War and Peace
From Rogart Farm to Korea and Back
My ANZAC story for today is War and Peace, the story of James MacKay, my brother-in-law, known to his family as Jim and to his mates as Smokey. He was rarely seen without a cigarette and a beer in hand, and he served two tours in Korea with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.
Jim grew up on Rogart Farm near Northampton, named by his Scottish-born father for the village he had left behind. He was a farm kid, a bushman, and a prospector at heart. The decision to enlist was made on the Northampton rifle range, quietly and without fuss. He was twenty years old.
He served 1086 days in Korea, was wounded by shrapnel, and came home. Korea never really left him.
He was born on the 11th of November, Armistice Day and spent much of his life earning that remembrance.
The full story, including his Korean War Service Record and the life he built after the army, is over on my Jenealogy Scrapbook of Family History Stories. Link below.