The Copeman family's commitment to the country spans generations from WWI to Vietnam. Now their legacy will live on in a memorial garden south-west of Sydney.
In February 1917, Cecil Copeman sent a letter from his hospital bed in London to his mother in Australia explaining his intention to marry a "Scot and a bonza" nurse who had been caring for him.
During an attack on German trenches on July 28 and 29, 1916 in Pozieres, France, Cecil Copeman was first wounded in the forearm by a small arms bullet, and later struck again by a heavy calibre round, severely injuring the same arm. "He would definitely have gotten some form of amusement out of that but also mixed with pride," Ms Cooper said.
Her father had distinguished himself as part of 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalion in WWll, receiving the Military Medal for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion" for his actions fighting on the Damascus-Beirut Road on June 22, 1941. As his condition deteriorated, Jim was also given permission to cut his duties short in the Middle East and return to Australia."The hardest thing was when we got the phone call," Ms Honess said.Ms Honess said she remained disappointed that SAS platoon member John Matten, who carried her injured brother out of the jungle to the retrieval helicopter, had not been recognised.
Service Veteran Legacy Memorial Wwl Wwll Vietnam War ANZAC Day Military Defence
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