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JOHN Fenwick’s heroic father rarely spoke of his World War I service, but the few stories he did share were often told in the early hours of the morning when his breathing difficulties – caused by gas poisoning – made sleep impossible.
‘‘You might not get shot or bombed, but your whole life changes here,’’ Mr Fenwick said, pointing to his heart, ‘‘and here’’, he continued, pointing to his head.
‘‘It was too difficult for my dad to talk about.’’
Mr Fenwick, 92, will spend Remembrance Day today paying homage to his late father, who inspired him to later serve in World War II, when he joined the militia to serve in Australia, including in Darwin during the bombing of the city.
Mr Fenwick’s father, also named John, was a coalminer in Newcastle upon Tyne in England when he left behind his wife and three daughters to search for gold in Australia.
When World War I broke out he joined the Australian Infantry Force as a tunneller..
‘‘I remember he once told me that he dug a tunnel underneath German lines and packed it with explosives,’’ he said. ‘‘When it blew up, they said you could hear the noise in England.’’
Mr Fenwick’s father was later ‘‘gassed and shellshocked at the same time’’ on the battlefront in France and was sent to England to recuperate.
He returned a changed man at the end to his adopted homeland, where he was joined by his growing young family. He was unable to work and frequently visited hospital for treatment for his lungs.
Young John, who slept in the family’s lounge room, would often hear his father cough in the middle of the night and head to the kitchen.
‘‘I’d sit up with him at 2am or 3am and sometimes we’d talk about his experiences.
‘‘Today all Australians should stop and think about all the wonderful men and women who served and put their lives at risk to fight for their country,’’ Mr Fenwick said.
‘‘As far as I’m concerned they’re all heroes.’’