MERV Schneider says he has his beloved wife, Shirley, to thank for helping him through World War II.
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Merv was still in school when the war began in 1939 but had a keen interest in aviation and flying.
He joined the Nhill air training corp in 1941 and enlisted for war in 1942. He started training at age 16.
Alongside other young enthusiastic aviators, he would go out on weekends and “be an airman for a little while”.
Merv said through the aspiring airmen’s eyes, going to war was always going to be an adventure.
“It was a bit of excitement for us, being able to fly… we were looking forward to that,” he said.
“The comradery and the friendship was excellent.”
Merv was a Liberator aviator. A Liberator was a heavy bombing aircraft.
In a Liberator crew there were 11 airmen and Merv said, as part of the crew, everyone needed to support each other.
He said strong friendships were formed because crew members worked so closely together.
Merv said his operations were over Java, Bornia and Celebes – today known as Indonesia and islands of the Phillipines.
“I was 19 when I went to war,” he said.
Merv said he met Shirley when he was 17. Her father moved to Nhill with the Air Force.
“Shirl was a great support to me (while at war). She wrote to me every day and even though they were food rationing back at home, she would make me a cake on a regular basis… which the crew helped themselves to if I wasn’t around,” he said.
“She spoilt me.”
Merv said one lasting memory of his time at war had stuck with him forever.
“When I was going to my squadron – traumatic for your mother and your girlfriend – the trip train was coming through Nhill,” he said.
“I was able to get a message to Shirl that we would be coming through Nhill at 3am, so she came over to the station master and she asked him to stop the train.
“He said he couldn’t stop a steam train but what he could do was slow it down and turn the lights on. So I put a letter in an envelope with a penny in it to give to her.”
As the train travelled through the Nhill station, Merv threw the letter from the train for Shirley to read.
“You see those things in movies but this was real life,” he said.
Merv said young people thought they were bulletproof – even during the war – but back home their parents and partners would always think the worst.
“We always thought we’d be home. They are things you regret … the heartache you give your loved ones. Those things were tough,” he said.
Merv said his experience at war was eventful.
“We lost only a couple of planes. I survived a crash in training but I’ve escaped a few things in my life, so that’s alright,” he said.
Shirley said she lived day-to-day while Merv was serving his country in World War II.
“I was always listening to the news,” she said.
Food rationing was important while the men were at war but Shirley said because of her bigger family, it wasn’t as difficult.
“There were a lot of people who couldn’t make their rations go round because they were only two people,” she said.
“One lady would drink about a pound of tea a week. We saved some of ours for her, which covered her.”
Merv said after the war the government helped serviceman complete further study, pick up a trade or return to the family farm.
The couple recalled their memories of war ahead of Anzac Day this week.
It comes as they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Sunday at the Lutheran Church in Nhill.
Shirley said despite wanting a quiet celebration of the special anniversary, the whole community got involved.
“We had a service and renewed our vows… it snowballed. All the family came home. There were quite a few people in the church on Sunday of different denominations,” she said.
The pair have two children, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Shirley said Merv was great company.
Merv said the couple started with nothing and after working hard throughout their lives, they created something together.
Merv said Shirley supported him all through his life while he worked in a garage in Nhill.
“She was so tolerant and she was always well respected,” he said. “She is a gem. No one is bad in her eyes.”
This weekend is a special time for Merv as a Wirraway aircraft will land in Nhill on its final flight.
“When the war started, we weren’t equipped at all. When Japan got involved, we were depleted – we didn’t have the manpower and we certainly didn’t have the equipment,” he said.
“Our frontline fighter was the Wirraway and it was Australian designed and Australian built. It lacked the firepower the Japanese had and the speed… but our young guys were right into it.
“The Wirraway holds a place to the Air Force. They had them (in Nhill), they trained crews here. It’s coming home to rest.”
Merv said the Wirraway will complete a trio of planes, including the Avro Anson and the de Havilland Tiger Moth.