Residents Take Time to Remember at Mercy Place Mont Clare

More than 100 years on from the end of the First World War, Mercy Place Mont Clare residents and staff will remember members of the armed forces who served and died in the line of duty, today on Remembrance Day.

Now aged 98, Subiaco-born veteran Jack Earnshaw (pictured), who will attend a commemorative ceremony at the home, is one of the declining number of Australians who served in the WW II conflict.

Aged just 18, Mr Earnshaw chose to enlist on 22 April 1942, despite working in what was designated as a restricted occupation – he delivered telegrams from the Subiaco Post Office.

It meant packing his bags and heading to Ballarat for six months training, where he qualified as a Wireless Air Gunner, before being sent to Sale in East Victoria to do further training.

“After that, we were sent to England by ship, departing from Sydney and across the Pacific eventually arriving at San Francisco. We then caught a train to New York and then travelled on another ship to England,” explains Mr Earnshaw, who admits he was incredibly fortunate to survive many night raids across Germany during his time in the Air Force.

“During the night raids, we didn’t fly in formation, we went up on our own. The Germans used to send up, well, shells I suppose you’d call them, that would explode, and it would look like a plane blowing up from where I was positioned at the rear. I’d think to myself, we must be the only ones left; it was always a relief to get back to base.”

Mercy Place Mont Clare Service Manager, Dale Brown, said Remembrance Day was an important and emotional day for many residents.

“Every year Mercy Place Mont Clare acknowledges the exceptional contribution of all Australian servicemen and women during our Remembrance Day ceremony, and in particular it’s a time for us all to reflect on the bravery and selflessness of our residents, who lived through and also served in World War II, including Jack, whom we all have incredible respect for,” he said.

“Our Remembrance Day commemorations enable many of our residents to reflect on the war years, reminisce about that time whether they were an adult or a child, and also remember those who lost their lives. It’s an important day for all of us.”

Residents at Mercy Place Mont Clare will commemorate Remembrance Day by holding a small service within the home, and observing the traditional minute’s silence at 11 AM on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

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