CAPALABA resident and WWII Battle of Britain veteran Harry Gardiner will soon turn 100.
Son Steve Gardiner said Henry, or Harry as he prefers, was born on the July 8, 1918, at Stepney, in London which made him a dyed-in-the-wool cockney.
He was one of seven children and started work at 14 as a plumber’s assistant.
“During this time he was fairly wild and was getting involved with the Kray twins who were notorious gangsters in the area,” Mr Gardiner said.
“In 1937 he volunteered for the Royal Air Force. I surmise that this might have been a way to get out of the life he was living.”
Mr Gardiner said Harry was involved in the Battle of Britain as an armourer in which he loaded ammunition and maintained the weapons on the aircraft flown by fighter ace Douglas “Tin Legs” Bader.
Bader lost his legs in a crash before the war. Despite this he went on to fly Hurricanes over France and Britain, becoming a celebrated fighter ace and later a prisoner of war after crashing in Europe.
Mr Gardiner said that after the war, Mr Bader came to talk at the school he attended.
Harry approached Mr Bader saying “do you remember me, I was your armourer during the Battle of Britain”.
“Quick as a flash Bader replied, ‘I’m not sure but no wonder my guns never worked’.”
As well as the Battle of Britain, Harry also fought in the North African campaign and the invasion of Italy where he served until the end of the war.
After being demobilised Harry met wife Carol whom he married on April 20, 1946. They were married for 65 years up to her death.
After the war Harry saw advertisements for immigrants to Australia and Rhodesia.
Mr Gardiner said the paperwork for Rhodesia came through first so the couple emigrated to Rhodesia where their only child Stephen was born.
After two years in Rhodesia, Harry and family went to Tasmania.
“They did not find it to their liking so after several months went back to Rhodesia where they lived for 35 years,” he said.
“He worked most of that time for the council and built houses.
“In 1980 Harry saw that the political situation in Rhodesia was not going to end well so he went to South Africa. He worked in Johannesburg for the council until he retired.”
In 1983 Harry and Carol emigrated to Australia, living first at Indooroopilly, Brisbane, and then Southport on the Gold Coast.
In 1987 Harry and Carol moved back to South Africa to be closer to their son but found the political situation too unsettling.
For the next 10 years they moved from country to country before finally settling back on the Gold Coast at Tweed Heads where they lived for 25 years.
Harry moved into CapellaBay Nursing Home at Capalaba on his 97 birthday where he lives.
Apart from son Stephen, he has three grandchildren, Cheryl who lives at Capalaba, Lorraine who lives at Cleveland and Paul who lives at Sydney. He also has six great grandchildren, Jarrod, Declan, Nas, Brendon, Sam and Abbi
