren was born in 1956 at a small Ringwood hospital and Roger in Box Hill hospital in 1960.

It took over a year for us to realize what had happened and settle into a new way of living.

Credit. PMs Curtain and Chifley as leaders and millions of helpers must be praised and thanked. These include people like Mr Essington Lewis who led wartime production of armaments etc including aircraft, tanks, guns, ships, clothing for troops. These include all who served in some way. Great credit and thanks for the outcome must also go to our all our allies; without them the world would be a different place.

# Globally the impact of WW II was enormous. People in the services and the public killed or or injured physically or mentally exceeded 100 million. AU retained our country, form of government and freedoms but had changed forever.

# All countries had a huge task of post-war reconstruction and paying debts. There was extensive catchup of things delayed by the war. AU grew up a lot more in very many ways.

# Post War Reconstruction Training Scheme and War Service Homes on low capital and interest rate long repayment set fantastic examples and greatly helped Barb and me and us and over a million more. Reconstruction included a lot more until the 1970s and taught us a lot.

eg – Help to industry and Holden motors cars – war had shown we could make things as well as grow or dig them.

– Snowy Mountains Scheme.

– Big migration -most refugees affected by WW II. Multiculturalism started.

– Major projects for power stations and oil and chemical refineries.

– Women can do! – clearly shown, and helped increase the right move to equality.

– Manufacture in AU. Improved ability and confidence and continued risk taking

– Marriage to Americans GIs and Japanese women increased- mostly for good. Reg’s sister married an American and was happy. Taught us to be more understanding and flexible.

– Scarcity of most things taught us to continue to innovate and get better.

– Huge financial bill was eventually paid off years ago.

– Humans need to be able to control themselves better – to avoid wars and great inequality; (and also need to cooperate globally as Nature is telling us – eg by climate change and COVID)

#. ANZAC day now has a big effect on me and one thought that came to mind was how Nature works and is fantastic. eg Boost in marriage and male kids after the war. Barb and I married at 21 and 22 and had 5 boys- twins stillborn. Val and John Blunt had 4 boys.

#. “What a Wonderful World” – don’t let us muck it up.

Stan 16/6/2022

1/9/1939 Germans invade Poland and so England, Australia, NZ etc declare war as a result of the Pact with Poland. (Barb was 12 and Stan had just turned 13)

26/5- 4/6/40 Dunkirk withdrawal of over 300,000 allied troops

31/5/40. Greece and Crete fall (AU and NZ troops killed and captured)

10/6/40 Italy enters war with Germany

14/6/40 Germans enter Paris. French armistice 24/6

10/7/40 – 31/10/1940 Battle of Britain (Aussies and Kiwis involved)

22/6/1941. Germans invade Russia

41 -42 North African Battles eg Siege of Tobruk 8/41 and El Alamein. (Aussies “Rats of Tobruk” eg Mr Ray – Dot’s dad)

11/1941 HMAS Sydney sunk off WA by German raider. (All 645 lost)

7/12/1941. Jap Attack on Pearl Harbour

8/12/41. Japan and USA enter war

14/2/1942. Singapore falls. (Don Reay had leg cut off with razor on Burma Road Rail)

19/2/1942 etc Darwin bombed – 64 times. (about 300 killed and huge damage)

3/3/1942 Broome strafed, (88 killed?)

1/3/1942. HMAS Perth lost in Sunda Strait.. (Almost all died)

4-8/5/1942 Battle of Coral Sea just off Queensland. (Allies suffered high loss in ships but turned back the Japs.)

8/5/1942. Japs invade New Guinea in north.

31/5//1942 Sydney attacked by submarines. (15 killed)

3-6/6/1942 Battle of Savo Island (HMAS Canberra sunk)

3- 6/6/42. Battle of Midway. (Allied gain)

1942 Bismarck Sea Battle north of New Guinea (Allied gain).

21/7/1942- 11/42 Kokoda Track Campaign. (Frank, my brother’s great mate Vern Tanner was killed. Stan’s 16th birthday. Barb 15.)

24/8/42- 2/2/1943. Battle of Stalingrad, Russia (turning point of WW II)

25/8/1942 -7/9/42 Battle of Milne Bay (east tip of New Guinea). Except for Wake Island this was the 1st Jap amphibious loss. Bill Phillips & RAAF were involved)

5/7/1943 -23/8/43. Battle of Kursk, Russia (biggest tank battle of WW II)

6/6/1944 D day Allied landing in Normandy. (Aussies also involved)

8/5/45 End of War in Europe. (Mate, Fred Colman one of many Aussie airmen involved)

1941 -1945. Jap & German subs and raiders operated around AU coast. (sank

23 ships including Centaur hospital ship with 268 lost.)

6 & 9/8/45 US Army airforce nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

2/9/1945 VJ Day and the end of 6 years of WW II. (wild day in AU. See STORY Stan 1 OTU)