I was very privileged
to visit the Shrine of Remembrance on 20 October 2016 to consult the James
Catanach Collection as part of my PhD research on the responses to captivity of
the Australian airmen of Stalag Luft III and their next of kin. The below is a reflection
on items in the collection. It does not include specific details
of Jimmy Catanach’s background, military service, life in Stalag Luft III, participation
in the Great Escape or death. Some of those details appear briefly in http://australiansinsliii.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/70th-anniversary-of-great-escape.html
Before trawling through the Shrine of Remembrance’s James Catanach
Collection, I had no idea that Jimmy had had a girlfriend (or at least a friend
who was a girl) before leaving Australia. There was nothing in the squadron
history, nothing on his NAA file and, it if had been mentioned in documentaries,
I’d missed it. But being the romantic soul I am, I thought perhaps I would
have remembered it.
Items from the Shrine of Remembrance’s James Catanach Collection, on display in the POW section of the Second World War galleries. Photo taken by Vlad Bunevich, reproduced courtesy of the Shrine of Remembrance.
The James Catanach
Collection holds insect damaged copies of what seems to be the first letters
Jimmy wrote to his family from captivity. The first, dated 27 September 1942 and
sent from Dulag Luft, was addressed to his father William, stepmother Sybil,
and Da, his old nanny, Winifred Munt. In it, he mentions the limitations to
his ability to correspond—‘I will be able to write two of these letters a month’—and
so, to make the most of his allowance, asks that they let him include Heather with
the family letters. This he does on the next one, written from Stalag Luft
III on 16 October. ‘Dear Dad, Syb, Da and Heather …. Trust you are all well,
will write again as soon as possible. Do keep writing. All my love always, JIM.
Author’s photo of James Catanach, 455 Squadron 1942
So, who was Heather?
Well, if she was a girlfriend it seems that, in including her with the family
letter, she was simply a fond friend, certainly no one overly special because,
surely, she would have rated at least one personal letter from his monthly
allowance if they had any sort of romantic understanding? But there are no more
family letters in the Shrine’s collection so it is impossible to discern Jimmy’s
true feelings towards her. Indeed, there is only one small hint that he might
be missing female companionship in general—if not hers in particular—and that appears
in a letter he wrote to his brother Bill on 28 March 1943 (almost exactly a
year before his death on 29 March 1944) when he spoke of the conditions within
Stalag Luft III: ‘the worst thing I find is the lack of comradeship male +
female and the futility of the existence’.
The James Catanach Collection
holds no other clue to Heather’s identity but a quick scan of the The Argus’s 19 May 1944 ‘Death on Active Service’ notices reveals her identity:
Catanach—On
March 25 [sic] (while POW German) Squadron Leader Jimmie Catanach DFC, the
loved friend of Heather Ebbott.
A notice from her family,
in the same edition, indicates that Jimmy was also beloved of Heather’s family:
Catanach—A
tribute to Squadron Leader Jimmie Catanach DFC, the beloved friend of the
Ebbott family. Condemning all things mean, his truth unquestioned and his soul
serene.
The ‘In Memoriam’ notice
on the third anniversary of Jimmy’s death (The
Argus 25 March 1947) indicates that Heather and her family still held fond
memories of him and continued to grieve his loss:
Catanach—A
tribute to the loving memory of Squadron Leader Jimmy Catanach (Heather and
Ebbott family).
But life goes on, and it
seems this notice was more than just a remembrance. It was also Heather’s
public farewell to Jimmy because on 14 June 1947, she married Lieutenant Jack
Miscamble Shaw of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve. Sadly, that marriage
failed. Shaw remarried in June 1952 and Heather married Wilson Palmer ‘Bill’ Johnstone in November 1952. A ‘lovely home’ at Colac awaited them. On 6 August 1953, a son, Timothy Gilmour, was born. And from that point, I could find no more reference to Heather in
the online newspaper archive. I hope she had a happy life but it continued to be touched by tragedy. Her only son, Tim, died in 1971 while still a student at The Geelong College. http://gnet.geelongcollege.vic.edu.au:8080/wiki/JOHNSTONE-Timothy-Gilmore-1953-1971.ashx
The Argus, 6 November 1952
That’s one of the things
I love about researching. Public and private collections don’t always tell the
whole story but they offer hints for further enquiry. If you question the
little things, like ‘Dear Dad, Syb, Da and Heather’—who on earth is Heather? (and
Da, AKA Winifred Munt, for that matter, but that is another story)—you can discover
so much more.
As well as revealing Jimmy’s connection to Heather Ebbott, his brief letters reveal something else which is particularly interesting to me and my research. In entreating ‘Dear Dad, Syb, Da and Heather to ‘Do keep writing’, Jimmy Catanach demonstrates that captivity is the not the sole province of the prisoner of war. It is a state shared by homefolks who are called upon to provide continued support to help the prisoner manage and endure captivity. Jimmy demonstrates that, in telling them to ‘do keep writing’, he is ensuring a key place in their thoughts and routines. Not only will they not forget him, but he will be able to look forward to letters that will help ameliorate the monotony of captivity and his place in their hearts and lives will be maintained. Indeed, he is actively managing the activities of his kith and kin.
While we know from newspaper evidence that Heather maintained fond memories of Jimmy beyond his death, we don’t know how significant she was to him. Regardless of the depth of his emotional or romantic feelings towards Heather, Jimmy needed her assistance as much as that of his parents and his old nanny. The Shrine of Remembrance’s James Catanach Collection reveals that, in linking Heather Ebbott with his parents in the monthly family letter, Jimmy expected her to play a vital role in helping him endure and survive captivity. As far as the Collection is concerned, all of the other letters home from Jimmy are lost. It does not contain a ‘last letter’. I can't help asking, does it exist? Is it still held within the family, or did Jimmy send a separate one to Heather? Questions, questions, questions. Probably never to be answered.
While we know from newspaper evidence that Heather maintained fond memories of Jimmy beyond his death, we don’t know how significant she was to him. Regardless of the depth of his emotional or romantic feelings towards Heather, Jimmy needed her assistance as much as that of his parents and his old nanny. The Shrine of Remembrance’s James Catanach Collection reveals that, in linking Heather Ebbott with his parents in the monthly family letter, Jimmy expected her to play a vital role in helping him endure and survive captivity. As far as the Collection is concerned, all of the other letters home from Jimmy are lost. It does not contain a ‘last letter’. I can't help asking, does it exist? Is it still held within the family, or did Jimmy send a separate one to Heather? Questions, questions, questions. Probably never to be answered.
I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Shrine of
Remembrance’s helpful staff who made my October 2016 visit such an enjoyable, illuminating
and moving experience: Jenna Blyth, Collections Manager, who facilitated my
access to the James Catanach Collection, Neil Sharkey, Exhibitions Curator, for additional details
about the collection, and Vlad Bunevich for the photo of the James Catanach Exhibit.
The Shrine of Remembrance, 20 October 2016. Author’s photo
