Bunny Littlewood

Today we remember Bunny Littlewood, an airman who was recovering in hospital in Sydney after losing a leg in New Guinea. This did not stop Bunny from joining in celebrations to mark the end of the Second World War, on 15 August 1945.

Bunny Littlewood audio file (MP4 23.87 MB)

Bunny Littlewood audio script

75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War

Audio actuality

“Fellow Citizens, the War is over” — (The Hon J B Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia)

On the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War, Australia remembers Bunny Littlewood, an airman who was recovering in hospital in Sydney after losing a leg in New Guinea.

The morning the war ended, Bunny — like everyone else — wanted to join in the celebrations. But to do so, he was forced to be a little cunning.

Bunny Littlewood

One of my very good friends, Vick Scanlon, who came from South Australia, both of us wanted to be able to go into town on the parade. And they thought that the pair of us would cut adrift from the car that was supposed to be taking us around, and they mightn't get us back for a day or so. So, we were forbidden to go. And we thought, "Well, we'll beat this." Off we went in our wheelchairs to the Concord West Hotel.

And my mother came out to see me, and she was in a terrible panic that I had disappeared; she must have thought I'd died, something had happened.

We were happily having a couple of grogs in the saloon bar with the then-mayor of Concord. The next minute, one of the younger doctors turned up. He'd asked around and they found out where I was, and they put me in my wheelchair in the back of a utility, and drove me back in public shame for everyone to see.

Saturday, August 15 marks the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War. Let’s pay our respects to that amazing generation of Australians.