Prosper McTaggart Thomson and his participation in WW2
THOMSON PROSPER MCTAGGART : Service Number – VX67088 : Date of birth – 26 Oct 1912 : Place of birth – CHARTERS TOWERS QLD : Place of enlistment – CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin – THOMSON QUEENIE
September 1939 – Germany invades Poland.
PT was signed up on Dec 29, 1940 and immediately took Leave Without Pay until Jan 6, 1941.
Transferred to Puckapunyal Training Camp in Victoria 12 Jan 1941.
Vic – Found to be suffering from Haemoptysis on 23 Jan 1941.
Vic – Submitted for a Chest Investigation on 2 Feb 1941.
Vic – Admitted for Haemoptysis 19 Feb 1941.
Vic – Discharged fit 24 Feb 1941.
Vic – Granted leave without pay to go fruit picking 26 Feb 1941.
April 1941 – Italy and Germany attack Yugoslavia
Transferred to Sydney from Puckapunyal, B Section Corps Workshops 4 May 1941.
May 1941 – Germany’s Blitzkrieg ceases after 57 consecutive days of bombing.
June 1941 – Hitler attacks Russia – Operation Barbarossa
Syd – Temporarily discharged from duties due to Pneumonia 10 July 1941.
Syd – Diagnosed with a mild case of Asthma 11 Aug1941.
Syd – Returned to duties 18 Aug 1941.
Vic – Admitted for Asthma and Sinusitis 29 Aug 1941.
December 1941 – The Japanese attack Pearl Harbour.
February 1942 – Japanese take Singapore.
February 1942 – Japanese bomb Darwin.
April 1942 – Doolittle Raiders Bomb Japan
May and June 1942 – Japanese subs attack Sydney and Newcastle.
June 42 – Battle of Midway.
August 42 – Allies invade N. Africa.
August 1942 – The Battle of Milne Bay.
October 42 – Battle of El Alamein
November 42 – Battle of Stalingrad / Allies push into N. Africa
May 43 – Axis surrenders in N. Africa
Vic – admitted for Bronchitis and Sinusitis 28 Jun 1943.
July 43 – Allies invade Sicily
August 43 – Allies take Sicily
Vic – Diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome 13 Sep 1943.
September 43 – Italy surrenders.
Vic – Discharged from service 26 Sep.
Thomson spent two years and nine months in uniform.
The Somerton Man 
Could explain all the lead in Carls hair given how prone Prosper was to swinging it.
Fruit picking? I did a season on the grapes at Mildura as a youth and it near buggered me .. old PT must have had some hidden stamina.
my first thought with fruit picking was the Mangnoson connexion – except seems Mango’s adventure was in 1940 and he was accepted into the army Jun’41 (his paper trail seems to start April ’40). It’s sort of interesting, though, that his enlistment is in Renmark, but his family is in Largs Bay.
It’s a little bit interesting that Mango applies for a re-issue of his medals which were stolen in ’60 while travelling Melbourne to Adelaide….
On one of his driving ads, didn’t Prosper advertise he was ex-A.I.F? I wonder if anyone asked him how long he had worn a uniform!
That he did Clive, mentioned several times in fact.
Later down the track in the 50’s he adopted the phrase “known around town to do a square deal” or words to that effect after his name in his print adds.
Im guessing Daphne Page or Olly Strang may have disagreed.
‘Known around town’ full stop-probably the more honest description