Harry Croll's Childhood   

Harry was the second youngest of six children - Maizie, Dulcie, Carl, Roy, Harry and Les. They grew up in Wonthaggie Victoria and moved to Springvale later. They also lived in Drouin Victoria for a time.

I was told that:- Harry had a hard childhood, he grew up in the Great Depression and often had to go hungry and had to steal food. His father had become an alcoholic and often came home in a drunken rage and would beat the children. They would all take off and hide in the bush. Harry left school at 14 and was working for a living selling tickets at a picture theatre and delivering newspapers and doing other odd jobs. At 16 he ran away to war. He was taken off the train heading north, they were on their way to Darwin as he had been dobbed in as being too young to fight. Harry was then taught heavy machinery and worked in the Engineers Corp. When he was eighteen he joined the SAS and was trained in un-armed combat. The only action he saw was when the Japanese escaped from a prisoner of war camp at Singleton (This might be wrong place) where he held a machine gun and shot the Japanese as they ran over the dead bodies of their mates piled up against the fence they were climbing over. He had to collect all the bodies and bury them.