David John Wotherspoon
1905-1972 Poems & Letters
Nearly all war letters were
written in pencil on thin air-letter paper. They've been scanned from
photocopies.
See also
Family Tree photos
For a summary of his life from c. 1920 to 1945, see page 2 of the beautiful letter of 12-08-1969, below
Most of Dave's letters and poems are printed in Poems and Other Gems (2014), beautifully compiled by Dave's nephew Robert James Taylor
To hear Dave reciting some Australian poems, click here
==========
17-12-1905
Birth Certificate of David John Wotherspoon, s. of Robert W. & Faith M.
Guilfoyle
1918
Ann, Dave & Nell Wotherspoon + goats
1920
"Please Remember"
1920-1930
Richmond, Q: Wotherspoon Family Home & Store
1922 David John
Wotherspoon at 17
1924 David John Wotherspoon at 19
1924 Richmond: Jack Conner with cousins
Bill, Bob, Dave, Vic & Ford Wotherspoon
1926 "The Old Shepherd"
25-12-1926
Richmond: Robert & Faith Wotherspoon & Family + Grace & Billy Wotherspoon
July 1928 Richmond, after funeral of
Robert Wotherspoon
1928
"In Fond Memory Of Lois Dunstan"
25-12-1928 Christmas Group
01-02-1929 "To Ann"
March 1929 "To My Old Mate Tom"
July 1929 "The Old Men" ("To The Old Timers")
1929 "The Best Mother Of All"
1929 Note to his Mother
1929 "To Ford"
1929 "Stepper's Night Out (And In)"
1930 "Flying Kate"
1930 "To Nell" (DJW's sister)
1930 "The Skite", "Greetings", "The Ringers",
"The Dream" (as published in Bill Boyang's column)
September 1930 "Ringing"
1930's David John
Wotherspoon & mate at woodpile
February 1931 Lamb Marking After Holiday
1931 "As The Sun Goes Down"
1931 "Roll Along Little Poddies"
1931 The Machine Man's Lament
22-02-1932 "To Vate" (DJW"s brother Vic)
1932 "The Big McArthur Side"
1932 "Burleigh Station - To Bill"
16-06-1937 "Imagination or Real?"
1939 "The Road To Anywhere"
27-03-1941 Army Record (1941-1946)
28-03-1941 Townsville Daily Bulletin - list of volunteers
2/15 Infantry Battalion, 2nd AIF - Wikipedia
April 21, 2012 article from Brisbane Courier Mail: Rats of Tobruk by Mike Colman (role of 2/15th at siege of Tobruk - new info)
"Let Enemies Beware" - a history of the 2/15th Battalion, by Rod Austin - with 2 of Dave's poems
22-07-1979 Letter of Nell Wotherspoon with history of David John Wotherspoon's letters
28-05-1941 Letter from Redbank Army Camp, Brisbane (2
pages)
05-06-1941 Letter from Redbank Army Camp, Brisbane (4
pages)
11-06-1941 Letter from Redbank Army Camp,
Brisbane (4 pages)
26-06-1941 Telegram
30-06-1941 Letter from ship on way to Middle East
01-08-1941 Every Soldier's Mother
03-08-1941 One Order He'll Never Forget
01-09-1941 Letter to his Mother from Palestine
25-09-1941 Letter from North Africa (Tobruk?) (2 pages)
13-10-1941
Libya - David John Wotherspoon
17-10-1941 Letter from North
Africa (2 pages)
20-10-1941 Letter from Tobruk to Till and Bob
1941
Tobruk - David John Wotherspoon pall-bearer at Tobruk Cemetery
20-10-1941 Sleeping Heroes of Tobruk
"Sleeping Heroes of Tobruk" also published as "White
Crosses", as in this Camooweal newsletter
25-10-1941 Letter from Tobruk (3 pages)
