Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ronald  Blakeman BULL was born at Orroroo on the 8 Marach 1924, the third child of George John and Pearl (nee Masterman) Bull. George and Pearl farmed section 85 Hundred of Willowie.

Ron enlisted at Wayville 10 May 1943, listing his occupation as farm hand, and was based at Recruit Reception Depot Wayville until late May when he entrained to 2 Armoured Corps Training Regiment (later renamed Armed Corps Regimental Signals Training Unit in late September, before returning to ACTR on 11 December.

6 March 1944 Ron was entrained to Canungra, Queensland and 3 Reinforcement Training Battalion (3RTB – Jungle Warfare). However he requested and was granted emergency leave (reasons unknown) to return home to South Australia. This took effect on April 7. During this period he married Coral Lucy (nee Frick) on 11 May. He returned to South Australian Line of Communication GDD 23rd June and re-joined 3 RTB on the 17 July.

He then moved to 5 Adv Reinforcement Depot on the 4 September and subsequently allocated to 2/12 Battalion (Btn) at Kairi, Queensland. The battalion had been in training before undertaking its final operation of the war. 28 May 1945 Ron embarked at Townsville aboard the US troopship ‘Pontius H Ross’ and disembarked at Morotai briefly before boarding another ship for the landing at Balikpapan in Borneo on the 1 July as part of Operation Oboe.

The 2/12 Btn was well supported by artillery and tanks and its objectives with relatively light casualties. Its active role was over by 5 July. Following the end of the war on the 15 August , 2/12 personnel were progressively returned to Australia for discharge. Ron, possibly as a result of his late enlistment, stayed on and was transferred to the 2/25 Infantry Btn on the 21 December as the 2/12 Btn left Balikpapan on 1 January 1946.

Ron left Balikpapan on the ‘Goergetown Victory’ and disembarked at Rabaul, transferring to 11 Div Salvage Unit where he remained until his discharge from the army June 1946.

Returning to civilian life, Ron and Coral moved back to Willowie where Ron sharefarmed for Ray McCallum. He applied for a soldier settlers block but at this time there were only dairy farms in Victoria available. As Ron had little experience in dairying his application was initially knocked back. He purchased a small holding at Allambee near Yarragon, in the south east of Victoria, to gain some experience, eventually moving to the Ballarat area in the early sixties.

Ron and Coral had three daughters. Ronald died 30 September 2010 at St John of God Hospital, Ballarat, aged 86 years. He is interred at Bungaree (Pootilla) Cemetery, Victoria.

Excerpt taken from "Diggers From the Dust" (2018) Di Barrie and Andrew Barrie.