JAY, Edgar
| Service Numbers: | 693, NX339 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Brigade (2/AIF) |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 16 September 1905 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Fort Street Public School,Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Canterbury Town Clerk |
| Died: | Illness (heart failure), Palestine, 2 June 1941, aged 35 years |
| Cemetery: |
Gaza War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza) Plot: A. C. 14. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 693, 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 May 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 693, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, HMAT Beltana, Sydney | |
| 13 May 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 693, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
| 13 May 1916: | Embarked Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A72 Beltana on 13 May 1916 | |
| 14 May 1919: | Embarked Returned to Australia, on board SS Khyber on 14 May 1919 | |
| 1 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1 |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Lieutenant, NX339 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 1940: | Embarked 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Jan 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant, NX339, Anti Tank Batteries / Companies | |
| 10 May 1940: | Transferred 16th Infantry Brigade (2/AIF) | |
| 16 Aug 1940: | Transferred 16th Infantry Brigade (2/AIF), Anti-Tank Company | |
| 2 Jun 1941: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Died of heart failure on return from Greece & Crete |
Help us honour Edgar Jay's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by James Coleman
Edgar was one of 13 children born to Walter Jay & Amelia McKnigh
Edgar served in France in WW1 with the 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade
Edgar was an old Fort Street ' boy," & was a well-known Rugby League footballer, having for several years played with the North Sydney "A" grade team
At the time of enlisting, he held the important position of Town Clerk at Canterbury & was at one time, Deputy-Town Clerk at Kurangai & Town Clerk at Mascot. He was one of the last six elected for consideration for appointment as manager of the Sydney County Council
In 1940, during WW2, he was given leave of absence from Canterbury Council when he enlisted in the Second AIF
He was officially over age when he enlisted. Lieutenant Jay served in the Libyan & Greek campaigns
During the Battle of Bardia, 3-5 Jan 1941, Lieut Jay was Pl Commander of 3 Pl, 16 Bde A-T Coy attached to the 2/3rd Inf Battalion
By the morning of 3 Jan, the 2/3rd was now assailed by half a dozen Italian M13/40 tanks who freed a group of 500 Italian prisoners. The tanks continued to rumble to the south while the British crews of the Matildas "enjoying a brew, dismissed reports of them as an Antipodean exaggeration"
Finally, they were engaged by Jay's Anti-Tank Platoon of three 2 pounders mounted on portees
Corporal A. A. Pickett's gun destroyed four of them until his portee was hit, killing one man & wounding Pickett
The survivors got the gun back into action & knocked out a fifth tank. The portee was again hit by fire from the sixth tank, fatally wounding another man; but it too was soon knocked out by another 2 pounder
By midday, 6,000 Italian prisoners had already reached the provosts at the collection point near Post 45, escorted by increasingly fewer guards whom the rifle companies could afford to detach
The Italian perimeter had been breached and the attempt to halt the Australian assault at the outer defences had failed
He was Mentioned in Despatches (posthumously) for services in the Western Desert, particularly for his command during Bardia, while CPL Pickett was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his part in the battle
On 18 Mar he embarked for service in Greece
Having formed the rearguard during the withdrawal from Greece, they had embarked separately from the main body, being taken aboard the Costa Rica
During the voyage to Alexandria, the transport had been attacked by German aircraft & as it sank, they were ordered to abandon ship. After being rescued by Royal Navy destroyers, the troops were transported to Crete, where they were formed into a composite battalion with men from other units of the 16th Brigade & together the unit became known as the 16th Brigade Composite Battalion
Following the German invasion on 20 May 1941, some of these troops saw direct action against German paratroopers. After the Allied evacuation from the island a week later, they undertook active patrols around the island before being evacuated on 31 May 1941 aboard HMS Phoebe. They arrived in Alexandria on 1 June 1941
Lieut Jay was welcomed home by his brother officers, had lunch at the mess & 5 mins after leaving the table, collapsed & died almost immediately of heart failure on 2 June 1941, age 44 years
He was buried in the Gaza War Cemetery
In November, 1941 a memorial tablet to him was unveiled at All Saints, Cammeray by Major General Wynter. Edgar Crescent and Jay Avenue, Belfield are named after Edgar Jay
Click images to start slideshow.