WHITE, Jack Mckenzie
| Service Numbers: | S38097, SX39408 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 December 1941, Wayville, SA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, 19 March 1922 |
| Home Town: | Mile End, City of West Torrens, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Electrician |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Yahl, South Australia, 21 April 2016, aged 94 years |
| Cemetery: |
Carinya Gardens Cemetery, Mount Gambier, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Willowie WW2 Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 16 Dec 1941: | Involvement S38097 | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1941: | Enlisted Wayville, SA | |
| 16 Dec 1941: | Enlisted S38097 | |
| 5 Oct 1943: | Involvement Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, SX39408, Trained as a driver prior to Transfer to AIF and Served in various Supply Depot Platoons. | |
| 14 Feb 1944: | Enlisted Brisbane, QLD | |
| 10 May 1945: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, SX39408, Embarked on US Sea Ray to Morotai, then LST470 to Manilla. Transferred to 7 POW Reception Camp set up in Manilla, Phillipines to repatriate British and Australian POW from Japan as the 3 POW Reception Group. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Di Barrie
Jack McKenzie White was born at Mile End, South Australia, 19 March 1922, eldest son of Graham McKenzie and Selena Margaret (nee Seery) White. Graham and Selena ran the Post Office at Willowie from 1928 through to 1959.
Jack listed his occupation as Electrician on his attestation form when he enlisted for service with the militia 16 December 1941. He was living at Mile End at this time and was 19 years of age. He was allocated SN S38097 and posted to Camp Headquarters at Wayville.
In April of 1942 he was admitted to Camp Hospital Wayville on two occasions, firstly with a displaced cartilage and then a strained knee, returning to his unit via 2/3 Convalescent Depot at Strathalbyn.
25 September 1942 he moved to the Army Trades Training Depot, and then on to the Motor Vehicle Trades Training Centre at Camp Pell, Victoria in early November, attending Course 21. He was subsequently transferred back to SA General Details Depot in early December, before entraining to the Australian Army Service Corps School at Geelong on 1 February 1943.
6 March 1943 he was moved to 1 Advance Reinforcement Depot, and then on to 4 Base Supply Depot at Brisbane in early May. On 5 October 1943 Jack was transferred to the AIF and allocated serial number SX39408. He joined 193 Supply Depot Platoon (one of the sub units of 4 Base Supply Depot) at the end of December 1943 and then moved to 209 Supply Depot Platoon (also part of 4 Base Supply Depot) in January 1944.
In May 44 he joined Headquarters 1 Base Sub Area at Strathpine which was the HQ for all the support units preparing to work with 1 Aust Corps when they were given a role. Jack left Australia aboard the US Army transport vessel ‘Sea Ray’ for Morotai 10 May 1945. Immediately following the Japanese surrender on the 15 August 1945, 7 POW Reception Camp was formed. Jack boarded ‘LST470’ for Manila, capital of the Philippines, 29 August 1945 to join 3 POW Reception Group which managed the British and Aust POWs recovered from Japan.
This operation was completed in October of 1945, and Jack then embarked for Manila per the Liberty ship ‘William Ellery Channing’, returning to Sydney 9 November 1945 for reposting. Jack’s final posting was with the SA Detachment of the Aust Army Canteen Service on 5 January 1946. On the 15 of April he became engaged to Gwenyth Iris Elliot, before his discharge from the AIF 24 May 1946.
He had served a total of 1621 days, of which 184 were on active service overseas. Jack married Gwenyth in the Pirie Street Methodist Church on 6 July 1946. They had three children.
Little is known of his movements after the war. At some stage they moved to the Mt Gambier district. He passed away 21 April 2016, at ‘The Oaks Aged Care Facility’, Yahl, aged 94 years of age. His ashes are interred with his wife in Carinya Gardens Cemetery, Mount Gambier. Rose Area 1, Garden D Allotment P7.
Excerpt taken from book "Diggers From the Dust" (2018) Di Barrie & Andrew Barrie
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