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Note: on steam trains. After arriving in Australia, he worked as a labourer constructing the Great Ocean Road at Apollo Bay, where he met and married Olive Wright 0n 31st May 1930.
When WW2 broke out, he enlisted on 13th November 1939, by putting his age down by 7 years, because he was too old. He served 1173 days until he was discharged on medical grounds on 28th Jan 1943.
During this time he was on active service for 1000 days.
He served in the Signals Regiment as a Despatch rider – in the 6th Division in the Middle East, and the reformed 9th Division on returning to Australia.
In the Middle East campaign, he toured Palestine – Egypt – Libya – Tobruk – Syria – Lebanon – El Alamein and then back home to Australia for retraining for jungle warfare in the South Pacific. During this re-training in Queensland he was seriously injured in a motorbike accident at Gatton, and spent months in hospital.
Being one of the “Rats of Tobruk” took a terrible toll on David’s health. He carried the emotional scars for the rest of his life along with the physical scars from the accident.
David and Olive had three children Jean B: 1931, Athol B: 1938 - 1986 and Victor B: 1948.
Note:
The son of John & Williamina, and brother to John (Jock), Elizabeth & Jessie, David left Dingwall, Scotland with his brother Jock, in 1924 at the age of 22 after serving his apprenticeship
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