War Widows Honour Roll
A collective tribute of the stories of love, courage, and resilience
This War Widows Honour Roll is a living tribute to the women who have carried the legacy of service with courage and strength.
Each story honours a life shaped by service and sacrifice, told through the words of family, friends, and community.
Browse the tributes below to read the stories and view the photographs of war widows connected to our defence community.
Each entry reflects the lasting impact of their courage, care, and contribution.
Margaret Tanner
At 103 years old, Margaret Tanner is one of Australia’s oldest war widows. Her husband, Noel Tanner, served in World War Two as the skipper of a boat that transferred people and supplies from the mainland of Australia to Thursday Island. A few years after the war ended, Noel became ill with testicular cancer, which was attributed to his war service. He passed away in October 1949, after a short battle with cancer. At 29 years old, Margaret became a war widow and sole parent to their young son, Robert.
Community and connection key to a happy life
At 103 years old, Margaret Tanner is one of Australia’s oldest war widows.
Her husband, Noel Tanner, served in World War Two as the skipper of a boat that transferred people and supplies from the mainland of Australia to Thursday Island.
A few years after the war ended, Noel became ill with testicular cancer, which was attributed to his war service. He passed away in October 1949, after a short battle with cancer. At 29 years old, Margaret became a war widow and sole parent to their young son, Robert.
It’s been more than 70 years since Margaret lost her husband. She admits, when he first passed away, she would cry herself to sleep. But her strength, resilience and fierce independence are both impressive and inspiring.
Margaret never remarried, but her life has been filled with family and friends, community and connection.
Today, Margaret still lives by herself in her own home. And just a few years ago, she was still playing golf, taking part in a walking group and doing yoga.
When asked the secrets to a long life, Margaret says she doesn’t know. But it seems her willingness to try new things and meet new people is one of them.
She admits she has felt hesitant at times. Her life circumstances have meant she has often had to attend events by herself. Sometimes the thought of showing up to an event on her own, where she doesn’t know anyone else, has made her feel uneasy, but she didn’t let it stop her from getting out there and living life.
“When you’re on your own attending things, you’re always a bit nervous about it,” says Margaret. “But I always made the effort. It’s very daunting, but once I got there, I always met someone that I got on with.”
There were two types of events where Margaret especially made friends: Legacy events and War Widows Social Club meetings.
Margaret joined Australian War Widows NSW in 1951 and started attending the City Evening group at Sydney RSL when it formed in 1968, after her friend and fellow war widow, Betty Bromley, talked her into going.
“I have really enjoyed my involvement with War Widows,” Margaret says. “Some of my best friends were from War Widows or Legacy.”
Ever since that first meeting, Margaret has been involved in AWWNSW, and still attends the Auburn War Widows social club on Saturday afternoons when her health permits.
She also attended the inaugural War Widows Day last year. After the service, while she was waiting for the bus to ferry war widows from Hyde Park to the Parliament of New South Wales, she found herself chatting to the younger war widows.
“It was interesting to see, you know, how they were coping,” Margaret says. By that she means how they were coping with grief, raising children, paying the bills and holding the family together – all without their husband.
When asked how someone overcomes grief and adversity, Margaret shrugs her shoulders and says, “Well, I mean, there’s nothing you can do [about it] really.”
For all the challenges Margaret has faced, what she speaks of most is all the happy memories from the past.
Her dining room displays just a small glimpse of those memories, with photos of all the people she has loved. A photo of her with her sister as young kids, around four and five years old. A photo of her mum and dad. A photo of her dressed in a fancy frock, complete with hat and gloves, alongside her mother-in-law.
Then there is the framed black-and-white photo of a young man, placed in the centre of her dressing table in her bedroom. While Margaret was lucky enough to hold Noel in her arms for just over 10 years, she has held him in her heart for 70 years more.
As well as speaking about all the happy memories, Margaret also expresses her gratitude for all the support, especially from organisations like AWWNSW.
