The quiet sacrifice of families left behind

On Remembrance Day, we pause to honour all Australians who have served our nation, and all who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We also remember the families who carried the weight of that service: those who waited, worried, endured loss, and kept memories alive.

Few stories express that sacrifice more powerfully than that of the Eddison family.

Walter and Marion Eddison raised six children at Yamba in Canberra’s Woden Valley. During the Second World War, three of their sons served. None returned home.

SQNLDR Leslie 'Tom' Eddison DFC was killed over the Netherlands in May 1941 after volunteering for one further mission. FLTLT Edward 'Grumpy' Eddison was killed attacking Lae airstrip in May 1943. Just 11 days later, their younger brother, PTE Jack Eddison, died while a prisoner of war in Japan.

The loss of three sons within two years is almost beyond comprehension. Yet their mother chose to turn private grief into enduring remembrance.

An airscrew from a Hawker Demon had accompanied Grumpy through much of his Air Force career. After his death, Mrs Eddison donated it to the RAAF Officers’ Mess at Fairbairn as a memorial to her three sons, and to all those “destined for greater things, but deprived of the chance to prove themselves in the long term.”

Today, that airscrew is on display at 34SQN in Canberra. It is more than an artefact. It connects our Air Force to a local family, to three lives cut short, and to a mother whose courage ensured their service would not be forgotten.

The Eddison story reminds us that service is rarely borne by one person alone. Behind every uniform are families who share the uncertainty, separation and consequences of service. Their sacrifice may be quieter, but it is no less real.

At the 11th hour, let us remember those who served, those who did not return, and those who carried their absence for a lifetime. Let us honour them not only in silence, but in how we serve, support one another, and preserve their stories together.

Lest we forget.