Anzac Day scans

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canberra545

War Memorial, Canberra 1954

dadraaf

Jeffrey Whitfield, my father

1911-1989

keith

My uncle Keith Christison

1917 – 1982

warwedding

Marriage of Keith Christison and Ruth Kirby

neilc

Neil Christison 1924 –

RAAF

During 1944 I was a member of an Airforce Signals Unit. In April of that year my signals unit did a landing in  Aitape, New Guinea. We were the communication unit for the  airfield construction squadron who repaired airstrips and built new ones. The same operation occurred on Morotai Islands. On Morotai Islands I shared a tent with a Fellow NCO. His name was CPL Jim Christensen from Queensland and I was CPL Neil Christison NSW and this was somewhat of a novelty because of our surnames.

To our great joy another esteemed gentlemen by the name of L.C. Faulkner spent his time with our unit in our tent. He was a very interesting person. During 1944 censorship was very strict and as you read his article published in the local paper he could not mention my location. Because of my constant movements my parents often did not hear from me for some time but when this came out in the paper they kept the article. Also we had another distinguished guest in our tent, an official air force photographer. Early one morning he was in one of our planes, which had been shot down by the Japanese and he and the pilot were rescued by one of our PT Boats.  The Halmahbar Islands, not far from Morotai, were occupied by the Japs and they used to occasionally pay us visits with bombing raids.   When this photographer returned to our tent he was covered in dye but still smiling and he returned back to Australia shortly after.

With the passing of time over the last 66 years sadly I lost his name because since I married in 1950 we have moved several times. My darling wife is now in an aged care facility as a result of Parkinson’s disease and on the 8th of July 2010 we celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary.

MAKING THE NEWS BACK HOME
By Neil Christison

http://www.kincare.com.au/sites/kincare/files/Veteran_Handbook.pdf

Great site to explore!

Have you been to TROVE yet?

I just found the story behind my grandfather Roy Christison’s missing eye in the Sydney Morning Herald of Wednesday 9 August 1899!

A lad named Roy Christison, 13, living with his parents at 17H Victoria-street, Lewisham, was taken to Prince Alfred Hospital yesterday by his mother,who stated that whilst he was playing with some other boys a stick ran into his eye. The boy was admitted by Dr Ludowici and it is probable that the eye will have to be removed.

It was.