Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Mervyn McCallum Bartlett was born at Prospect 20 June 1918, the second of 6 children born to Albert Josiah and Jessie Hannah (nee McCallum) Bartlett. Albert and Jessie farmed ‘Saltia Farm’, Section 135, Hundred of Willowie.

After the first bombing of Darwin 19 February 1942, Merv, along with Ross Gum, decided to join the 2nd AIF. They travelled by train from Orroroo to Adelaide where they enlisted 2 March 1942 at the Wayville Showgrounds. Merv listed his occupation as shearer and farmer. His records indicate he then went on leave without pay for three weeks. A relative recalls him saying that this was to recover from inoculations and vaccinations.

On 2 April he was posted to 48 Battalion (Btn) AMF and entrained for Victoria, where he joined the unit at Gherang, south west of Geelong. They moved to Narellan, New South Wales in May 1942 during which time Merv had a brief stint in hospital with mumps, before the 48 Bn converted to 108 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment (108 LAA Rgt) 27 August 1942.

At the end of September 1942 he was posted to 21 Infantry Training Btn at Tenterfield. 13 November 1942 he was marched into the New Guinea Force Advanced Reinforcements Depot at Sellheim.

22 November 1942 Merv boarded the ‘Taroona’ at Townsville, disembarking at Port Moresby where he was assigned to the 2/27 Btn on the 29th of that month. At that stage they were resting outside Port Moresby and were soon flown over for the assault on Gona. He was to remain in New Guinea until 12 January 1943 when he boarded the ‘Cleveland Abbe’ at Port Moresby, disembarking at Townsville three days later. He returned to Ravenshoe and underwent further training until June 1943 when he embarked the ‘Duntroon’ at Townsville, returning to New Guinea for the assault on Lae and then into the Ramu Valley. 26 October 1943 he was graded Grade III Signaller.

January 1944 Merv left Port Moresby once more aboard the ‘Extolin’, disembarking at Brisbane and taking leave. However he was evacuated to 121 General Hospital at Northfield South Australia with a bout of malaria on 15 March. He was marched out to First Australian Army School of Signals in Wongabel, Queensland on 14 June, but went down with another bout of malaria and evacuated to 105 Casualty Clearing Station at Strathpine. On discharge from hospital he completed a Regimental Signallers (Infantry) Refresher course 12 July 1944. Whilst he passed the course the comments from the examiner state that whilst his conduct was very good, and he studied hard, his results were disappointing as he lacked signals background.

2 June 1945, Merv boarded the ‘General Anderson’ at Townsville for Morotai, disembarking 6 days later, before boarding the ‘Manoora’ on 4 July, and disembarking at Balikpapan as part of Operation ‘Oboe’. He was promoted to Corporal in November that year. After the Japanese surrender Merv joined Macassar Force, which was formed from 21 Inf Bde Gp to take the surrender at Macassar and the south west peninsula of Celebes.

Merv was discharged from the army on 27 March 1946. He had served a total of 43 months on active service, with a total of 513 days on overseas duty. Merv married Eva Myrtle Koch 31 January 1948. They had two sons. He died 31 January 1973 aged 54 years and is interred at the Yankalilla Cemetery, South Australia.

His obituary in the Victor Harbour Times of 16 February 1973 records:

‘Mr. Mervyn McCallum Bartlett who died on January 31 was held in high esteem in the Yankalilla district. His sudden death came as a great shock to his many friends and fellow sportsmen. Mr. Bartlett was born at Willowie in the Upper North and as a young man, prior to enlistment in the 2nd A.I.F., as a prominent sportsman, particularly where cricket was concerned. He was also an accomplished singer, taking tenor parts in many concerts.

During World War II he served in New Guinea and Borneo and walked the Kokoda Trail with the 2/27th Battalion. After the war he took up dairying at Yankalilla and married on January 31, 1948. Mr. Bartlett was a keen cricketer and footballer and later played bowls. For the past two years he was president of the Yankalilla Bowling Club. He was also a member of the local R.S.L. sub-branch. Mr. Bartlett is survived by his widow and two sons, Neville and Dean.’

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