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Thursday, 19 March, 2015
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Thursday, 19
March, 2015
Page 1
Property Lift out
GARDENS SPRING
United by News By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
A picture of Eric when he was still in England. hooch with Eric and fighting alongside his cherished companion. “I told them how we spent our time together, the closeness that we had,” Bill said. “You share everything together. “While one’s manning the gun pit the other one’s making a brew. So you become really close, you watch out for each other. “I really spoke about how we got on together. “How important he was in my life, and still is. “I don’t need a photograph to know what he looks like… I can see him… as clear as looking at you, I can see him. “That’s never diminished.” Continued on page 11
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Bill Rogers, who fought in Vietnam, was finally able to meet the family of his fallen comrade, Eric Halkyard (inset), more than 40 years after he died in battle. 135871 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
1174667-EG09-15
THE nephew of a British soldier killed in the Vietnam War used a Berwick News article to track down his uncle’s best mate from Australia who he fought alongside more than 40 years ago. Machine gunner Eric Halkyard was killed in February 1971 by a grenade as he lay next to his close friend and ally, Bill Rogers, during a gun battle in the high hills of Phuoc Tuy province, in South Vietnam. On the eve of Anzac Day last year Bill, 69, of Berwick, shared with the News the agony of losing his best mate while Bill had been medevaced out of the battle with severed nerves in his arm and shrapnel in his back, but still lived to tell the tale. In last year’s published article, Bill said he’d never been able to find Eric’s family - until now. While researching his family history Eric’s nephew John Moores, who lives in Manchester, England, came across the News article a few months later on the internet and tracked down Bill, a former president of Melbourne Legacy, through the Legacy group. Even better, he and his wife, Sheila, had already planned to travel to Melbourne and were able to meet up with Bill for one day last August. “It was a bit emotional,” Bill said. “They were only here for that day, so we only spent probably a couple of hours together but the couple of hours seemed to be enough in as much as it filled a hole that was there. “And I feel now that I know them, we email, I’m not quite on the Facebook stage yet but they are so we’ve mentioned a few things, caught up a bit there. “It’s filled a hole… I’ve met someone of his family.” Over coffee Bill told John and Sheila about his memories of sharing a