My dad (a pom) was in ww 2- moved to Australia after, met me mum and married - Unfortunately he died very young of heart attack when I was 2 so never got to talk to him about it. Found his service papers a while back ....... "dishonourble discharge" - they found out he fudged his age so he was old enough to enlist.
Uncle - an Aussie, served in PNG - wrote his dear old mum every week I think...(may have been monthly not sure) only missed writing once. My aunty showed me a few of the letters after he passed away and my fav was the one he wrote after the one he missed -
"Sorry you didn't get a letter from me with the last mail Mum. I am afraid they put me in the lock up again and this time they wouldn't let me write. They locked me up because I found it nessesary to punch one of the officers in the mouth and he didn't take very kindly to it.
I know you don't like me fighting but this time it was unavoidable. The officer is a pretty unpleasent toffy nosed sort of a fellow. However, I must say he is a lot easier to get along with now."
Your loving son ,.........
And to an earlier comment - I think it is selling todays youth a tad short to suggest they would be unwilling to fight as thier fathers and grandfathers did if needed - I have no doubt that today's youth would do EXACTLY as as thier fathers and grandfathers did. In fact, they are doing it now al beit in a smaller way because we are not in a world war as such - don't sell em short
(yeah there are some who need a good smack in the ear - just as there were in days gone by. But by and large they are still good young aussies)
