Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Alan and his twin brother, Keith were born at Yoho, Rapid Bay on the 29th August 1919 to Ida Dorothy and William Gerrard. Yoho station was a 6,000-acre property owned by their great-grandfather, William Gerrard who came to South Australia in 1839. He was renown as a pioneer breeder of thoroughbred horse bloodstock from 1861 until 1880. One particular horse named Ace of Trumps won the Adelaide Cup. The stallion house in which the thoroughbreds were kept was once described as being, 'a palace as compared with the domicile for the men folk.' It was a two-storey building of stone, with a slate roof and of such impressive dimensions it now rates of important Heritage Significance in the area. In later years, William turned to sheep breeding with the area of Delamere being ideal grazing country. Unfortunately, the original William died in July 1884 just weeks after moving to live in Glenelg.
Alan’s father, (also William) continued to live on Yoho Station whilst the children were young. Successive generations of the family carried the name ‘William Gerrard’, with the twin’s older brother, born in 1910 also named William.
The family later sold Yoho and moved to Brighton where they became regular members of the St Jude’s Church of England. The younger parishioners, including Alan and Keith were part of the coordinating group that organised dances in the local Grundy Hall to raise funds for the Red Cross, Fighting Forces Comfort Funds and Cheer-Up Hut in the early ‘40’s in the early days of WWII.
Soon after, all three brothers enlisted to serve. William (who by that time was married with a daughter) enlisted in the R.A.A.F. just prior to his 30th birthday in July ‘40 as 27153 and rose to become a Sergeant.
Alan, who had been working for the S.A. Gas Company had been part of the 2/3 Australian Pioneer Battalion from March ’40 as S19818. He featured in a News article in October ’40 where the Home defence trainees were called up in August and had passed through the recruit stages. They were then in Camp as part of the 27th Militia Battalion (Scottish Regiment) to undertake advanced work. Alan featured in a photo being instructed in the use of a clinometer mounted on a Vickers gun with Sgt D Keley and Private R Bice. Despite enduring a lacerated leg and ongoing problems with tinea, Alan eventually transferred, enlisting on the 30th September ’43 at Waradale to then become SX32801. A fortnight later his twin brother Keith, who had been working with the South Australian Railways, also enlisted on the 13th October as SX33264 He served in Bougainville as part of the 38 Operational Wireless section.
Alan was soon on his way to Townsville where he was briefly with the 2/17th Battalion in December ’43 before joining the 2/48th in February ’44 to serve in New Guinea for a month. On his return to Brisbane in March that year he was treated for malaria. By March ’45 he was training on the Atherton Tableland in Queensland where, fortuitously, a group portrait of No 15 Platoon, C Company, 2/48th Battalion was taken, which included Alan. He then left in April for time in Morotai as Lance Corporal. He was then serving at Tarakan for the closing months of the war. When highly respected Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead visited Tarakan in May that year, a video was taken as he moved about the camp. Part of the footage included SX32801 Pte Alan Gerrard, SX7691 Pte Keith Turnbull and SX33180 Pte Edward Sheridan, all of "C" Company, 2/48th Australian Infantry Battalion, as they prepared to erect their tent on Collins Ridge.
A further photo was taken as Alan’s 15 Platoon, C Company, 2/48 Infantry Battalion took rations to the Australian troops fighting on Evan’s Ridge above the town. The hot meals were taken by jeep as far up the road as possible, then by the soldiers on foot while the area continued to be under mortar fire. The photograph shows: SX68371 Sergeant (Sgt) Dean Hornal Adams; VX82362 Private (Pte) George Henry Shaw; SX20914 Pte Leslie Ronald Blight; SX32801 Pte Alan Gerrard; SX7134 Staff Sergeant Brian Francis Murphy; SX9585 Sgt Kenneth McMillan Leggett; SX15760 Pte Leslie Henry Loxton; VX146451 Pte Sydney Adolphus Ruhe; SX18282 Lance Corporal Oscar Lincoln Howell and SX8910 Pte Jack Raymond Cufley.
An observation was later made by a fellow soldier that ‘I came up through the town passing along a line of natives flowing back through our lines. We have now 6,000 of them under our care of many races—Chinese, Javanese, and others—whom for the sake of simplicity, we class as Indonesians. Most of them lived in the town before we came and fled to the hills when the battle for the island began. They have been coming in every day since then, pathetically eager for food, care and safety. Among them have come a number of Dykas, who, for all I know, may be the wild men of Borneo. They wear nothing but a loin cloth, their black hair draped down over their shoulders and the lobes of their ears stretched and slit. I have an idea that the Japanese must have left them severely alone.’
On his return to South Australia, Alan reverted to the rank of Private. Older brother William was the first to be discharged on the 15th November ’45, Alan on the 27 March ’46 and Keith on the 29 August ’46. All had survived the war.
Alan’s mother, Ida died aged 80 on the 30th October ’61 and was buried in the St Jude’s Church Cemetery which had guided their lives. Father William live to be 82 and died in November ’65, resting now with Ida. All three sons are remembered on the Church’s WWII Roll of Honour.
Written and researched by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.