World War II veteran Joffre Bell celebrates 105th birthday at Carinity Brownesholme Aged Care
At 105 years old Joffre Bell has made peace with dying, but this wasn’t something that came with age. Mr Bell was prepared to die more than 80 years ago as he fought in one of the deadliest wars in history.
Toowoomba
Don't miss out on the headlines from Toowoomba. Followed categories will be added to My News.
In an Anzac service at Carinity Brownesholme Aged Care, Joffre Bell recited the words, “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.”
The ode to remembrance is particularly meaningful to Joffre, who is one of the last remaining survivors of World War II in Australia, and he celebrated his 105th birthday on Sunday April 27.
Joffre, who grew up in Clifton, was a flight observer and air traffic controller in the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force.
He spent most of his service based in England, Canada, and Papua New Guinea.
Living through one of the deadliest wars in history, Joffre has survived two crash landings carrying a payload of bombs, and had a near miss in a low flying air attack, keeping the large piece of shrapnel that almost took his life.
As the Oldest Old boy from The Southport School, the Gold Coast school put on the Anzac service and birthday party for Joffre on April 30 to honour his service in the war.
Named after two soldiers who fought alongside Joffre, his son Graham James Bell said it was incredible to grow up learning about the war first-hand.
“It’s still a living history for us,” he said.
“There’s a wonderful ribbon of oral history that he can recall.
“It is a great privilege.”
But it has not been easy for his father to watch as his friends pass away over the years.
“He said ‘I have no friends my age left,’” Graham said.
“He said ‘I’ve lost all of my friends.’”
James Garrow and Graham Higgins were two soldiers Joffre lost in the war, and the two men that gave Graham Bell his name.
Mr Garrow now lies in a graveyard in Yorkshire after being killed in an air incident, and Mr Higgins was lost at sea in an assumed plane crash.
Joffre’s daughter Kirsten Bell said she has a feeling this could be his final Anzac Day.
“We all think this is probably his year,” she said.
“He’s not afraid to die now.
“He said to me, ‘I made peace with dying when I was in my 20s and I was dropping bombs. I knew the odds were not good that I would ever come back.”
Kirsten Bell said she has left her dad in the dark about current affairs in recent years in fear that the World War II survivor would be devastated by the state of the world.
“One of the things that makes me really sad is that he has lived long enough to see 70 or so years of peace since he fought fascism and now America is essentially a fascist country,” she said.
“He would definitely be horrified that there is a rise in authoritarians again.
“He would be horrified to see what they’re doing to the Palestinian people if he knew what was going on,” Kirsten said.
“Let him die not knowing.
“Let him think that Jimmy and Graham fought and died for this lasting peace.”
Kirsten and Graham asked their dad, who has difficulty swallowing, what they should do if he can’t eat or drink anymore.
Kirsten asked him if he would want them to put tubes in or go ahead with any medical procedures.
“No, just let me go,” he told Kirsten.
More Coverage
Originally published as World War II veteran Joffre Bell celebrates 105th birthday at Carinity Brownesholme Aged Care
Where can I vote, who’s running? All your Groom election questions answered
Nearly 50 polling stations are now open across the Toowoomba region for residents to vote in Groom for the 2025 federal election. Here’s every you need to know:
60k early votes: Candidates make final pitch as Groom campaign closes
More than 60,000 residents – roughly half the electorate – will have already cast their ballots before Saturday. Here’s what some of the key candidates had to say on the eve of the election: