DescriptionThis interview consists of two audio recordings and transcripts. Leslie Norman Grumley was interviewed on 15 November 2003 at the Whitlam Library, Cabramatta by Marilyn Gallo (Oshana).
The interview was for the "War Veterans oral history project" in partnership with Fairfield RSL.Interview SummaryLeslie Norman Grumley was born and raised in Granville, his parents being William and Milly Grumley. Leslie attended school in Granville and then followed on to Granville Technical College which he left at the age of 13 as the family were in need. The following year he went to work for a photographer in Sydney then went back to school to do Air Corps training with a view of entering the Air Force, which he did at age 18. Some of that training was conducted at Cootamundra where he was deliberately exposed to mustard gas.
On joining the Air Force his first posting was at Marangaroo near Lithgow where he was given the task of loading and unloading ammunition. Here he had a chance to go home every fortnight as Granville was close. Many of the other men were from interstate and could not do so. On those leave breaks he went dancing as much as possible. Somewhere along the way he met the lady who he was to later marry but distant postings made it difficult for him to see her. He did however write her often.
His next posting was to Melville Bay in the Northern Territory with number 42 Catalina Squadron. He had reported to Bradfield Park and from there was sent to Melbourne and then to Adelaide from where he went by train to Alice Springs. The train trip took three days and nights. His work took him to various parts of the Northern Territory.
It was while he was at Alice Springs that the war ended and most of his work from then on was cleaning up all the equipment that had been left behind. It was here that Lesley developed an ear infection and had to be repatriated back to Sydney to Concord Hospital. He was there for about 6 months before he was able to leave the RAAF.
His first job after the war was in Fairfield working as a butcher with Harry Edwards where he was trained under the Rehabilitation Training Scheme, which was instigated by the government in an effort to rehabilitate and retrain ex-servicemen and women. After a while he moved on and eventually he leased his own business. In 1990 he finally retired.
In the time he worked as a butcher he saw many changes in the types of meat that were consumed. That occurred because of the migration of people of many cultures and nationalities.
On 19 March 1949 Leslie married his girlfriend and at the time of the interview they had been married for 54 years, lived in Fairfield and raised three sons. He is now a grandparent.
Leslie has been very heavily involved with the RSL for many years.
Leslie Norman Grumley Oral History. Fairfield City Heritage Collection, accessed 15/04/2026, https://heritagecollection.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/734
