‘I joined for the free boots’: Hilarious chat with 99 year old war veteran
Today on Anzay Day, Ben spoke with 99-year-old World War II veteran, Jack Bartlett, who was a Chief Petty Officer when he served on board the HMAS Manoora.
As Officer Bartlett is now legally blind, hundreds of people from Avoca Beach will line his street today, to hold a special Anzac Day service for him to march in.
After figuring out how to turn off Google, Officer Bartlett told Ben that he joined up to get “something for nothing”, in free boots, clothes and good meals.
“After the war ended in 1945, I was a boundary rider…and I thought, oh no, there’s no better life out here…so I stayed in the Navy,” he said.
See more highlights from Ben Fordham Live below: