On this Remembrance day, 101 years ago, the German army was in retreat and the German leaders signed an armistice to end the First World War
While this was the war to end all wars, it never did and we continue to see young men and women thrust into war for which they have no understanding of why they are there and what are the reasons for their fighting.
We never learn. We continue to go on having wars waged by people who never face the dangers and have failed to negotiate a peaceful resolution to their differences.
In the war to end all wars, young men were killed by the enemy if they acted aggressively or killed by their own if they didn’t.
Geoff Crisp was one young man who went to war around 1941 when he was about 18 years old and served as an officer’s steward on the corvette (or minesweeper) HMAS Junee, named after a town in New South Wales. The Junee patrolled around New Guinea and then around the coast of Darwin. It was in August, 1945 when the Junee engaged the Japanese for the first time, sinking three of their barges near Borneo.
The Junee was also engaged in 1945 in repatriating Australian troops that had been captured in Amboina.
Geoff was one of the lucky ones and came home safely. He now lives in the Mercy Place retirement home in Shepparton, the only returned serviceman from this era. Geoff has forgotten a lot of his days as a soldier. He has less of an idea why he was there in the first place.
For those who were not able to return safely, or came home as broken men, we owe them the privilege to never forget them.
Lest we forget.
