Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Husband of Ettie DURRANT nee BARTON of Oxenbold Street, Parkside, SA.  

Keith Murdoch Durrant - my great, great grandfather - was born on April 23rd, 1905, in Semaphore, South Australia. He had 5 siblings, Gladice Murial, Dorothy, Ethel Clair, Joy, and Lorry. Keith and his family moved to Sydney where his father Ernest Durrant trained soldiers during World War One. Keith attended Randwick Boys’ School and achieved his certificate in 1918. He then came back to Adelaide after the war and joined the Cadets. He achieved the rank of Cadet Sergeant in 1919. Keith then joined the casual military force while working as a painter/labourer and then later, a driver/ mechanic. Due to The Great Depression, Keith moved to Western Australia to work at a goldmine in Kalgoorlie. After that he returned to Adelaide and worked as a stockman for his future wife Ettie. Keith Murdoch and Ettie Barton married on the 15th of November 1924 at the Prospect North Methodist Church. In 1925, their first baby was born, Ernest. They had 5 more children, Merle - My Great Grandmother - (1927), Joan (1929), Kenneth (1931), John (1934) and Valma (1936).

Keith Murdoch Durrant started his journey through the war when he was sent to Egypt with the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion. In Egypt they "honed in their skills" (Pg 44, The Long Carry), rather than learning new skills as they were already an experienced group.
In April 1941, to resist the anticipated German invasion. the Battalion was sent to Greece, where they occupied positions at Veria on the 7th of April but, due to the superior German force and a lack of supplies they began a long withdrawal south on the 12th of April. “In this campaign the chain of supply as we knew it in peace time was non-existent as we had to go forward for all supplies instead of coming from the rear….On the 27th we sailed, a far different unit as regards equipment then when we had landed in Greece….We were forced to abandon ship after numerous raids by the enemy aircraft and we thus lost more of our valuable stores.” -K.M Durrant. After abandoning ship, they were transported to Crete by the Royal Navy.

“The Battalion spirit was in evidence all personnel carrying on their duties cheerfully.” -K.M Durrant. In May 1941 the 2/1st Battalion was deployed in Crete to defend the crucial airfield at Retimo. Despite the bombing of their ship, the Battalion had high morale. “The Battalion spirit was in evidence all personnel carrying on their duties cheerfully.” -K.M Durrant. The German airborne invasion of Crete began on the 20th of May but a strong defence from the Battalion denied them Retimo Airfield until the 30th of May. German control in other locations on Crete, allowed them to use overwhelming force against Retimo with a small number of rations and ammunition. The 2/1st Battalion surrendered, and some became prisoners of war.

The Battalion regrouped in the Middle East a month later to return to Australia following threats of Japan invading their home country. They underwent jungle training in Queensland to prepare for the war in the Pacific, and in 1945 the Battalion was sent to Morotai, near the equator. The humidity was high, and mud was deep. They were sent to prepare for an invasion of Balikpapan, which was controlled by Japan. They carried out trial landings on the beaches.

In June 1945, the Battalion arrived at Balikpapan. The beaches were heavily armed with magnetic mines (the hardest type to remove). “Deep trenches were dug parallel to the beaches, connected to ditches by oil tanks. There was the possibility that oil would be run into the trenches and set alight to present a wall of flames to any assault force” (Pg 237, The Long Carry). “During the trials it was understood that the men in the amphibious vehicles would be taken across a short width of the beach to unload with protection from a small embankment identified in arial images. Unfortunately for the early waves they had to unload at the water’s edge rather than where the beach met the shelter of the palms. This meant the men had to rush out the back of the craft into the water”. (Pg. 243, The Long Carry). The Australians eventually pushed Japan out of Balikpapan and “combed through stragglers after their surrender” (Wikipedia).

“Keith Murdoch Durrant retired from service on 28th of May 1952 having achieved the rank of T/Major. He completed over 40 years of service in the Militia, AMF and AIF. Specifically, he served with the Cadets, 10 Battalion, 48 Battalion, Australian Army Service Corps, and the 2/1 Machine Gun Battalion.” -Gary Durrant

Sadly, His wife passed away from bowel cancer on the 6th of October 1962, aged 67. After this, Keith moved to Melbourne and became an accountant for Mercedes Benz. In Melbourne, he met Cecily and married her. Unfortunately, she died 4 years later. Keith moved back to Adelaide and lived in Yorketown with his eldest son. He died there on the 25th of May 1972. (Age 67) He was cremated at Centennial Park.

Bibliography

·       The Long Carry. A History of 2/1 Australian Machine Gun Battalion 1939-46

                By Philip Hocking. 1997.

·       Garry Durrant (Keith Durrant’s Grandson)

·       Wikipedia. (2021). 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion (Australia). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2/1st_Machine_Gun_Battalion_(Australia) [Accessed 7 May 2023].

·       www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U56170.