Warrnambool couple devote thousands of hours to give our soldiers a voice at war memorial

Since 2018, the couple has been meticulously researching the stories of each south-west solider who served in the conflict.

The thousands of hours they have already spent giving each soldier a voice means that for those who want to look up a loved one at the city's World War II memorial, it is just one touch away.

As soon as they have crafted a first-person write-up of a solider, it is uploaded to the interactive touch screen outside the RSL.

Their aim is to write a 120-word summary for each soldier - not an easy task when information is scarce or there is simply too much to cram in.

"That's the hardest part. Getting it down to 100 words. I just did one and I had to cut it all to bits," Mrs Sproston said.

It's a task they have to do for 8700 soldiers on their list, and so far they have completed between 5000 or 6000.

Mr Sproston has been keeping track of how many hours the couple has spent researching and writing each person's story. "I went through last year's figures. We did over 2000 hours last year and over 1600 personnel. That was just last year," he said.

Mr Sproston said soldiers included are those who came home as well as those who did not. "Absolutely anybody and everybody," he said.

"Over time, and as the records become available, the idea is that all of the names of the servicemen who have shown some connection to Warrnambool will be on that list."

It will also be expanded to cover conflicts since World War II.

"If they're on the nominal role, there is some mention of the region - basically Moyne - or they enlisted in the area, they're on our list," he said. It even includes those that were born here, even if they didn't grow up here or enlist here.

But piecing together everyone's stories is not an easy task. Some have a full service record, but others don't and that means including information about the regiment they were with or searching websites to fill in the gaps. "There's so many stories," he said.

One soldier's story that they have brought back to life is that of Corporal William Francis Munday.

Munday enlisted in June 1940 and served in Egypt, North Africa and later New Guinea and Borneo.

But it is not just the stories of the region's soldiers that Mr Sproston has researched - his own family's war history has taken him on a journey of discovery.

One of his ancestors fought against Napoleon in the Peninsular War in Portugal and Spain from 1810 until 1815.

"He actually, during the Peninsular War, twice volunteered for the forlorn hope which was basically the suicide squad. You attack the city, break down the wall and the forlorn hope went in to hold it until the rest of the troops got in," Mr Sproston said.

"His regiment was then sent to America and in the battle of New Orleans where he was wounded," he said.

Mr Sproston's own father, Les, was at Dunkirk when it was evacuated in World War II. "I only found out a lot about his war service after he died. He never talked about it at all," he said.

Les was on a pleasure steamer that was sunk on the beach during the evacuation of Dunkirk. "He was very fortunate because a lot of them were crammed in down below, but he decided to stop up on deck for a smoke and he got blown into the water," he said.

"He was in the water for quite a while and managed to swim out to another ship which just happened to be an oil tanker."

A few years ago, Mr Sproston discovered his father had been billeted to a French family before Dunkirk, and Mrs Sproston managed to track down their name.

When they went to visit, Georgette - who would have been 14 when his dad stayed with them - brought out a small cigar box full of ceramic animals that she had kept.

It had belonged to Mr Sproston's father, but he had left it behind when he went off to fight at Dunkirk.

"She gave them to us to care for. Incredible she'd kept them all those years," Mr Sproston said.

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