A JANCOURT East man who died fighting for his country in World War II will be honoured in a unique way through a live performance of one of rock band Pink Floyd's best-known albums.
Hedley Norman was just 19 when he was killed on the Kokoda Track in December 1942 "shot in the head just above the eye", according to a letter from one of his surviving mates in the 39th Infantry.
He is listed on the honour roll at Cobden and at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, but next week he will also be commemorated as part of Roger Waters' performances of The Wall at Rod Laver Arena.
Private Norman's nephew, Robert Hondow, is responsible for the unique tribute after responding to Waters' call on his website for photographs of "fallen loved ones" to use during the new concert production of The Wall.
"I make this request to you in light of my belief that many of these tragic losses of life are avoidable," Waters wrote.
"I feel empathy with the families of all the victims and anger at 'THE POWERS THAT BE' who are responsible, in equal measure. Please join me in honouring our dead and protesting their loss."
Mr Hondow said he received no reply to his submission, and has had no contact with Waters or his management, but has since learnt his uncle is the only Australian in the memorial sequence of the show.
"Apparently (the photo) has been shown at every Wall concert," he said. "To me, it's just something that I want to be a part of. As long as I can put Hedley's photo out there and show the world that he died for his country, that's good enough for me."
The long-term devastation of war has been a recurring theme in Waters' songs since Dark Side of the Moon in 1973, his rage escalating through The Wall, one of the highest-selling albums in history, and his bitter swansong with Pink Floyd, The Final Cut.
"The Final Cut was probably the first album I ever really listened to," Mr Hondow said.
"To this day it's my favourite of his albums. It's a war album. It's about the heartbreak of war. And about Roger's father being betrayed. I could understand his loss, in that sense."
Military duty took a heavy toll on the Norman-Hondow family. Hedley's father was fighting in Tobruk at the same time that he and his younger brother, Ted, who had enlisted under-age, were in New Guinea. Ted returned to Jancourt, but psychologically damaged and forever changed, Mr Hondow said.
"The only one now is my son, Anthony," he said. "He's 15 and in the cadets. He loves it. If you have a look at him and a photo of my uncle Ted, they are identical."
As an avowed pacifist, Mr Hondow admits that entails mixed feelings.
"If he did join the army down the track and he did get called up to Afghanistan or somewhere, I don't know how I'd be. I'd accept it. But I'd probably die worrying."
"My mum was from the generation that didn't talk about it," Mr Hondow said, leafing through a slim collection of photos and letters. "We were told he was shot by a Japanese sniper and that was pretty much it. We were always told to leave it alone, not to upset mum.
"Later on in life I did talk to her about it and she said, 'I wish I'd been able to have more of a conversation with you about Hedley'. But she really never did."
Roger Waters' The Wall is at Rod Laver Arena next Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Book through ticketek.com.au
with MATT NEAL
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