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On 8 January 1940 Dick enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces, was assigned Army Number WX 1651 and posted to Signals, 6 Australian Division. On 20 April 1940 he embarked for the Middle East aboard HMAT Y3, the same as his future Brother-in-law Captain Bill Egan 2/11 Bn. While overseas Dick was a 6 Division Signaller variously attached or posted to with 2/2 Fd Regt and involved in operations in the Middle East, Greece and Crete and stopped over in Ceylon. A highlight of this time was the fighting withdrawals from Greece and Crete. At Crete he was separated from his Section in the withdraw to the coast and had to travel independently inland of the road, as Germans went past him on the road. Evidently the weight of the radio slowed his progress. Nevertheless, he made the beach safely and was evacuated from Crete. Dick was quite handsome and in the Middle East a picture was taken of him with a caption in various papers "The smile Hitler can’t wipe away" or words to that effect. He disembarked from Middle East service at Fremantle on 28 July 1942.

In December 1942 he was promoted Corporal. Remaining with 2/2nd Fd Regt he was deployed to the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland for Defence of Australia duties and to prepare for the Pacific offensive. A highlight of this period was attending a Marconi School of Wireless course.

On the 4 December 1944 he embarked at Cairns, Queensland for Aitape, New Guinea. Japanese snipers and sickness were the greatest worry at the time. Following the cessation of hostilities with Japan in August 1945 he returned to Australia from Wewak on 20 September 1945, disembarking at Brisbane.

He was then processed for demobilization in Victoria before being discharged in Western Australia on 5 November 1945.

The following article appeared in the Collie Mail on Thursday 3 July1941

A SIGNALLER ABROAD
Through Greece and Crete
PTE R SCHURMANN’S EXPERIENCES

“ It was like hell with the lid off”

This is how Signaller R.W. (Dick) Schurmann describes the fighting in Crete in a letter to his grandparents Mr and Mrs W Palmer sen. of Throssell Street Collie. Signaller Schurmann, is a former Collie resident. He went to school here and has a number of relatives and friends in the district. Before he went overseas with the AIF he paid a visit to the town. He writes:

"After we had taken Bardia, Derna and Benghazi we rested for a while in a very dusty, windswept place called El Gazala. There we stayed several weeks, cursing the wind and dust and looking forward to much promised leave. Eventually we moved off and came down through Mersa Matruh on to Alexandria. Here, however our hopes of a decent leave were nipped in the bud. After one day to look over the town I and a few more, who drove vehicles, were ordered to drive to the wharf and, with vehicles, embark for an unknown destination. This done we settled down to a sea life for a couple of days and after an uneventful trip arrived at Pireus harbour near Athens. What a contrast it was sailing along the Creek coast, passing dozens of mountainous islands all carpeted in green and multi coloured fawn, browns and red.

Impressions of Greece

Arrived in Greece we were met for the first time with any sort of appreciation. As we drove through the streets everyone waved to us and the girls threw us flowers. It was certainly a change from after Egypt and Libya. Believe me it was some job keeping one’s eyes on the road. We drove through Athens to a camp several miles out and there we waited until the rest of the troops arrived. That was several days later and during that time I managed to run into Athens and have a look around. It is a beautiful city, very clean, with many parks and gardens. In the background stands the ancient ruins of Greece. The nicest street, I think is one where the old University stands. It is very wide and has modern buildings mixed with older ones, like the University, which are truly magnificent. Here also were the better class shops and cafes.

As soon as the rest of the boys arrived, we were told we were going up near the Yugo-Slavian border and the next day we moved off. And what a trip it was! During the next three days it was like a Cook's travel tour. One could hardly believe there were scenes or country so beautiful. Image seeing green everywhere, rising slopes of cultivated land looking like Axminster carpets of myriad patterns and colours - running streams bordered by thorn and berry bushes - shaded lanes - picturesque villages dotted everywhere, some in valleys, some on mountain slopes, others perched on what seemed in-accessible hill tops. The grandest part of the whole trip was when we came on to the coast near Lamia and saw all of this, plus the sea and islands on one side and on the other, rising from the hills and disappearing into the distance, snowcapped mountains. It was certainly a sight never to be forgotten.

We arrived at our objective near the top of Mt Olympus and made preparation to meet the Hun for the first time. After several days it began to snow and I was able to play around in snow for the first time. However this idealistic state of travel and snow came to an end and the fun started.

First we saw a few recce planes go over, then a few bombers and then the next thing we knew was that he had put all his weight on the flank and had pushed it back. This started our first retreat and from then on it was one strategic retreat after another, all the time under withering machine gun fire, dive bombings and bombing. This went on until we finally made a stand at Brailos in Thermophylae Pass where we held the enemy for several days. And what days they were! On every side we were hampered by continual bombing and machine gun fire, but through it all the infantry, with the help of our artillery, gave him one of the biggest hidings he ever had. His losses must have been enormous in comparison to our losses. It was only the weight of numbers plus his modern equipment and planes that eventually pushed us back until evacuation was the only thing. Even then we managed to get our guns to the beach and had we had transport for them we would have got them away.

Praise for the Navy

Arrived at the beach we went on board a destroyer and early next day we were steaming into Suda Bay harbour in Crete, singing praises to the Navy for getting us off and for the wonderful treatment we received on board. Nothing too much trouble for them, from serving us with gallons of tea and food to walking over our sleeping bodies to their various jobs and posts. This was our first experience with the Navy, but since then, and our evacuation from Crete, we can not say enough for them.

As to Crete, l have to cut it short, otherwise the letter will be overweight. All say is that after the blitz started and the paratroops landed things weren’t' so bad, but when they took the aerodrome, landed troops and intensified their bombing and machine gun fire it was like hell with the lid off. Words can't explain what it is like to be hit and not able to hit back. Every hour and every minute of the day was a nightmare, culminating with the .... mile march in two days with little food and in my case .... water bottle, over the mountains and along goat tracks.