By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
AT 93, Geelong’s Rat of Tobruk, Ern Brough, is still full of war-time stories and loves a good laugh.
But the jollity masks the pain of the Belmont veteran’s horrific experiences in Tobruk and El Alamein where he was taken as a prisoner of war before miraculously escaping through Yugoslavia and surviving the Balkan conflict.
Ern caught two bullets in El Alamein in 1941, managing to survive a virtual suicide patrol as the Allies fought off the German and Italian incursion into North Africa.
He lost many good mates, so he looks forward to catching up with the men who, like him, managed to get out alive from the chaos of World War II.
Anzac Day brings the deeper memories to the surface, causing Ern him to give a quick shake of his grey head at the futility of war.
But there’s no doubting he loves an audience and enjoys talking to the students at Belmont High School – particularly his young mate, Kahn Gade.
The school holds a special place in Ern’s heart since he and other surviving members of the Rats of Tobruk Geelong sub-branch handed over their banner for safe-keeping to the students.
Belmont High students parade the banner each Anzac Day to keep the tradition alive.
As Ern prepared to watch on again this year, he quietly kept his own memories alive.
Read more about Ern’s story in the Independent’s Anzac Day coverage on pages 4 and 5.
