This short biography of Alex C. Warren was submitted to me by his relative, Paul Laing. I met FLTLT Paul Laing when he visited Debert in the winter of 2001. Paul wanted to visit the Debert Museum in order to have an idea of where his relative had spent some of his time during the war years. Paul himself is stationed here in Nova Scotia as part of an exchange program. He is presently stationed at CFB Greenwood as a RAAF Exchange Officer (From Australia). I very much enjoyed taking this very nice young man through the Museum. Following his visit, we kept in contact and he has since then forwarded this story, as related to him by Alex, along with photos and the log book belonging to him. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. At the time I am writing this, I have been informed that Alex C. Warren has recently passed away at the age of 79. Compiled by: Susan Oakes Past secretary of Debert Military History Society

Alex C. Warren as he looked when he arrived in Debert  around January lOth. 1943.  This photo was sent home  to Australia to his then  girlfriend Hazel, whom he  later married on his return  from the War.

Alex C. Warren graduated from Wireless Course at Guelph, Ontario, Canada, on the day after his 2Oth. birthday November 23rd. 1942. He then qualified as Air Gunner Armanent on December 2lst. 1942. After being granted a couple of weeks leave over Christmas following the completion of his wireless and gunnery course, he arrived by train at Debert around January lOth. 1943 with his mate, Bill Toyne(whom he joined up with and who was from Red Hill, Brisbane, the same suburb as Alex.) Billy was also a wireless operator and he and Alex had been together throughout since they met at a maths exam for Air Force entry and walked home together, discussing what they wanted to do in the Air Force. Alex told Billy he wanted to be a Wireless Operator and after Billy told Alex he wanted to be a pilot, Alex said "Okay, well 1"1l be a pilot too." As it turned out Billy went to the selection panel before Alex and was told he would not be accepted for pilot training as his legs were too short. He was told he could go as either Wireless Operator/Gunner or Navigator, so he said, "Wireless Operator." He told Alex what had happened at his interview so Alex changed his mind "again" and said "Well, I'll be a Wireless Operator too.

At the panel interview, Alex was told he would receive Pilot training and he said "No! I want to be a Wireless Operator / Gunner the same as Billy Toyne--his mate.

They tried to convince Alex to accept Pilot training by saying things like "You will probably be separated from your mate quite quickly anyway, once your training had finished, but Alex wouldn't budge, so the accepted him for "Wireless Operator/Gunner training."

He and Billy were together during their time at Guelph and Debert and then sailed from Halifax to Southhamptom together. Whilst at their base in England although in different crews, they were in adjoining dorm quarters and on the second day after "D" day, Alex woke one morning and Billy's bed had
not been slept in. He never saw him again and was told his plane had been "Shot down last night by a German Naval Ship."

Whilst Alex was in Debert, he trained mostly on Hudsons with a Scotsman, p /0 Mackay as his pilot.

He had quite a harrowing introduction to life at Debert.

When nearing the base (by train) he and Billy Toyne were looking out of the train window and they saw a Hudson in trouble, and obviously, going down into a wooded area. The pall of smoke indicated its end. On arrival at the base, they were met and welcomed by a Mess Sergeant and shown where the only 2 showers were for the base. They were also told that the C/O was addressing the men the next morning and that they were expected to be there.

They were quite concerned when the Commanding Officer in his address said that he was sick of attending funeral services for Air Crew and that i!e felt the pilots were to blame-that there was nothing wrong with the aircraft and that these crashes and other incidents were caused by pilot error and that
they had better lift their game. Not the words a couple of raw " Aussies" wanted to hear knowing they were there to be placed into crews, and that these pilots being referred to were going to be flying the aircraft they would be training in.

Whilst they both also had concerns about the lack of showering facilities, Alex said for whatever reason, they never had to wait to get a shower. Ob-viously, showering was not a priority for a lot of the men stationed there.

One thing he can remember about the base is the slush from the melting snow which made conditions uncomfortable during the Spring months following the Winter cold. He was not impressed by this period of his time in Debert.

