1915
1915Charles Werrett stifled a gasp that he knew if it exited his throat, would become a cry of despair. His eldest child, Roland, stood in the kitchen of their home in Balwyn, with Australian Army enlistment papers1 in his hand.
Charles half expected his son to join the army, but he and Margaret harboured hope their son would stay home and keep working in the family business. Pulling out a chair from the kitchen table, he sat on it more heavily than he’d intended. Pointing to the seat on the opposite side, he told Roland to sit. ‘This news will devastate your mother. We both hoped you would keep your wandering spirit in check and find a wife.’
‘I know, Papa, but there is nothing either of you can do to dissuade me. I believe we must defend our freedoms. I won’t leave that defence t
