Stars and Stripes Forever

The old phonograph played Stars and Stripes as we schoolchildren marched out to Air Raid Drill. Nobody thought for one serious moment that the Japanese would invade the Queensland coast but Mr. Bytheway, our headmaster, had his instructions from the Department of Education and so march we did, to John Sousa, the flutes all a-twiddle. It all seemed very cheerful, appropriate too, since Queensland was by then teeming with American servicemen.

Inside the raw red earth trenches we were instructed about keeping our heads down. It was all a great giggle. In the rainy season Read more