When Alex got to England he was posted to a Wellington crew captained bya Squadron Leader Horsfall, but his log book shows he was not getting any operational duties and that was getting him down.

He managed to get on a crew doing Propaganda Leaflet drops over enemy territory and he would fly with any crew to get an operational flight. It wasn't until he returned one day from a mission that his former Pilot SQ Ldr Horsfall asked him "What it was like over there" that Alex formed the view that he had the " Jimmy's" and didn't want to fly Ops.

Again Alex jumped from crew to crew to keep on Ops until he got into a crew captained by Flying Officer Leith Filshie from Toowoomba in Queensland Australia. His Navigator was Charlie Turner from Sydney, Australia.

He flew with Leith (Len) Filshie and Charlie for most of the remainder of the War Service although, right at the end had several other Captains as F/O Filshie had completed his tour of duty and was heading home. Filshie took Alex for a joy flight in a Tiger Moth prior to his leaving. They were good mates.

When Alex returned to Australia, he remained in contact with both Filshie and Turner and whilst Leith Filshie died in about 1998, (Barlie Turner still visits Alex about twice a year when he comes up to the Gold Coast from Sydney.)

Some of the other Aussies Alex was with in Debert were:
Dave Pullen from Mackay, Queensland
Alan Ross from Oakey, Queensland
Clive Tindale(who flew home from England in "G" for George that is now fully restored in the Canberra Memorial."

When this was written, Alex Warren was 78 years of age, not in good health, and residing in The Robert Ashton Nursing Home at 18 Ahearn Street, Labrador, Queensland 4214.

He received a commendation and certificate from the French Embassy in Brisbane "thanking him for his part in the liberation of France during the War."

Alex was a Sergeant prior to June, 1943 when he then became Flight Sergeant. He was promoted to W /0 in December 1943, Pilot Officer in May 1944 and Flying Officer in November 1944.

He was repatriated from England back to Australia on 4th. June 1945. He was discharged on 18th. Sept. 1945 and returned to his family in Red Hill, Queensland, Australia. Alex had two other brothers who served in the Army--Jack who is 82 now and lives on the Gold Coast and who visits Alex two or three times a week in the Nursing Home and --Jim, the eldest of the boys, who was killed by the Japanese during the infamous "Death Marches" from Ranau to Sandakan in Borneo in June 1945--only 2 months before the Japanse surrendered. Jim was a POW for some 3 years.
 

This is a photo of Alex's brother Jim. Jim Warren signed up for the Australian Army on July Jrd. 1940 at which time he was an Australian State Boxing Champion. He was posted to Singapore during the WW11 and was captured and taken prisoner by the Japanese. Jim died on June 14th"1945 during the infamous Sandakan (Borneo, south-East Asia) Prisoner of War "death marches" after enduring as a POW for three years.

This is a photo of Alex's other brother Jack. Jack Warren joined the Australian Army on October 1 st. 1941. His brother, Jim had attempted to get him transferred to his unit in Singapore so that they could be together and look out for one another. Luckily for Jack, this did not occur, as he too would have been taken prisoner by the Japanese. Jack turned 84 on July 25tb. 2002 and is in very good health. He resides on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

The photo below depicts Charlie Turner and Alex's son, Ray. Charlie Turner remained one of Alex's best friends after the War and was present at Alex's funeral. Charlie crashed into the Atlantic Ocean once and spent three days in a raft before he was rescued. According to Dad, Charlie said he was "very cold"!! He now resides in Sydney, Australia.

Apparently, the book/movie, " A Bridge Too Far" is an accurate account of the type of flying that Alex and Charlie did dropping some 8000 troops behind enemy lines to take the bridges. According to Alex and Charlie, it was an absolute slaughter as the Germans were waiting for them.

This group of photos above were taken in Brighton, England where they were posted after Debert and after Alex received his Officer's Commission in May 1944. The bottom right photo from left to right, Leith Filshie, Charlie Turner, Alex Warren and Doug Chittie. This was Alex's crew for part of the War.
 
