Les Cook from Canberra, Australia followed in his fathers footsteps and enlisted in the Military at the age of 16 years old in 1939 after the war broke out. However, it was after the Battle at Dunkirk that he was successful in joining the Australian Imperial Force. As a Corporal he served in the Middle East, New Guinea, Borneo and Japan. Cook survived the Kokda Trail and was present at the capture of Lae. Cook served in Japan for one year as part of the Austrlian contingent of the British Commonwealth occupation Force. Courtesy of  The Australian War Museum