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The trenches soon fell into disuse and became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. "Soon after the trenches were dug, they got a lot of water in them from the rain." "They weren't very pleasant places," he said with a laugh. The trenches themselves presented more of a hazard than potential invading enemy forces. "We just put our faith in our parents and our teachers and went along with what they told us to do." "I don't think as small children we were overawed or frightened by the war," he said.
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"We all had Tommy guns and we all knew how to make noises like machine guns."ĭespite the constant preparations, Neville does not remember being scared. "We got rid of all the feathers and put steel helmets on. "Oh heavens yes, war games completely supplanted cowboys and Indians," Neville said. "The teachers were trained to teach us how to stand up, leave the classrooms in an orderly fashion, file down the steps, march through the gate and stand behind our allotted trenches."Īpart from drills, the trenches offered the perfect setting for the youngsters to play. "It was always a good thing to get out of class," he said with a laugh. He remembers being pulled out of class for frequent air raid drills. Neville Lester was an eight-year-old student at Coolangatta at the time, his father Bert was headmaster. In January 1942 the then Queensland approved plans to dig trenches in coastal schools to be used as cover in case of aerial assault by enemy forces.Īt the Coolangatta School, perched atop Kirra Hill, a metre-deep trench was quickly excavated to the west on the hill's downward slope.