Margaret shares the story of a World War One widow who lived a few doors up from her, who didn’t enjoy the same support Margaret did because Australian War Widows wasn’t created until after World War Two.
“She had no support whatsoever, no support whatsoever,” she says.
“It would have made such a difference to her life if she would have had support. I think we [World War Two widows] are very lucky to have had support. I’ve thought how lucky I was to meet such lovely friends. Even though the war widows meetings are once a month, you look forward to the meetings.”
It’s why, at 103 years old, Margaret still attends the monthly war widows meeting whenever she can.
Diana Bland
Diana Bland joined the Guild in 1993 after her husband passed, and dedicated her life to supporting other war widows. She served the Guild at both State and National levels, demonstrating leadership, compassion, and commitment. Diana established and expanded regional clubs, connecting widows across New South Wales and ensuring they felt supported and understood. Even after her official roles ended, she continued to reach out personally, making thousands of calls and sending handwritten cards. Diana believed in the power of connection, mentoring younger widows, and helping them find purpose and companionship. Her work strengthened the Guild and left a lasting legacy of care and community.
Diana Bland joined the Guild in 1993 after her husband passed, and dedicated her life to supporting other war widows. She served the Guild at both State and National levels, demonstrating leadership, compassion, and commitment. Diana established and expanded regional clubs, connecting widows across New South Wales and ensuring they felt supported and understood. Even after her official roles ended, she continued to reach out personally, making thousands of calls and sending handwritten cards. Diana believed in the power of connection, mentoring younger widows, and helping them find purpose and companionship. Her work strengthened the Guild and left a lasting legacy of care and community.
Elizabeth Wright
“He had lost so much in the war, he couldn’t contemplate the thought of anything happening to her…” When AWWNSW celebrated Christmas in July at Kirribilli RSL in 2023, Elizabeth Wright was handed the microphone to say a few words as the coordinator of the Chatswood social club. Just prior to the event, we sat down with Elizabeth at her home to learn more about how she became involved in AWWNSW and to hear her life stories. It was after the passing of her beloved husband, Reg, in 2005 that Elizabeth joined AWWNSW. Even though it is now almost 20 years since Reg passed away,…
A lifetime of support and sacrifice
“He had lost so much in the war, he couldn’t contemplate the thought of anything happening to her…”
When AWWNSW celebrated Christmas in July at Kirribilli RSL in 2023, Elizabeth Wright was handed the microphone to say a few words as the coordinator of the Chatswood social club.
Just prior to the event, we sat down with Elizabeth at her home to learn more about how she became involved in AWWNSW and to hear her life stories.
It was after the passing of her beloved husband, Reg, in 2005 that Elizabeth joined AWWNSW. Even though it is now almost 20 years since Reg passed away, Elizabeth is overcome with emotion when she speaks of him.
“He was a wonderful man,” says Elizabeth, adding how everyone loved him. “He did not talk about anyone. He didn’t criticise people. He’d seen a different life, and he was really lovely.”
She shares the story of how Reg once helped a young girl from across the street with her schoolwork so she could complete the leaving school certificate. Elizabeth says the young girl’s mother worked odd hours and she didn’t have a father, so Reg stepped in to help her.
Elizabeth says Reg would sit on those tiny little stools at the school, after working a long day, to help this teenage girl with her studies – Shakespeare, maths, and so on. The study paid off and the young girl successfully completed her leaving certificate.
“He was such a nice man,” Elizabeth tells us once more.
When Elizabeth says Reg had seen a different life, she is referring to his war service. Reg served in the Royal Australian Air Force, and served in Europe in the Royal Air Force as a Spitfire pilot throughout the Second World War.
“Imagine his nerves for five-and-a-half years. He could have been shot down any minute, any mission, and he would have been watching others not come back,” Elizabeth says to us. “He went away at 19 [years old] a young boy, and came back a grey-haired man.”
Elizabeth tells us she cared for Reg for the final 20 years of his life, but then concedes, in truth, she cared for him for much longer than that – really for their entire marriage.
