MOLESWORTH, Edmund James Cairns
| Service Number: | NX106 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 October 1939 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, 3 January 1913 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Grammar School; The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Medical Practitioner |
| Died: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 22 March 1967, aged 54 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Gore Hill Cemetery, New South Wales The New South Wales Garden of Remembrance |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 25 Oct 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant Colonel, NX106, 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Jan 1940: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Captain, NX106, 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion, embarked for service overseas (Kantara) | |
| 17 Oct 1941: | Honoured Military Cross, London Gazettes World War II Military Notice: Volume Number: 35316; Refence Number:35316 Page number: 6085 | |
| 25 Feb 1943: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, NX106, 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion, RTA from Middle East | |
| 19 Jun 1943: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, NX106, 2nd/4th Field Ambulance, embarked for New Guinea | |
| 22 Jan 1944: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, NX106, 2nd/4th Field Ambulance, embarked New Guinea for RTA | |
| 16 Jul 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant Colonel, NX106, 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Lieutenant Colonel Edmund James Molesworth MC (Service No:NX106) enlisted in the AIF (AAMC) on 25 October 1939. Captain Molesworth was attached to 2/3 Infantry Battalion as RMO, and served in the Middle East (13 January 1940 - 25 February 1943) -the Western Desert Campaign (assaults on Bardia and Tobruk) and was posted in Greece and Syria. On 27 September 1941 Captain Molesworth was recommended (and later awarded) for the Military Cross (London Gazette 17 October 1941) 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On 21st June 1941, this officer, who was attached as RMO of an Infantry Battalion, personally accompanied 'A' Coy in their attack on Fort Goybett, and although under heavy machine gun fire, with great coolness attended to the wounded. He then established his RAP at Mezze, and on 22nd June 1941, was subjected to heavy shell fire. he continued to carry out his arduous duties until two direct hits landed on the RAP, partially demolishing the house in which it was situated. He immediately quelled the panic caused among the civilians and with great calmness continued to deal with the increased number of casualties as expeditiously as possible, thereby setting a high standard of courage for his men to follow'. Promoted to Major on 11 June 1942, and attached to 2/4 Field Ambulance, he served in New Guinea (19 July 1943 - 24 January 1944), and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 18 June 1944. Lieutenant Colonel Molesworth was attached to 2/3 Infantry Battalion at Termination of Appointment on 16 July 1945.
Jim was born in Sydney, New South Wales in 1913, eldest of three children (and only son) of Dr Edmund Harold Molesworth (b1881 in Sydney, New South Wales) and Patience Mary Terry (b1888 in Sydney, New South Wales). Edmund (a Medical Practitioner) and Patience married in 1912 in Sydney, where they settled and raised their family and Edmund was a Medical Practitioner.
Jim completed his schooling at Sydney Grammar School before attending The University of Sydney (Medical) - graduating in 1938 with a Bachelor of Surgery and in 1939 with a Bachelor of Medicine. Jim was Junior Resident Medical Officer at Royal North Shore Hospital in 1939 when he married Barbara Ogilvy Carlton McGann (b1914 in Armadale, Victoria) - Barbara was a Student in Sydney. Following his Discharge from the Army, Jim returned to University, graduating in 1948 with a Graduate Diploma in Dermatological Medicine. Jim and Barbara settled in Sydney, where they raised their family and Jim was a Medical Practitioner, establishing renown as a Dermatologist. Jim died in 1967; Barbara later remarried and died in 2018.
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