South West Life

Being South West Life takes us to a range of places, and the other day it was taking me out again, when we passed through the tiny town of Kirup. About the time we start to work on the April edition, our mind turns to the sacrifice many have paid for our freedom, and so the significant list on the war memorial in such a little place reaches out and screamed at me - how long will we need to keep doing this.... is it always necessary?

In the early 1950s, Australia became involved in the Korean War. The history is there for those who want it, and the Australian War Memorial will show you a good overview of what happened. You'll note that 3 RAR covered themselves in glory. You'll note that 339 Australians lost their lives, and you'll note that it was neither the first nor the last time that such sacrifices were made.

Such broad brush strokes don't cover the loss of one individual to a family or a town. The story of Korea involves the camaraderie that men facing adversity develop, and it involves 339 episodes of the story that all involve a human like Ken.

The official record doesn't record the Chinese throwing thousands of men at Ken Sketchley, and because of that he might have almost been forgotten. It doesn't record what effect that had on Mrs VM Sketchley when she heard the news that her 20 year old son had been killed by a mine. It doesn't record that Ken died when he volunteered to help someone else in difficulty. It doesn't record much as far as this researcher could find. It was left to one of the boys there to record what transpired

"Around this time we had our first casualties. Our Range Taker Tim O'Malley was in a jeep that got bogged off the main road and Tim came back to get a carrier to pull the jeep out. He asked our driver Darkie Ogilvy, but he was busy with maintenance. Another driver volunteered and away they went. Tim walked along the track to show the way in, and the carrier went over a mine that killed the Officer Lt. K. Hummerston, and Driver K. Sketchley. Apparently the jeep being lighter than the carrier did not activate the mine, but the heavier carrier did, and Tim, who was walking in front escaped injury. He eventually got hit the same day I did, and the last I saw of him was in the ambulance on his way to a M.A.S.H. unit."

(from "Snow" Dicker's "My Korean adventure", in the Korean War Australian Album - www.kmike.com/oz/album.htm)

Ken was however, one of the first casualties from Australia in the Korean War. He was also from Collie, in the South West at the time he enlisted, though the roll of honour records that he was born in Perth. Members of the Collie RSL have erected a memorial to Ken Sketchley. Visit any one of these communities and you'll find the obelisk, or the statue of the serviceman with his head bowed. And you'll find this poignant list of names, many of them who don't have descendants in the district because the line stops right there. They may have run out of relatives, but each one of them made the sacrifice they understood they may need to make, to build the place on this earth which is not perfect, but is still a very fine attempt. As April 25 rolls around again, and for the days in between, we will remember.

Thanks Ken.

Lest We Forget

The photo above shows the type of bren carrier Ken Sketchley was driving when he hit the mine. This one has six men aboard. They normally carry four, but earlier this day the incident had happened, and at this time Ken Sketchley and Captain Hummerston had already been killed. The extra two men in this photo were being given a lift after their carrier had been destroyed.

Sources - Australian War Memorial - www.awm.gov.au - Korean War Australian Album - www.kmike.com/oz/album.htm