After the chaos and catastrophe of war, Reg revelled in peace and quiet. Elizabeth explains how “everything had to be very smooth. He liked the children to be in bed before he came home. He just loved quietness.”
He studied a lot after the war and Elizabeth tells us how he used to go under the house to study alone in peace, even when the ground was saturated with rain.
Elizabeth also recalls how in his younger years, after the war, he would “scream and scream” in his sleep. But later on, as the years continued to pass, he stopped doing so.
When asked why Reg would scream in his sleep, Elizabeth said, “Probably the hate. He hated killing those children and women. You know, they had to [do it] because they were enemies.” She added Reg said to her once how dreadful it was.
Not that Elizabeth pretends to know much about Reg’s war experiences. She tells us several times that Reg didn’t speak much of the war.
“Some men will tell you the whole thing. But he would never, ever say anything.”
He also lived the rest of his life with what we recognise today as anxiety. Elizabeth explains how she never worked again after getting married. She says she would have loved to return to nursing, but Reg worried too much about her if she wasn’t home, and if she had to go somewhere, he would worry constantly.
He had lost so much in the war that he couldn’t contemplate the thought of anything happening to her. He also hated planes and flying. While he never piloted a plane again after returning from war, he put his fears of flying to the side so they could travel around the world together.
“He just had to deal with it,” Elizabeth says. “He didn’t trust anyone else being a pilot.”
Having loved, supported and cared for a war veteran almost her entire adult life, Elizabeth thinks of the younger war widows and partners of war veterans. She speaks of the women, men and families impacted by the modern conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan, and wonders how they are coping with the aftermath of war.
“I don’t think they’re doing enough for the returned servicemen,” Elizabeth says to us with great compassion.
She also says she did not speak to anyone about how Reg struggled after the war. She supported him silently and stoically. He was a beautiful man, her darling husband: “Everybody loved him, he was an extraordinary man” she tells us.
She is very proud of the family she built with Reg, and of their three daughters.
“The girls said the other day they were so lucky to have such a wonderful father,” she recalls with pride. “We talk about him all the time. We were a very happy family, and we still are.”
As she speaks, it’s clear she is a woman of immense understanding, empathy and compassion. War is brutal and its impacts everlasting.
But she’s grateful for the friendships she’s made with other war widows, who share similar experiences and have walked a similar path.
She says she became the coordinator for the Chatswood social club when no one put their hand up to help. Elizabeth, at the age of 93, stood up and said she could help out.
“I said, well, look, I can sell some raffle tickets and that sort of thing. But I don’t want to be on the committee. I just want to be a helper.” Over 10 years later, at 103 years old, Elizabeth is still – to this day – the coordinator for the AWWNSW Chatswood social club. Simply incredible.
Which brings us back to the AWWNSW 2023 Christmas in July luncheon at Kirribilli RSL.
When Elizabeth was handed the microphone, she thanked members of the social club for sharing their grant funds with other war widows and the RSL for providing the grant to allow them to get together. She spoke about her time as a coordinator, sharing a few anecdotes and stories.
AWWNSW is built on the shoulders and with the efforts of members like Elizabeth, women who have cared for their war veterans and then cared for each other after the passing of their husbands.
It is on this foundation of friendship – supported by understanding, compassion and empathy – that AWWNSW forges into the future.
Lorna Callaway
Lorna Callaway became a war widow after the death of her husband Shannon in 1980. Shannon returned from service carrying the unseen wounds of war, which left him unable to work. To provide for their seven sons, Lorna took a job at the local hospital as a laundry maid, where she worked for more than fifty years. She raised her children with love, discipline, and resilience, instilling values that shaped their lives. Lorna’s story reflects the lasting impact of war on families, showing how widows bore heavy burdens with strength and ensured their families endured despite hardship.
