Jack was born in England in 1925, his mother was born in Scotland and his father in England. His sister Patricia, was also born in England, then the fam-ily sailed for New Zealand in the late twenties, and settled in Auckland.
In time another daughter, Mabel Grace, arrived fol-lowed by a son, Brian Michael.
Around the early thirties the family sailed for Sydney, but tragedy struck when the father Lionel James was fatally injured falling off a ladder. As it was the time of the Depression the two boys were sent to an orphanage in Kincumber up the Hawkesbury River not far from Woy Woy, and the two girls went to a Girls’ Home closer to Sydney.
When Jack turned fifteen he left Kincumber to live in Leinster St Paddington with his mother and his two sisters who had left school to get a job and help with the family expenses. Mike arrived home a year later to complete the family.
After a small job working in a garage, Jack put his age up and joined the Australian Light Horse but as the Army realized horses against tanks wouldn’t work they were disbanded and Jack joined the A.I.F.
After some training, Jack with two of his friends from Kincumber, Athol and Henry Hankinson, left for Dar-win and were introduced to the horrors of war when Japs bombed the town.
Some weeks later they came back to Sydney and Jack joined the Medical Corps, and Athol and Henry went off to the Islands.
It was a nerve-wracking time. Every time the air raid siren went off you expected a raid on Sydney, but it was usually only a single plane flying over. But it was serious when the midget subs got into the harbour hoping to sink the American Cruiser “Chicago”.
When Jack was to embark on Centaur his mother said to him: “I’m worried about you going on the water”. Even after all these years I can still remember his reply: “It’s all right, Mum, it’s a hospital ship”. Famous last words.
Just a few days after saying goodbye the front door bell rang and Mum was handed that dreaded telegram. She never recovered from the shock.
Jack was only 18.