STORIES ABOUT MY DAD Page 7

Tuesday, 30 June 2009 01:28:42 PM

Cutting Calories

My Dad seemed to enjoy talking about things that happened in the army and generally I was interested. I am writing these as I remember them and cannot vouch for their truth.

One lad in the unit was called ‘Annie Oakley’ because he was such a rotten shot. He also had the reputation for his ability to sleep anywhere and at any time. They joked that he would go to sleep on a barbed wire fence. Many others had nicknames but these would need explanations that I do not wish to put into print.

When they were in Buna in New Guinea, a sniper pinned down some of the men. One Trooper said something like “Lets go and get him.” Then someone answered by asking “Any more bloody VC winners here?” Evidentially there were not any takers. I could not see any where on Leo’s documents that his Squadron was at Buna but it is mentioned in a report on the NSW Royal Lancers in New Guinea.

During this period, the area cleared out for the tanks was in the jungle and the ground underneath always very boggy. There was a dead Japanese soldier nearby and the body started to stink. Leo was ordered by an officer to bury it. At the edge of the area, he dug a hole and did the deed, very unpleasant as it was. This was where the tanks had to turn around and the body rose out of the hole because of the soggy, waterlogged ground and he was told to do it again. When it happened a third time, he was totally fed up of it and he set the body alight with petrol and kept doing it until it was gone.

Towards the end of their first tour of duty up there, the men’s morale was low, food lousy, mail delivery bad and they were very homesick. This caused many to the men to quarrel and there were frequent fisticuffs or arguments before breakfast. The C.O. brought out a Daily Routine Order, that no one was to speak, until after they had finished eating. So, a lot of bad tempered men got up, washed, dressed, went to the toilet and had breakfast in a sulky silence. Talking began then with no problems, so the solution was found.

The men usually took their letters and magazines (many read over and over again), when they answered nature’s call. They would sit there and enjoy the news and other items in their mail and books.

On one occasion, when they were totally fed up of the bully beef, one of the men took a couple of grenades to 'catch' some fish in a nearby lagoon. He came back with only a few and one of the officers said “You would have to be a miracle worker to feed the multitude on those.”

An older member of the Unit, from the country in 'A' Squadron on his day off, would go bush and look for a beehive (this was in Australia) and hopefully get some honey. He was respected and looked on as a father figure by the young Troopers. Gracie Fields visited and gave them a concert in the open in Balikpapan. The troops gathered and sat around the stage up to 24 hours before she arrived, to make sure they had good seats. A great time was had by all! They really appreciated the artists who gave up their time, to come and entertain the fighting men.

Dad's mates had a habit of saying ‘diesel do’ when playing cards meaning ‘these cards will do’. They spent a lot of leisure time at this game.

If any of them was in a situation with a girl or whatever and they wanted to get away, the signal that they needed back up etc. was to say they were going to put on the red/green beret. I do not recall what colour the berets were, that the Commandos used during the war but that was the colour they mentioned. The were saying in effect that they wanted to ‘bail out’.

When the squadron got back to Brisbane from New Guinea the first time, the men screamed abuse at the wharf labourers. I think it was because over the Christmas period, they had gone on strike and mail and gifts were late in arriving. They were very angry and felt like doing bodily harm to these men, who had so little consideration for those fighting in the jungles to keep the Japanese at bay.

In Balikpapan, he was on guard duty with good friend one night and he told me they were both scared to death. Previously, some Japanese had infiltrated their lines and some men had been stabbed to death in their beds. They had a long length of perimeter to cover, so they decided to stand back to back in the middle. They could see both ends and if an officer came to inspect, they would see him and commence to walk up and down. They did not want to be surprised by the enemy or their officer and they gave each other courage.

He was very distressed when some of the members of the squadron were killed in action at Balikpapan. I believe one died just before his twin sons were born. On the way home, the ship called in at another port but I cannot remember the name.


He was a printer by trade (finishing his apprenticeship after he returned home). Because he was so good at his work, he was usually given the most difficult of the jobs (particularly colour printing) at his factory.

His early life was not very happy, as his father died suddenly when he was about 4½  and his mother married again about 6 months later. His stepfather was a heavy drinker and his two eldest siblings left home, as soon as they were able to get away from him and the constant argument and fights. At some time, he went to stay with a family down the south coast for a period and they became so attached to him, they wanted to adopt him. The sister, who was a few years older than he was, left home, as soon as she started work.

Later, when he finished school, he went to live with his brother and family and started his apprenticeship as a printer. Some time before the war, he went to stay with his Uncle & Aunt at Bondi. I guess it was in this are that he met Dell. He really liked living there in the Eastern Suburbs, where he could go swimming at Bondi Beach and he followed the Roosters Football Team. His youngest sister told me that he was very accident prone as a little fellow but apart from his one accident on a tank when he broke his ankle.

Dad was a really social person and enjoyed being with his mates at the football and other sports. He was the life of any parties he attended and when he had a few drinks, was likely to burst into song. During the years that he was with me, the music/artists that he liked were most tenors, especially Jussi Bjoerling and Joseph Schmidt, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor’s song ‘Making Whooppee’, the Luton Girls Choir, some of Gracie Field’s songs and Vaughn Munroe singing ' Sound Off ' . There were many others that I can’t remember. He liked reading war and adventure stories.

Dad was loved very much by me and is missed by me and I was present in the room when he died. He was very popular with his magical charm, and seemed to be a 'magnet' to the all the ladies who flocked around him at functions and he loved every minute of it. Listening to music and reading was great relaxation for him and in later years he played bowls and really enjoyed this game. Dad left our home when I was around 12. Sadly he was diagnosed with cancer in his 50’s and that caused his early death in 1975. He spent his last years very happy with my step mum Dell.

Anzac Day was very important to him and he always marched, when he was able to do so.