Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Reginald James Egan (Dutchy) was born in Mount Gambier on the 27th of December 1917. He was the sixth child of Arthur and Annetta, with 10 siblings Clement, Veronica, Arthur, Martin, Thelma, Phyllis, Nancy, Betty, Madge and Ralph.
Reginald attended St Pauls Primary until 1930 and Marist Brothers College until 1932
In 1933 Dutchy when looking for a job, had little option but to take anything he could get. He was lucky enough, after riding his bike out to the Suttontown Co-Op in response to an advertisement in the paper, to be taken on by Bill Graney. A year later Dutchy was approached by the Gambier West Co-Op.
Dutchy’s next move was to the Kalangadoo Cheese Factory originally to help out for two weeks and ended up staying for five years.
Co-worker Eric McMahon and Dutchy became great mates, knocking around together being interested in boxing and wrestling, riding their bikes out to Wepar school for dances and showing great interest in the farmers daughters.
With the onset of war Dutchy enlisted on the 18th of February 1941 at Wayville and was transferred to the 13th Field Training Battalion on the 5th of May 1941.
Gunner Egan records showed he went on pre embarkment leave on the 8th of May after which he was transferred to the 13th Reinforcement Group on the 22nd of May 1941. The group embarked overseas on the Convoy US 11, arriving in Palestine, on the 25th of July 1941, where training continued.
On the 11th of November 1941 Gunner Egan was taken on strength to join the 2/7th Field Regiment. By this time all Australian troops had been evacuated from Tobruk and the 9th Division was reforming in Palestine. However, the 2/7th was sent to the Royal Artillery’s Almaza Base Depot, Cairo, where it became the depot training regiment at the Middle East School of Artillery.
In February 1942, they were attached to the 20th Infantry Brigade Group covering the Turkish border from Aleppo (Syria). In March they moved to Bsarma from where they worked on the Tripoli Fortress defences.
By June 1942 the war in North Africa had become critical for the Allies, with the German and Italian forces reaching El Alamein, in Egypt, about 112 kilometres west from Alexandria. The 9th Division was rushed to the Alamein “box” and held the northern sector for almost four months.
On the 10th of July 1942, with the 2/7th Field Regiment, being involved in the heavy fighting that followed when the Germans counter-attacked. Fighting continued for five days, during which time the 2/7th fired 20,129 rounds.
The 2/7th remained in action during the following months, supporting Operation Bulimba, the 20th Brigade’s attack at the start of September. During the main Alamein offensive at the end of October and the start of November, the 2/7th supported the 20th Brigade’s advance.
During the thirteen days of battle, the regiment participated in the pursuit of enemy troops and went as far as El Daba. The 2/7th was one of the few Australian units that left the divisional area during the battle
Gunner Egan embarked from Port Tewfik, for Australia in January 1943.
The regiment arrived in Melbourne in February 1943 and was based at Seymour while the troops took leave, reassembling at Kairi (Queensland).
The gunners spent the next two years in north Australia, training first at Kiri and then Ravenshoe, on the Atherton Tableland. During this period Gunner Egan had an eye operation with records stating it was due to a condition for Pterygium
The regiment went into action in April 1945, with the division being transported to Morotai, which was being used as a staging area for the Oboe operations on Borneo. The first phase of the Borneo operation was an amphibious landing on Tarakan Island by the 2/7th. Coming ashore in landing craft, following the infantry on the first day of the invasion on the 1st of May 1945. The regiment fired more than 37,000 shells during the campaign. In October 1945 Gunner Egan was promoted to Bombardier.
Following Japan’s surrender and the end of the war, Bombardier Egan left Tarakan in December to return to Australia. He was discharged on the 24th of January 1946 after serving 1,802 days.
Bombardier Reginald James Egan was awarded the following medals
1939 - 45 Star
Africa Star / 8th Clasp
The Pacific Star
Defence Medal
War Medal
Australian Service Medal 1939 - 1945
Australian Service Medal 1945 – 1975 + South West Pacific Clasp
After discharge, like many others, he took a while to settle down and filled in some time helping to reduce the rabbit population, driving around in an old blitz buggy.
In 1946, Dutchy took the job of cheese maker at the Tantanoola Co-Op.
In 1947 he married local Tantanoola girl, Elwynne Serle and went on to have three children, Tony (1948), Desmond (1949) and Claire (1950). He has ten grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.
Dutchy remained at Tantanoola until it closed in 1965 (20 years). Although the eighty-year history of the Tantanoola factory ended sadly, Dutchy could look back to a time when the factory had what was probably its heyday, brought about largely by his own efforts. After leaving the factory he took on various jobs until starting shift work at the Cellulose Paper Mill at Snuggery. At the age of sixty he retired and had twenty four wonderful years of retirement in Tantanoola.
Dutchy was a member of the Tantanoola RSL and continued to catch up with his mates from the 2/7th attending a number of reunions in Woodside and Perth. He always marched on Anzac Day either in Adelaide or Mount Gambier
Dutchy had a keen interest in football and racing. He played football for Tantanoola, being part of two A Grade Premierships (1947 and 1948). After his playing days he took up umpiring.
He holds the distinction of being the only umpire ever, to report a whole team (this being Mount Burr against Kalangadoo).
His passion for his beloved Tantanoola Football Club saw him take on many duties, including being President and a Committee member and then taking up the Scoreboard Duties and cleaning out the change rooms weekly. He was awarded a Life Member of the Club. The Best Club Person Award is presented each year in his memory. He was very well known for his passionate barracking and being very loyal and being a very one eyed supporter. He also loved his horse racing and in earlier years even owned and trained greyhounds. He was well known around the local race meetings following his love of the sport.
Reginald James Egan passed away on the 28th of June 2002 aged 84 years and is interred at the Tantanoola Cemetery.

A Brave Soldier at Rest
Lest We Forget

I have a Christmas card sent in 1941 by Reginald J Egan to Mr and Mrs John Dignan ( My grandparents) of Kalangadoo- Wepar. Was sent from "abroad" inside are "flowers from the Holy Land" as per the card details with . Will attach photos.
Reg and my father ( Desmond Osborne) were friends and involved WW11 together