BRUCE SANDERS

2/3 PIONEER BATTALION 2 AIF: A SOLDIER’S LETTERS HOME

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2/3 PIONEER BATTALION A.I.F.

AN AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER'S LETTERS TO HIS FAMILY AT HOME IN SYDNEY IN WWII.
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LET ME KNOW

IF ANY MISTAKES HAVE BEEN MADE OR DATA ENTERED INCORRECTLY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL TAKE STEPS TO AMEND IT.
ORDER OF CORRESPONDENCE

N.B. The most recent letters are shown last. Earliest Letters i.e.1941 are published first.
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THE LETTERS

My father who was a man of loyalty and strong family ties throughout his life wrote home to Sydney for the 5 years of World War 2. He enlisted on his 20th birthday in 1940 and did not return till the War ended in 1945 during which time many things changed and many things changed him. These are the letters of a young Sydney boy written as he faces war and life in the Middle East , North Queensland and New Guinea and Borneo. The attitudes and thoughts of the time are reflected in them and I shall leave the story behind them for the reader to interpret. Bruce also kept a diary which he carried from 1940-45 ( and in fact he kept journalling till a series of strokes and the loss of his wife,Joyce, finally defeated him ) . I shall endeavour to incorporate the diary in this blog as I am able. Dad had wanted his story told and he and I had looked for a way to publish it but while he was alive and on limited funds we were unable to do so and he passed on in 2005. Now that the internet is available for me to put his story online, I do so. All his work was handwritten and detailed so bear with me as I transcribe. R.I.P. Bruce and Joyce Sanders. LEST WE FORGET. Yrs. Lynne Sanders.
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- BRUCE SANDERS’ RECORDS AT THE AWM
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- JAMES GEORGE WATSON
- NETWORK FOR 2/3PIONEER BATTALION
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ROLL OF THE 2/3 PIONEER BATTALION

BRUCE SPENT THE LAST FEW YEARS OF HIS LIFE COMPILING THE ROLL OF THE PIONEERS. STROKES AND ILLNESS OVERTOOK HIM BEFORE HE COULD COMPLETE THE MAMMOTH JOB HE HAD SET HIMSELF. BRUCE WAS PASSIONATELY INTERESTED IN THE PIONEERS AND THEIR FAMILIES - BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE WAR. WE WOULD BE VERY PLEASED TO RECEIVE ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE TO OFFER AND TO POST YOUR STORY AND THAT OF YOUR PIONEER. WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS.
Pages
- 2/3 PIONEER BATTALION 2nd A.I.F.
- A.S.I.T.A.P. THE ROLL OF THE 2/3 PIONEER BATTALION AIF
- ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS
- About
- BACK TO THE LETTERS
- IMAGES
- IMAGES OF ARMY LIFE
- NING – A SOCIAL NETWORK
Archives
- December 2009
- September 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- November 2008
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LOOKING FOR

LOOKING FOR STORIES, ANECDOTES, PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER IMAGES RELEVANT TO THE 2/3 PIONEERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. nellibell49@gmail.com LET US KNOW THE STORIES OF THE MEN AND OF THEIR DESCENDANTS AND LOVED ONES.

MELBOURNE NEWS

A group of us that are descendant of 2/3 Pioneer battalion diggers here in Melbourne march on behalf of the unit every Anzac day. There is a fir tree dedicated to the unit on the main walk to the shrine and we also every 12th of May hold a service there and at the eternal flame to commemorate the life and death of Bluey Mackey VC. We only have a couple of original serving diggers from the unit left and have been trying to build a network of decendants down here. In September we will be making a pilgramidge to Cowra to try to find the last survivors of the unit and their descendants in the hope that we can keep maintain and preserve the well known passion of the group. Any help or contact would be much appreciated. Darryl Wilson, 2/3 Pioneer Battalion Association – Melbourne Branch (or remnants there of).
2/3 PIONEER BATTALION
- 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion AWM
21st CENTURY CHRONICLERS
- have gravity will threaten
- MUSICAL NOTES
A CALENDAR
- NORTHERN BELLES
A NETWORK FOR 2/3 PIONEERS
- A SOCIAL NETWORK FOR 2/3 PIONEER BATTALION
AUDIOS AND FILE SHARING
- DROPBOX
Blogroll
- Darwin 2/4th Australian Pioneer Battalion Plaque
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
- A SOCIAL NETWORK FOR 2/3 PIONEER BATTALION
LETTERS HOME
- BRUCE SANDERS
NELLIBELL49 SITES
- CLARENCE AND ULMARRA
- KEEP THE SLOUCH HAT IN AUSTRALIA.
- LYNNE BELL SANDERS
- MELINDA KENDALL
- SILVER THREADS AND GOLDEN NEEDLES
- THE ELECTRONIC QUILL
NING
- A SOCIAL NETWORK FOR 2/3 PIONEER BATTALION
PIONEERS
- Pioneer Battalions
- The Wartime Memories Project – Australian Forces – 2/2nd Australian Pioneer Battalion
Categories
- ACKNOWLEDGED WITH THANKS
- ASSISTANCE REQUIRED
- AWM
- BRUCE SANDERS
- DIARY
- EDITORIAL ASIDES
- FAMILIES OF THE 2/3 PIONEERS.
- IMAGES
- LAST POST
- LETTERS 1941
- LETTERS 1942
- LETTERS 1943
- LETTERS 1944
- LETTERS 1945
- MEN OF THE PIONEER BATTALION
- NING
- PIONEER NEWS 2009
- ROLL OF THE 2/3 PIONEER BATTALION
ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

Mark is planning a trip to Egypt and would like some feedback on sites to see and points of interest to Pioneers.

JAMES GEORGE WATSON

Posted by nellibell49 on September 5, 2009

Hello Lynne,
I am new to this type of thing, so will start with an e-mail, as I have never created a blog before. First things first.
My name is Simone Wood and I have a twin sister – Nicole Dorward. We are grandaughters of James (Bluey) George Watson of the 2/3 Pioneers. He was also part of several other battalions as his brother kept calling him. James passed away last year, and there are only two member of this Battalion left in the Melbourne group. That is Stan Owler and Frank. We will be meeting the Sydney Pioneer members and families on Monday, are you part of this group? If so, will you be attending this meeing/gathering?
Nik and I went to Canberra War Memorial to find out more information about our Pa only two weeks ago, but they will be posting that information to us as they have it filed in Archieves. We had hoped to have this information prior to this gathering, SayLaVe?

If anyone knows anything of Bluey, do let us know and we will pass it on to Simone and her sister or post it on her Ning Page.

This entry was posted on September 5, 2009 at 5:45 pm and is filed under ACKNOWLEDGED WITH THANKS, ASSISTANCE REQUIRED, FAMILIES OF THE 2/3 PIONEERS.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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BRUCE SANDERS

2/3 PIONEER BATTALION 2 AIF: A SOLDIER’S LETTERS HOME

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