Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Kevin Melville Barrie was born at Willowie 18 October 1920, the fourth child of Robert and Alice Mathilda (nee Wood) Barrie. Robert and Alice farmed Sections 17 South and North, Hundred of Pinda and Kevin and his two brothers and sister grew up on the farm and attended Willowie Primary School. Kevin attended Secondary School in Adelaide then commenced employment with South Australian Railways,

Kevin enlisted for war service on 8 January 1941 at Alberton, joining the transport detail of 6 Cavalry Field Ambulance on 8 January 1941 and assigned Army number S34673. He had initially wanted to join the RAAF as a wireless air gunner/radio operator but was unsuccessful. On the 30 July 1941 he was transferred to the 3 Brigade Area – Reserved Occupation of the 2nd AIF. He was called up for full time service 26 January 1942 at 4 Military District Recruit Reception Depot , and subsequently 7 Military District Training Dept at Springbank, South Australia. He was transferred to the AIF on 3 July 1942, initially retaining his Army number which was now SXM34673 but this was subsequently cancelled on 25 August 1942 (There was a backlash against using SXM numbers, the men saw themselves as second class citizens) and he was subsequently allotted SX20523.

On 26 August 1942 he was sent to 3 Infantry Training Battalion (Btn) at Sandy Creek, followed by eight days leave before boarding a train destined for the 19th Infantry Training Btn at Watsonia in Victoria. Kevin recalled in a letter to his mother that the train trip from Adelaide took almost eighteen hours, and that ‘It was cold enough travelling. Put our greatcoats on and huddled up in our seats. It was too crowded to lie on the floors & luggage racks, as we carried all our gear. Still have a stiff neck & a lump on the head from leaning against the windowsill.’

On arrival at Watsonia on the 13 October he was assigned to R Company. In another letter home he wrote that he ‘was not struck with the camp but the first day was always the worst. The tents were pitched in a patch of scrub which he hoped would make a good windbreak’. He did not know how long he would be there but the next move came soon enough.

In a letter to his mother, dated the 1 December 1942 he wrote:

‘Well Mum, I don’t really know how to start this note, but fact is it looks like our time has come’. Sixteen days later he boarded the troop ship ‘Duntroon’ at Townsville, disembarking at Port Moresby on Christmas Eve 1942. The following day he flew to Popendetta and marched to Buna where he joined D Company of the 2/10 Btn before being transferred to Headquarters Company. On completion of the Buna campaign the battalion marched to Sananada, completing that mission on the 21 January 1943.

 He returned to the Port Moresby area and eventually sailed for Cairns and then went inland to Ravenshoe where his unit was based, before being despatched for leave to South Australia. It was several months before he returned to his unit as he had contracted bronchial pneumonia (he believed this was due to the change in climate) and was also suffering from tropical ulcers and malaria.

On the 17 August 1943 he returned to Port Moresby to re-join his unit. He was promoted to Lance Corporal 1 October 1943. Following a period of intensive training the unit flew to Dumpu, New Guinea, where they engaged the Japanese in the Finisterre and Shaggy Ridge campaigns. At the conclusion of that mission, and after a brief spell in hospital, the unit was flown back to Lae and in May 1944 boarded ‘Duntroon’ once more to return to Cairns and their camp at Kairi on the Atherton Tablelands. In late June and July of 1944 Kevin was shuffled between hospital and convalescent home before re-joining his unit on the 18 September 1944.

He was promoted to Corporal on the 25 April 1945 and later that month attended 3 Mortar School in preparation for the last major land battle that the Australians took part in, the 7th division landing at Balikpapan, Borneo, which the Japanese had held since January 1942 and as a result was heavily fortified. Boarding ‘LST 454’ on the 22 June 1945, Kevin saw action at Balikpapan where he was promoted to Lance Sergeant before being shipped out at the end of hostilities, via Morotai and Darwin, suffering from eczema. He was eventually discharged at Hampstead on the 28 March 1946.

Kevin returned to his job with the South Australian Railways rising to the position of Assistant Station Master, Adelaide, before relocating to the Mile End Goods Yard where he finished his working career. He married Dorothy Joan Morley on the 31 March 1956 and had three children. Kevin passed away on the 28 February 1994, aged 73 years.

Source: "Diggers From the Dust" Di Barrie & Andrew Barrie