ALDER, William Mitchell
| Service Number: | NX48968 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Sydney, NSW, 4 August 1922 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Telopea Park School |
| Occupation: | Joiner |
| Died: | 22 July 1987, aged 64 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Gungahlin Cemetery, Australian Capital Territory Ex-Services Section |
| Memorials: | Canberra ACT Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 16 Aug 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX48968 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX48968 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Daryl Jones
After enlisting in 1941 'Scotty' Alder was allocated to the 7th Armoured Regiment and arrived in the Middle East almost exactly a year later where he joined the 2/13 Battalion just after the Battle of El Alamein. The 2/13 Battalion (part of the 9th Division of the AIF) returned to Australia in February 1943 and, after undertaking jungle training, were sent to Papua New Guinea. In July 1943 they were sent to Milne Bay in Papua in preparation for a sea borne assault on the Japanese in New Guinea. In September 1943 the 2/13 Battalion (as part of the 9th Division) landed near Lae in New Guinea where they undertook operations in the jungle until the town was captured. They were then sent further up the coast to Scarlet Beach near Finschhafen where Alder was wounded in the leg on 25 September 1943. His service file is annotated that his leg was later amputated at the thigh. The Canberra Times report (of 1944) refers to Alder in hospital where he had been lying on his back for six months and was likely to for another eight months. "Now, day after day and week after week, he lies in bed with one leg supported by special apparatus." They did not mention an amputation. Alder returned to the Causeway after the war and later lived in Ainslie. He died on 22 July 1987 and is buried in the ex-services section of Gungahlin Cemetery.