Doug joined up in 1939 at the age of 19, and served right through the war with the Australian 9th division.
He saw action in North Africa and the Pacific islands, his two big "shows" being El Alamein and a small island called Tarakan.
El Alamein was the battle that halted Rommels march across North Africa and Tarakan was a tiny island that had a strategic significance in the Pacific because it had an airfield.
Wayman grew up hearing his Dads stories of these conflicts. Of course they were sanitised versions, almost his own Boys Own Adventure with mateship and heros a plenty. But there were nights when little Wayman found it hard to make his way to bed in the sleepout on the front veranda after stories of jungle warfare.
Doug died in 1971 at the age of 50, nine months before we married. Wayman was 20.
In 2008 Wayman wrote a memoir of Dougs war service using his own memories and official war records as his back up. He gave the girls copies for Christmas that year. The boys and I watched that day as they cried and read about this hero they had been hearing about all their lives but had never met.
At the time Cassie blogged on this at Stories from Porter
in April 2009
This is worth the read, as she paints a beautiful picture of the Grandpa who died a decade before she was born.
For around 70 years Dougs medals have been in a box in various cupboards in Waymans many different homes.
Doug was never one for show, and he would have thought it appropriate they were never on display.
But this year we have had them mounted so they can be worn
Please accept my apologies for my poor photography!
This Anzac day Wayman will not be able to go to a dawn service or a march, but he will watch the day on the TV and wear his fathers medals with great pride.
No comments:
Post a Comment