Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

CECIL ERIC DOYLE, NX13040, Private. Fathers Brother.
Enlisted 24 April 1940 at the age of 20 years, his basic training was held at Ingleburn New South Wales, he embarked on the 4th of May 1940, his convoy was designation US.3, his ship H.M.T X1 was the Queen Mary.
The Commodore's ship was the Empress of Britain, along with Mauretania II, Empress of Canada, Empress of Japan, escorted by HMNZS Leander, Australia and Canberra. Capt. JWA Waller, RN, Commodore. From Sydney, Australia, Cecil spent time with rubella in the Queen Mary’s Hospital,
He arrived on 17/06/1940 at Gourock, Scotland, with 5,500 troops he was part of the B troop, 5th Battery, 2/ Field Regiment, 6 Division AIF and were placed on trains, first for Edinburgh, and then Salisbury in the south of England.
While in Britain the 2/3rd Field Regiment was employed on garrison duties to defend against any German invasion that might occur. While there, they became the first Australian artillery unit to receive the new 25 pounder guns and Morris gun tractors. On 15 Nov 1940 they embarked on HMT L11 HMT Empress of Canada in Gourock, Scotland for the Middle East, arriving there on 31 Dec 1940.
The regiment saw action against the Italians at Tobruk where they supported the 19th Infantry Brigade. Benghazi fell next and after that was taken, the regiment deployed one battery forward in support of the 17th Infantry Brigade at Marsa Brega. A short time later though, the regiment was withdrawn back to Ikingi Maryut to re-organise. On the 01/04/1941 he embarked on the S.S. Pennland at Alexandria and disembark Greece and move to the Hassani camp on the 03/04/1941 and by the 08/04/1941 had moved into position at Servia Pass to support the 8th infantry Battalion. First engagement against the Germans of the Australian artillery occurred when regiment carried out fire task on the 10th and 12th April withdrawal commenced on the 12th of April and the regiment moved to Veve carrying out firing tasks between movements, to Allasson area 16th of April, Volos 18th of April and Kreikouk area, 23rd. Intermittent fire support given until the 26th of April when regiment moved to Port Rafti area. Evacuation all guns transport surplus equipment destroyed prior to embarking on the HMS Ajax for Crete on the 27th of April 1941 arriving in Greece and moved to Stylos area 28th of April.
Two of the captured 75 mm guns were saved, though and were man packed by men from 'B' Troop over mountainous terrain to act in a rear-guard role between Sphakia and Suda, while the Royal Navy attempted to evacuate the stranded troops. The regiment continued to fight until it was withdrawn by sea on 31 May, leaving behind 129 men who were captured by the Germans. Amongst these were the men from 'B' Troop, who had formed the rear-guard protecting the evacuation beach. After the departure of the last transport ship, they attempted to evade capture but were eventually rounded up by German patrols. The regiment's total losses for Greece and Crete were 27 killed and 47 wounded. In addition to the men captured on Crete, one other had been captured in Greece. Those that were captured were first sent to Salonica before being sent to several prisoner of wars camp in Germany, Italy and Austria. While prisoners, numerous escape attempts were made by men from the 2/3rd, although ultimately only four men avoided recapture following their escape.
In 1942 The regiment remained in the Middle East until 13 Feb 1942 when the 6th Division was recalled back to Australia in response to the growing threat posed by Japan's entry into the war. Arriving in Sydney aboard H.M.S Durbar Castle on 17 Mar 1942, the Re-organised for tropical warfare the 2/3rd Field Regiment shed many men after which it did not see action again until late in the war when it was committed to the Aitape-Wewak campaign in 1944–45. He was sent to Canungra Queensland (L.H.Q. Training Centre) for a 4-month Jungle training course before leaving Cairns for Port Moresby. In around May 1942 he was transferred to the 2/6th Commando Squadron (Purple Double Diamonds), which was one of 12 independent companies or commando squadrons raised by the Australian Army during the Second World War. 2/6th's main role was to conduct irregular type warfare including small scale raiding, sabotage, long-range patrolling, and reconnaissance operations rather than the traditional commando type direct action operations. As such, for the most part the unit conducted operations in small groups operating inside enemy territory, or out in front of larger friendly forces.
In March 1943, the company returned to Australia and after some leave, reassembled at the army's jungle warfare centre at Canungra Queensland. This was a period of reorganisation for the independent companies as the 2/6th, along with the 2/3rd and 2/5th Independent Companies were brought together to form the 2/7th Cavalry (Commando) Regiment. Similarly, the title independent company was later changed to cavalry (commando) squadron. By the end of the year the 2/6th Independent Company had become the 2/6th Cavalry (Commando) Squadron. This name was later simplified to just commando squadron. In the meantime, the 2/6th was preparing for its next campaign.
The 2/6th had sailed from Townsville for Moresby in August, and then, in the middle of September it was flown to Leron, in the Markham Valley. The 2/6th was to support the 7th Division in its coming Ramu-Markham Valley campaign where it provided "flank" protection for the division by carrying out reconnaissance and long-range patrols, and, where necessary, capturing and holding ground. The 2/6th performed these roles well, particularly at Kaiapit, where, on 19 and 20 September, it captured the village and then repelled a large Japanese counterattack. The 2/6th returned to Australian in April 1944.
The 2/6th did not go into action again until almost the end of the war. For the remainder of 1944 and into 1945, the 2/6th was based in the Mapee/Kairi area on the Atherton Tablelands, where it trained and conducted exercises with the rest of the 7th Division.
Between May and July, the 7th and 9th Divisions made a series of landings on Borneo as part of the OBOE operations. The first landing was made at Tarakan on 1 May by a brigade of the 9th Division, while the rest of the division landed at Brunei Bay and Labuan Island in June. The 7th Division landed at Balikpapan on 1 July. For Balikpapan, the 2/6th was attached to the 25th Brigade and went ashore on the second day of the battle. Over the next three weeks the squadron supported the brigade in its advance along the Milford Highway. Among its other tasks, the 2/6th conducted several successful ambushes along Pope's Track.
Following Japan's surrender and the end of the war, the ranks of the squadron thinned quickly as men were discharged, transferred to other units, or volunteered for service in Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. For those who were left, the squadron returned to Australia at the end of December. In mid-January 1946, the 2/6th Commando Squadron was disbanded.
Between 1942 and 1945 the 2/6th undertook four major campaigns during the war Kokoda, Buna, Markham–Ramu and Borneo and was involved in arguably one of the most spectacular small unit actions of the war during the Battle of Kaiapit. From 19/10/1943 till he left the Army he was in out of hospitals with malaria. Between 06/08/1945 – 30/08/1945 he was on loan to 13 Australian Advanced Ordnance Depot (13 A.A.O.D) this was located near the town of Atherton, Queensland, and the nearby settlement of Tolga this is where returning soldiers would be rearmed and refitted with clothes. He returned to 2/6th Commando Squadron and on the 24th Sept 1945 he was discharged, he would have suffered from malaria the rest of his life. After the Second World War he joined the Citizen's Military Force (C.M.F.), he was there for several years he received the Australian Efficiency Medal for 12 years’ service to the militia.

Medals awarded: Africa Star, Pacific Star, 1939-1945 Star, Defence Medal, 1939-1945 War Medal, 1939-1945 Australia Service Medal, Greece 1939-1945 Medal Australian efficiency metal.