Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

On 08/07/1940, my Dad, Joey Sheppard lied about his age and joined the Australian Army at age 19.

He was assigned to 2nd/23rd Battalion and was sent to fight in a country he had never heard of, but that would one day become one of the most famous battles any Australians have fought in.

My Dad spent just over 2 years fighting the Germans in the Middle East, in countries such as Egypt, Palistine and finally  onto the small Libyan port of Tobruk.

The British army left the defence to the Australian army with orders not to let it fall to the Germans.

In 1941 Great Britain had to withdraw most of its forces from Africa to defend Greece leaving the Australians with a task of defending the city of Tobruk.

 The Australian troops were up against the odds.

The German forces were twice the size of the Australian Rats, and the German forces were masterminded by a military genius, Rommel, who had never been defeated in battle.

The Australians did not give up they didn’t even think about escape or surrender, they managed to hold off Rommel's forces for 250 days. .

When Luftwaffe dropped waves of bombs on Tobruk. The Australians didn’t fight back but they hid safely in Tobruk's network of tunnels. This ensured they remained focused on the task of defending the city against the German infantry

The Australians who fought were outnumbered but still had the courage and defended Tobruk from the attacking Germans even though Tobruk was bombed to almost nothing.

                       The Australians did not stop

The men that fought and defended Tobruk were proud of the name their German adversaries gave them and wore it as a badge of honour

They were known as  The Rats of Tobruk.

My Dad took part in many skirmishes with the German army. His role as a runner was to scout ahead of the main group to ensure the coast was clear for them to launch their surprise attacks on the German positions. He was often alone and in danger from both the Germans ahead and also from his comrades behind, lest they mistake him for the enemy.

On 25/02/1943, after 608 days, my Dad returned to Australia for some well earned rest and catch up with his much loved family, who he missed very much.

01/08/1943, My Dad left Australian shores again on HMAS Manoora to help defend New Guinea and Australia against the onward wave of the Japanese Army through the South Pacific.

This was called “The Battle for Australia”

The conditions my Dad and his fellow diggers with were faced with were very hard, almost indescribable. It rained for most of the time, weary men endured some of the most difficult terrain of the world and they were racked by malaria and dysentery.

But they kept on fighting, making the enemy pay dearly for every yard of ground.             

My Dad caught malaria in November 1943 and had 2 further occurrences requiring hospitalisation.

During his tour of duty in New Guinea, my Dad received a bullet wound to his head.

He was transported to the Army Field hospital, where it was decided the bullet was to close to his brain to attempt removal. The bullet remained lodged in his skull for the rest of his life.

For most of the Australian troops the war took them away Australia for the first time in their lives. Many saw it as an adventure at first, but the realisation of the tragedy and futility of war made life difficult. Although a long way from family friends back in Australia, the Aussie diggers  developed mateship and comradery amongst their fellow soldiers.

My Dad was lucky enough to meet a great bloke, Jacky Lee. Dad and Jacky fought in the Middle East & New Guinea together and spent most of the war with each other. This friendship was to continue long after the war was over.

Till the time of his death,18/03/1973, my Dad had a big lump from the bullet still on the back of his head, the legacy of his injury.

It is not until now, when we reflect back on the sacrifice my Dad made for his family and his country, that we understand why he had some of the problems he had.