My pop, my hero
My grandad William James Hamilton was always my hero. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on August 17, 1941, and served his country until the end of World War II in 1945. He was an air navigator and trained in Parkes, NSW, before joining 459 Squadron. His rank on discharge was flight lieutenant.
My grandma Thelma gave birth to my mum Maryloo in 1940 and my aunt Kathy in 1942. After the war, she and Pop had two more girls, Annie andd Rossie Rossie. I’m one of 10 grandchildren. We grew up with wonderful stories of my grandfather’s South Brisbane homecoming. Poppa owned a newsagent in SurfersSurfe Paradise later in life, a and lived for his family be before he died in 1981. My sister Beck, little b brother Jim and I would p proudly march with P Poppa every Anzac Day – taking turns wearing his medals.m I remember him holding our hands, as proud of us as we were of him. I’ll never forget as a little girl looking up at Pop during the Last Post as he wiped away tears. I still cry every time I hear it – for all the brave, we owe them so much. Lest we forget.