大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War website by Susie, on behalf of Robert. Robert fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

My Aunt Lily married an Australian called Fred Trower during World War 1. After the war they moved to Australia and I didn鈥檛 keep in communication with her. During WW2 I was on board the HMS Whelp as part of the Pacific Fleet in 1945. When I discovered that we were going to be docking in Sydney I wrote a discrete letter to my father, asking him how Aunt Lily was as I would love to see her. From that he was able to work out where I was going, as, of course, we were not allowed to say as it would get censored.

When we arrived in Sydney I went to the registrar to look up their address, but shortly after discovered they weren鈥檛 staying at the address that was listed. I happened to get talking to a man in a shop and told him the story. The man gave me a business card and said that if I was going to be in Sydney for a few days (I couldn鈥檛 say exactly due to confidentiality), I should look him up and he would help.

The next day, my friend Sid Hart and I went to the address, it was a radio station called 2SM in Collins Street. I was shown into the radio studio, where the presenter, Mr John F Dunne, was presenting a show called 鈥楥omforts for Troops鈥�. He announced that he was going to talk about someone called Robert but that he would let me speak for myself, and asked me where I was from. As soon as I said 鈥渂orn in Dumbarton, but living in Rutherglen,鈥� rolling my 鈥榬鈥檚 for effect, the studio audience went wild for the Scottish accent. They were excited because they knew the British navy had just arrived.

I told my story on air, how I was looking for my Aunt Lily, and the switchboard lit up. Most were calls from people who had gone to the same school as me in Dumbarton, but finally a caller named Mrs Philips phoned and said 鈥渋f you come to my house tomorrow I will take you to your Aunt Lily.鈥�

The next day Sid and I went to Mrs Philips鈥�. She took us along the road and as we happened to pass a baker said: 鈥渄id you know Jean and her sister Annie Hall?鈥� I replied that I did and it turned out they worked in that shop. They were amazed to see me as I was only a toddler the last time we met.

We went further up the road to Wemyss Street. I could see a couple watering their garden in the distance. Mrs Philips hadn鈥檛 told Aunt Lily we were coming as it turned out they had not been speaking! When we walked up to the couple, they looked up and were surprised to see Mrs Philips at first! Aunt Lily was obviously wondering where Mrs Philips was going with two sailors!

Mrs Philips then said: 鈥淚鈥檝e got a friend for you from Dumbarton.鈥� Aunt Lily then turned round, pointed at me and said: 鈥淏unty Conkie鈥� (my nickname). Aunt Lily said that she hadn鈥檛 seen anyone from home, to which I replied that I had already had about thirty phonecalls from Dumbarton people living in Sydney. It was a very emotional moment for us both, as Aunt Lily knew I had left a wife and three children behind. Sid and I stayed for dinner, and that is how I tracked down my Aunt Lily on the other side of the world.

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