Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Obituary in the Advertiser Saturday January 20, 2018.

Luck helped Reg make it home

REGINALD FRANK
VERRALL
World War II service
Born: June 25, 1920. Uraidla
Died: October 14, 2017: Willunga

REG Verrall was never under any illusion that his survival, from desert warfare in the Middle East to the mud and rain of New Guinea, involved anything but good luck.

He had been born to Frank and Ruby Verrall and survived the Depression helping is father on the family orchard at Hermitage and trapping and selling rabbits and rabbit skins.

After turning 15, he moved to Willunga to help his uncle as a general farm labourer.

He joined the army having already been trained at Woodside through the compulsory militia (CMF) service that had been introduced following the outbreak of war. He was soon on his way to the Middle East.

He was part of the reinforcements for the 2/43rd battalion which had been in the
thick of fighting at Tobruk.

Reg spent time training as a commando in the Syrian mountains before the 2/43rd was once again thrown into battle at El Alamein.

When the Australians were withdrawn from the Middle East, the 2/43rd rested in Sydney before landing near Lae in New Guinea.

Reg said the harsh terrain of New Guinea, the incessant rain and mud and the infestations of mosquitoes and snakes were his worst wartime experiences. He was wounded once, when shrapnel hit his face and drew blood, and was fortunate to escape a sniper's bullet on another occasion. He spared a thought for his father Frank, a WWI veteran badly wounded three times, who seldom said a word about his experiences.

The 2/43rd struggled for days through rain, swamps, rivers and snipers before having to overcome severe enemy resistance on the outskirts of Lae.

They took Lae and fought their way inland before, now severely depleted and suffering from a wave of tropical illnesses, they were sent back to Australia. Later they served in Borneo.

After the war, Reg started a greengrocery round in Willunga and districts, and in 1947 married Yankalilla girl, Ellie, and had two children. Ellie died in 2004 and he became a companion to the late Beryl.

He grew successful as a Willunga businessman, developing a set of prominent shops on the high street.

A cricketer for the 2/43rd, Reg was an outstanding batsman for the Willunga A grade cricket team, and played for the B Grade team into his 50s.

As he grew older he became more widely recognised among the dwindling ranks of soldiers who saw service in the Middle East, and was often interviewed
about his wartime experiences on Anzac Days.

He is survived by children Gary and Heather and one grandchild.