 

This group photo has in it the following: Back row: Jack Warren (Alex's Brother), Bill Laing (Grandfather to Paul) Jack's brother-in-law, Alex Warren. Middle row: Wilf Tieu (friend of John Warren's) John Warren (Alex's nephew-Jim Warren's son. Front row: Barry Laing (Bill Laing's son-Alex's nephew-Paul's father. This photo was taken after the War around 1947-48, two or three years after Jim had died.

Alex as he looked in September of 1995 at the age of 74. This photo was taken at the dedication of the Sandakan Memorial in Brisbane Queensland on September 24th. 1995. He is seen here with his sister Sadie (standing next to him) .Sadie was 81 at the time of this photo and is still in good health at the age of 87. The woman seated is his sister-in -Iaw Agnes who was 90 at the time of this photo. She passed away at the age of 94. Agnes's husband was Alex's older brother Jim. He died at the hands of the Japanese on the second of the infamous "Death Marches" from Sandakan to Ranau in Borneo in the Pacific. Jim was a prisoner of war for some three years. The tragedy was that he finally succumbed to the brutality in June 1945 and the Allies liberated the islands in August 1945, after the Japanese surrendered.  2,500 men died on those "Death Marches" and in the Sandakan Camp-only six(6) who escaped survived, and only one is still alive today. The Japanese killed every prisoner still alive at Sandakan when they knew that surrender was imminent.

Alexander Currie Warren was born Nov. 1921, the youngest of six children to John & Isabella. He was raised in the family home on Cairns St. ,Red Hill, Brisbane, Australia. He attended Kelvin Grove School until the age of 14 and then began work at Lawrence & Hanson Electrical Wholesalers as a junior
delivery boy, riding a pushbike, delivering items around the inner city area. He continued there until the outbreak of the 2nd. World War when he joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an Airman.
He was posted to Canada attached to the Royal Canadian Air Force where he completed his Wireless/Gunnery training. In 1943 he was posted to the UK attached to the RAF. He completed 114 trips over occupied & unoccupied territories amassing over 600 flying hours. Flying missions from
Broadwell in England, Brussels in Belgium and Antwerp in Holland. Part ofwhich involved dropping paratroopers, gliders and supplies over Arnhem. Alex completed his service as a Flying Officer .
Following his return from the War , Alex returned to Lawrence & Hanson and he married Hazel Elsie Drew on August 18th. 1945 .They lived at Enoggera Terrace, Red Hill.
Their only child, Raymond was born Dec. 1 st. 1947. The family moved to Banks St. Ashgrove, Brisbane, Australia in 1951.
Alex continued at Lawrence & Hanson rising to the position of Sales Manager for Queensland, Northern new South Wales and Northern Territory before resigning in 1967 and purchasing a bread run. Due to ill health Alex was forced to sell the bread run in 1970. His wife, Hazel developed a serious illness in 1974 and Alex spent the next 15 years caring for her until her death in Dec. 1989.
Alex's grandchildren, Mark and Kym, born in 1976 & 1978 respectively, also played a big part in his life. Right up until his last days, the family believe that due to the love for his grandchildren, this gave him the will to live even though he was very sick.
In 1992 Alex sold the family home and purchased a unit in Labrador on the Gold Coast, Australia. Due to failing health, he was forced to move to Garden Settlement Aged Care Facility at Ahern Street, Labrador in 1995 where he remained  until august 1999 when he was transferred to the Robert Ashton Nursing home, where he spent his final years, until his death on January 5th. 2002.
Alex was hospitalized many times and was not expected to survive on a number of occasions. ms physician, Dr. Phillips, referred to him a Lazarus of Allamanda Hospital.
Alex enjoyed his time at Garden Settlement and Robert Ashton and always spoke highly of all the staff that attended to his needs.
The family would like to thank Jack, Alex's brother, for all his help as he was always there for Alex and the family.
The family would also iike to thank everyone for their attendance here today ,'"with a special thank you to Charlie Turner, Alex's friend from Air Force days, who travelled up from Sydney.
Alex is survived by his son, Ray. and grandchildren, Mark & Kym.