The Ient Family: Family History

In Sydney

We went to the Union Jack Club in Sydney. There was another array of girls there. I’ll tell you this much, after what we had been through, it was food first – if you don’t get your food, women don’t come into it, women are secondary. At the Union Jack Club, they asked us, ‘Where would you like to go?' My pal and I said, ‘We’d Iike to go to a sheep farm.’ They said ‘Come back tomorrow morning, 7 o’clock.' We got back there 7 o’clock the next morning. They said, 'Here’s your railway ticket, your ration ticket and this, that and the train leaves at half past.' All no charge! Well, we got on the train, and soon it came out of Sydney. What did we see? Miles and miles of nothing, nothing! [Laughs.]

We get to this little tiny station and a bloke turns up in a big Buick. He says, ‘Mr Henderson and Mr Hornsby?' I says yes and he says, 'I’m your host.' We get in the car and he takes us to this sheep farm and he gives us a horse each. So we’re riding the range! [Laughs.] He said, 'I was in the First World War and I was wondering what I could do to help the old country [meaning Great Britain] and what we are doing now is the only thing I have thought of.' He went on, 'I was wounded in Gallipoli and they sent me back to England and they were very, very good to me, over there.' He says, 'I was in a place called Brighton, do you know it?' I said, 'Oh aye,' turning to my mate, I said, 'He comes from there!' Well, after that we could do no wrong! Later, he said 'We’re going to a dance.' I said, 'Oh aye,' and thinking to myself where in this place?  Well, we went to this place and there were about 50 or 60 people in there. Everyone was sitting round the side of the hall. Well, they live in the back of beyond for years, and they see two young lads from England, prisoners of war, I mean – we were a bit on display. We had a great time and a laugh!

We got back into Sydney after a week. The taxi drivers wouldn’t take any money by the way. Shortly afterwards, we came back to England. We were put on a train to Cosford[i] near Wolverhampton and got demobbed straight away, gave us our back pay for three and a half years. Looking at this book made out in my name, I said, 'I’m never going to be poor again, never be poor again with three and a half years back pay!' [Laughs.] I went home and the girl who I’d left behind me in Sunderland, which is where I come from, she was waiting for me, and we got married and she lived happily ever after. [Jokingly – laughs.]

Applause.

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