Surviving veteran 101-year-old Brian Winspear remembers Bombing of Darwin on its 80th anniversary

THE Bombing of Darwin is now 80 years ago, but for surviving 101-year-old veteran Brian Winspear, memories of that day are as vivid as if they were yesterday.

THE Bombing of Darwin is now 80 years ago, but for surviving 101-year-old veteran Brian Winspear, memories of that day are as vivid as if it were yesterday.

Mr Winspear was attached to the No 2 Squadron RAAF as a wireless gunner stationed in Darwin and was flying everyday to defend ships in the Timor Sea.

He remembers the war as a period of great uncertainty and fear, with very little news travelling to Darwin on how the war was shaping up until Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941.

“We were flying every day, because we had ships in the Timor Sea to defend that they were being bombed by the Japanese,” Mr Winspear said.

“I wasn’t a smoker but I was so scared that one day I brought a packet of cigarettes and smoked the whole packet in terror, so much so that the pilot thought the plane was on fire.

“I didn’t smoke again.

“It was a very uncertain time because we didn’t know what was going on, there was no news coming out of any sort on who was winning and who was losing.”

Bombing of Darwin veteran, 101-year-old Brian Winspear, is in Darwin for its 80th anniversary. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Only a couple of months passed before the Japanese bombers came to Darwin, catching the defending forces completely by surprise.

At the time, the Air Force fighter was in the trenches where bomb shrapnel impaled him, while impacting his hearing.

“I got shrapnel in my hand and shrapnel in my eye and it blew my tin hat off,” Mr Winspear said.

“It was pretty scary and ever since then I’ve had hearing problems.

“Anyway I’m here and keeping my fingers crossed, the gods have been looking down on me.

“Nobody took any notice of the people dying around you.

“Death was very normal, there were no funerals and no mourning. It was scary, it was a scary time.”

Now, the veteran is living back in Tasmania and still holds his driver’s licence and a love of automobiles, but remembers well that day and many others like it.

And using his secrets to long life – including eating plenty of nuts, getting exercise and giving up alcohol at the relatively young age of 80 – he hopes to make it to the 85th anniversary as well.

“I’ve been saying it for years. Don’t forget to remember what happened,” Mr Winspear said.

“The gods have been kind to me, my driver’s licence says I’m okay until 2025 and with a bit of luck, I might come back on the 85th.

“Use your common sense, eat plenty of nuts and have a house with plenty of stairs to exercise with.”

Originally published as Surviving veteran 101-year-old Brian Winspear remembers Bombing of Darwin on its 80th anniversary