James Dykes Crossan Oral History

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DescriptionThis interview consists of four audio recordings and transcripts. James Dykes Crossan was interviewed on 1 November 2003 at the Whitlam Library, Cabramatta by Shirley Kingsford McLeod.

The interview was for the "War Veterans oral history project" in partnership with Fairfield RSL.Interview SummaryJames Dykes Crossan was born in Glasgow Scotland in April 1938. His parents were Adam and Mary Crossan and there were eight children in their family. James was the only one to migrate to Australia and he did so after seeing an advertisement in a London newspaper for men to join the Australian Army. He later married a Fairfield girl, Vicky Pace.

Jim had been in the British Royal Air Force for three years where he served at various overseas places such as Christmas Island and Libya. On Christmas Island in the Pacific Island he witnessed nuclear bomb testing.

On leaving the RAF he joined the Glasgow Fire Brigade where he was the sole survivor of a serious fire in which 19 men died. He remained with the Fire Brigade and tells of some of his experiences with them.

Jim found that the weather in Scotland was too cold and his health was being badly affected so sunny Australia seemed the answer. He applied at Australia House in London in 1961 and signed up for a six year assignment, which eventually ended up extending to 23 years. He finished up at the level of Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer, Class 2. He enlisted as a driver in the Service Corps as they were in short demand.

After joining the Australian Army in London, he was flown to Sydney and he and the two men he had befriended were sent to the Personnel Department at Watson’s Bay to complete forms and be provided with uniforms. From there he was sent to Ingleburn and Canungra in Queensland for training prior to serving in the Vietnam War.

He was flown to Vietnam and finally ended up at Vung Tau where he joined 86 Transport Platoon which were all national servicemen aged 19 who had been conscripted. He was not at all well received in the beginning because he was a Scotsman. He later became an Australian citizen when he received a letter from the Prime Minister’s department suggesting that his job could be in jeopardy should he not be naturalised. His job was to make sure that the army trucks were available when needed and in good repair. This turned out to be more difficult than he had imagined because of materials shortages.It was not an easy job as at times and it entailed running more and more trucks.

Jim found it difficult to live in such a hot wet climate. It was not only uncomfortable but their bodies suffered in many ways especially when they suffered tinea and were attacked by leeches. Even worse was that Agent Orange was being dropped by the Americans in an effort to defoliate the jungle to make it easier to locate the enemy. This was to lead to the deaths of many returning servicemen at the end of the war. He also saw the results of napalm and the horrific scarring that it left on those who survived.

Transcript

Interview Transcript - James Dykes Crossan - Part 4

Interview Transcript - James Dykes Crossan - Part 3

Interview Transcript - James Dykes Crossan - Part 2

Interview Transcript - James Dykes Crossan - Part 1

Audio

Interview with James Dykes Crossan - Part 4

Interview with James Dykes Crossan - Part 3

Interview with James Dykes Crossan - Part 2

Interview with James Dykes Crossan - Part 1

Details

IntervieweeJames Dykes CrossanInterviewerShirley Kingsford McLeodDate of interview01/11/2003DurationTotal interview 1:35:01Transcripts availableYesRightsFairfield City CouncilAccess ConditionsAccess open for research, written permission required for personal copies and public use

Connections

Oral History ProjectThe Way We Were - People of FairfieldAll Oral HistoriesLocal War VeteransCollectionMilitary Collection