October 1941 Poem from Tobruk Post 33:"Boys of the 2/15th - The Last Time
Up The Line"
02-11-1941 "To My Adeline", written @ Blue Line, Tobruk, while a
runner for Lt. D. Weir
19-11-1941
Letter from Palestine (4 pages)
21-11-1941 Letter from Palestine (2 pages)
26-11-1941 ABC Radio Program
02-12-1941 Letter from Palestine (5 pages)
03-12-1941 Letter from Australian Broadcasting Commission to Mrs J.R. Taylor,
Ingham
1941
Tobruk - David John Wotherspoon pall-bearer at Tobruk Cemetery (Dave
a "Rat of Tobruk"
April - Nov 1941)
06-12-1941
Letter from Palestine (1 page)
09-12-1941 Letter from Palestine (5 pages)
22-12-1941 Letter from Palestine (3 pages)
28-12-1941 Letter from Palestine (3 pages)
1941 David John Wotherspoon
07-01-1942 Letter from Palestine (2 pages)
31-01-1942 Poem: "Careless Talk"
06-02-1942 Poem: "He Needs a Shave" (2 pages)
08-02-1942 Poem: "To a Springbok from a Roo" (2 pages)
22-03-1942 Letter from Syria (4 pages)
01-04-1942 Poem: "Tobruk Bay"
03-05-1942 Letter from Syria (5 pages)
17-05-1942
Letter from Syria (4 pages)
05-06-1942 Poem: "Seeing It Through" (written at Tripoli rifle range,
Syria)
06-07-1942 Letter from Egyptian Desert (3 pages)
14-07-1942 Letter from Egyptian Desert (5 pages)
23-07-1942 "Aussie Memories", written at El Elamein, Egypt
27-07-1942 Letter to his Mother from North Africa
14-08-1942 Letter from Africa (Egypt?)
14-08-1942 "A Digger's Views on Aussie News" (also 19/8 version of
same poem from same place)
24-08-1942 Letter to his Mother from North Africa
01-09-1942 Telegrams
05-09-1942 Newspaper clipping - report by Kenneth Slessor
08-09-1942 Poem: "Reply to Ethel Campbell"
04-10-1942 Letter from North Africa
04-10-1942
Tel Aviv: Dave Wotherspoon & Horton McLachlan
12-10-1942 Letter from North Africa (4 pages)
20-10-1942 Letter from North Africa to his Mother (2 pages)
29-10-1942 "Aussie Girls in Grey & Blue" (on admission to hospital
after wounded)
29-10-1942 Government telegram notifying family that DJW had been wounded -
one of 200 Australians wounded + 27 dead - see
Battle of El
Alamein (Oct 28...)
10-11-1942 Letter from Palestine Hospital, after wounded in action (5 pages)
12-11-1942 Letter from Palestine (3 pages)
18-11-1942 "An Air Graph Letter Home" + Telegram (from Palestine
Hospital)
20-11-1942 Letter from Palestine Hospital to his brother Vic (5 beautiful pages)
23-11-1942 Airgraph to his Mother from Palestine hospital
28-11-1942 "North Queensland Register" photos of soldiers killed,
missing, wounded (inclu. DJW)
29-11-1942 Letter from Palestine, on discharge after 27 days in hospital
01-12-1942 Reply to Ethel Campbell
15-12-1942 Letter from Palestine to his sister Nell (13 wonderful pages!
....visit to Jewish settlement)
December 1942 Souvenir of Gethsemane Garden, Jerusalem - for Mary Harrington
c.
December 1942 Palestine: Dave Wotherspoon & friends
23-12-1942 Moving Christmas letter to his mother, after discharge from Palestine
hospital (6 pages)
07-01-1943 Letter from Palestine (.."I once should have spent a night in
jail"...!)