Lorna Callaway: A Life of Service and Strength
Lorna Callaway was not a woman of many words, but her actions spoke volumes. Born and raised in a quiet corner of rural NSW, she would become the heart and soul of her family, her community, and the local hospital where she worked faithfully for over five decades. Her life was not easy—few lives were in those years after World War II—but Lorna carried her burdens with quiet strength and relentless determination.
She married young, just before her husband, Shannon Callaway, shipped off to fight overseas. When the war ended and he came home, the man who had once been full of laughter and life had changed. Like many veterans, he bore invisible wounds. Though the term “PTSD” wasn’t widely known then, Lorna recognized the heaviness in his eyes, the silences that stretched for hours, the sudden starts in the night. He tried to work, but his nerves got the better of him, and he couldn’t hold a job. So Lorna, without complaint, picked up the mantle.
With seven sons to feed, clothe, and raise, Lorna took a job at the local hospital as the laundry maid. It was the only work available at the time, and it didn’t pay much, but it was steady. She did what had to be done. Many occasions she took her younge sons, Flynn and Peter to work as there was no one to care for them.
Lorna would come home exhausted, her hands red and cracked from being in water, but her boys never went without a meal. Her house was always full—full of noise, of chaos, of growing boys—but also full of love. She raised her sons to work hard, respect others, and look after each other, and each of them carried her lessons into their own lives. She became a war widow following the death of her husband in 1980.
My aunty Lorna may never have appeared in history books, but to those who knew her—to the hospital staff, her community and especially to her seven boys—she was a hero. Not the kind with medals, but the kind who held the family to gether no matter what challenges face her, She died peacfully in 2007 aged 89.
Audrey Blood OAM
Audrey Blood OAM joined the Guild in 1986 and began volunteering in 1989, dedicating 30 years to supporting war widows, bereaved parents, and families affected by illness. She served as State and National President, demonstrating leadership, compassion, and care. Audrey was known for making every widow feel welcome and encouraging the best in them, setting the tone for the Guild through her presence and commitment. Even after her official roles ended, she continued her service, remaining active and visible in the community. Audrey’s work strengthened the organisation and its members, leaving a lasting legacy recognised by her OAM and the gratitude of countless widows.
Audrey Blood OAM joined the Guild in 1986 and began volunteering in 1989, dedicating 30 years to supporting war widows, bereaved parents, and families affected by illness. She served as State and National President, demonstrating leadership, compassion, and care. Audrey was known for making every widow feel welcome and encouraging the best in them, setting the tone for the Guild through her presence and commitment. Even after her official roles ended, she continued her service, remaining active and visible in the community. Audrey’s work strengthened the organisation and its members, leaving a lasting legacy recognised by her OAM and the gratitude of countless widows.
Shirley Batty
Shirley became a War Widow on 17/05/24 after her husband Peter was fatally injured falling from his roof 5 days earlier. Peter served 21 years in the Australian Regular Army as an Infantry Soldier attaining the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2). Peter served in Malaya, Borneo and South Vietnam and was awarded campaign and service medals and the Infantry Combat Badge. Peter and Shirley met in July 1977 when Peter was a WO2 and locked himself out of his vehicle. Shirley, who lived nearby, lent him a coat hanger and it was love at first sight from that moment. Peter and Shirley lived…
Shirley became a War Widow on 17/05/24 after her husband Peter was fatally injured falling from his roof 5 days earlier. Peter served 21 years in the Australian Regular Army as an Infantry Soldier attaining the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2). Peter served in Malaya, Borneo and South Vietnam and was awarded campaign and service medals and the Infantry Combat Badge. Peter and Shirley met in July 1977 when Peter was a WO2 and locked himself out of his vehicle. Shirley, who lived nearby, lent him a coat hanger and it was love at first sight from that moment. Peter and Shirley lived together and were engaged for 45 years. To prove their love of each other was strong and enduring they married on Peter’s 80th Birthday
These stories matter
The War Widows Honour Roll is a reminder of the lasting bonds within our community and recognises the resilience, strength, and contributions of war widows. Sharing those stories ensures their lives and legacies are remembered within the defence community and beyond.