Too young for war, but they signed up anyway
They're old men now but once they were teenage warriors, the youngest ever to serve in World War II. They are a celebrated band of brothers now known as the Under 16's.
Founder John Miller and his fellow Under 16, Roy Crossley, never knew each other existed until eight years ago, believing they were the only ones who had gone to war as teenagers.
For John, his body racked with cancer, this year's Anzac Day march may be his last. Despite the rain and fragile health he was determined to walk every step to lead his beloved Under 16's one more time.
A decade ago none of the people lining the march would have had a clue that Australian teenagers had run off to war. Today they do.
They were young boys who lied to their parents - lied about their ages - to go to war. They were too young to know the harsh realities.
In February 1940, Roland Griffiths-Marsh was a 16-year-old errand boy in Melbourne. He tricked his way into the army by using his brother's birth certificate and found himself off to war.
Within weeks the teenager was in battle facing his first harsh test, taking an enemy's life.
“So I just went down on my knee and I collected two Italians… they dropped, then I was in amongst them,” Griffiths-Marsh said.
“Then I was in Bardia and it was in Bardia I killed my first enemy… I think so,” he said.
“Excitement, adventure, that was it… we were so scared, I know I was scared stiff… I can tell you what fear feels like… naked and alone in the ocean,” Griffiths-Marsh said.
Roland survived the Africa campaign while still little older than a boy. He then volunteered for Borneo and parachuted alone into the wilds behind enemy lines to organise villagers and head-hunters into guerrilla commando squads.
His gallantry earned him the Military Medal. Roland has sadly passed away.
Ronald Ware joined the merchant marines as a deckhand to get into the war.
“I was 14... 14 and 10 months when someone came in and said wars broken out so I ran down and told my mother and she just broke up,” Ronald said.
Trained as a gunner, Ronald was very quickly battling Nazi U-boats and dive bombers when, in 1942, his ship was hit by a prowling submarine. His best mate was trapped on the sinking vessel with Ron by his side as it sank into the depths. Ron was unable to free his mate’s hand as their torpedoed ship went down.
“I was down really, really deep… it's not Jack or anyone else… it's you… you live if you make the right decisions,” Ware said, crying. “And I hit the surface, I came up, breathed air and I yelled at the top of my voice and the next day at dawn there was only five of us.”
Out of 52 on board, five were rescued and Ronald fought through the rest of the war. Sadly he also passed away.
John Miller was the youngest of the Under 16's to enlist for war.
“I went in as an apprentice sort of thing… (But you were 13?) Yes... 13 years and 5 months… naval auxiliary patrol, I was put on a sub chaser,” Miller said.
After lying to his mother, telling her he had an apprenticeship with BHP, Miller became an apprentice in the merchant marines. Buoyed by the spirit of patriotism the 13 year old learned to fire guns, big guns, but the adventure soon gave way to gruesome conflict.
“There was no glamour in it... it was quite scary actually,” Miller said. “Yeah... one incident that never goes out of my head, not all the time, but I had a type of shrapnel go right past my head, it just went past like that, I can never get it out of my mind how close it was to my head.”
The teenager in John will also never forget what he saw in China when his vessel was the first into Shanghai, introducing him to atrocities unfiltered to the senses.
Back in Australia John had no idea there were others like him; teenagers who went to war. It was the treatment by other World War II vets that began his life mission.
“I was going across Hyde park and there were four diggers coming towards me and one of them yelled out ‘You want to be careful laddie, you should wear your daddy's ribbons on the right hand side!’ and I thought wow and when I got home I wondered how many others were like me,” Miller said.
For 60 years these ‘boy soldiers’ lived on alone, believing they were unique as teenagers who ran away to war. When John Miller tracked down the other under 16's he found 42. Today just 25 remain alive. For the 2014 Anzac Day march, possibly their last, there were just two.
“Were you surprised there were 40 of you?) Yes, yes... but they were all great, great chaps,” Miller said.
Escorted by an honour guard from Kings School, John and Roy marched every step. While the numbers of our World War II veterans dwindle every year the legacy of the Under 16's will live on in young men like Jacob Lancaster, determined to preserve the legacy of these once young, courageous boys.
“I think it’s perseverance... just to think of the things that they can do, you can certainly march on Anzac day,” Lancaster said.
“There are professionals everyday going to schools using the Under 16's as a legacy to follow in our footsteps,” Miller said. “And we want you to follow in our legacy… no school bullying, no drugs and lots of other things.”
A legacy John Miller will see through to the end.
Australia remembers every April 25th in part to say thank you. Today, as John finished his march among a grateful crowd, his words typified the humble, selfless honour of the under 16’s.
“Thanks… thanks so much.”
You can meet the Under 16s on their website.