29-03-1943 Brisbane "Telegraph" photo & story of 9th Division
march through Brisbane (+2/15th photo)
25-04-1943 Letter from Atherton Tableland (Qld) (4 pages)
26-06-1943 "To Phyllis, My Maroubra Penpal
27-06-1943 Letter to his Mother from Townsville (...training to be stretcher
bearer)
14-07-1943 Letter from Townsville (3 pages)
21-07-1943 (Illegal!) Letter to his Mother from Townsville
20-09-1943 Letter from New Guinea to his sister Nell (2 pages)
03-10-1943 Letter from New Guinea
10-10-1943 Letter from New Guinea (4 pages)
12-12-1943 Poem from New Guinea: "To Beryl"
December 1943 "Killed In Action" - Private Vic Boyle (Royle?)
(1943 - details of final days in New Guinea, in hospital, in letter of March
23, 1970, below)
Rocky Creek Hospital - where Dave was a patient in 1943
01-08-1944 "Mascot Bomber" with DJW's poem & his sister Nell's
letter
14-01-1946 David John Wotherspoon baptised two days before wedding
16-01-1946
Marriage Certificate & photo of David John Wotherspoon & Aisla Hamill
1946
South Brisbane: Doon Flats where Dave & Aisla Wotherspoon lived
16-12-1946 Richmond Patriotic Association Card;1948 Blenheim Advertisement;
Blenheim photos
1947
Blenheim Qld - store and post office - built by David John Wotherspoon
1952 - c.1954 - Wynnum, Q. - Dave, Aisla, John & Peter Wotherspoon
1960's
Iona Colege Brisbane - Dave & John Wotherspoon - working bees
1960-1970
David John Wotherspoon: Wynnum & Iona photos
1962 "To My Mum"
1962 "West Of The Warrego"
14-09-1963 Letter of Faith Matilda, Dave's Mum, to grandson John David
11-11-1963 Letter of Faith Matilda, Dave's Mum, to Dave
11-03-1965 First letter of Dave to son John at novitiate in Geelong, Vic
(after which Dave wrote to John almost every week until prevented by illness in
mid-1972. Unfortunately only a few of these letters, mainly from 1972, are
preserved - linked below))
1965 "The Golden Road"
1965 "The Man In The Glass"
c.
1965 Dave Wotherspoon at Wynnum (Brisbane) R.S.L.
25-04-1966 Anzac Day March, Wynnum, Brisbane (photo)
Nov 17, 1966 DJW - repat letter
Jan 26, 1967 DJW - repat letter
April 25, 1967 George Street,
Brisbane: Anzac Day 1967 Dave Wotherspoon (back left), John Morris, John Neal,
and friends
May 25, 1967 DJW - repat letter
June 7, 1967 DJW - repat letter
June 13, 1967 DJW - repat letter
12-08-1969 Letter to son John. Page 2 summarises Dave's life as he
beautifully traces movements of his copy of "Around the Boree Log"
01-01-1969 Letter - Remind Me To Take My Glasses
1969 "That Night At Alamein"
1969 "Whisky in the Sink"
1970(?) DJW reciting
1970-03-23 Letter to son John, re "Drag" Harland and his father
1972-04-17 Letter to son John
1972-05-02 Letter to son John
1972-05-08 Letter to son John
1972-05-22 Letter to son John
1972-05-24 Letter to son John
1972-05-31 Letter to son John
1972-06-06 Letter to son John
1972-06-15 Letter to son John
1972-06-22 Letter to son John
1972-06-25 Letter of Dave's wife Aisla to son John
1972-06-29 Letter to son John
1972-07-10 Letter from Wynnum to son John in Melbourne. Dave's last letter
to John
10-09-1972 David John Wotherspoon
- Grave at Hemmant Cemetery, & Novello Nursing Home Manly (+ 2008-11-27
photos)
1972-09-14
Letter of Dave's wife Aisla to Dave's sisters Liz, Nell, Ann & Till re
Dave's death
1972-10-29 Draft of homily by John
W for Mass at St John Vianney's, Springvale North, Melbourne
22-07-1979 Letter of Nell Wotherspoon with history of David John Wotherspoon's
letters
March 5, 1984 Letter from Nell Wotherspoon to John W, pages 1,2
Pages 3-4
