Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William (Bill) was born at Franklin Harbour on the 3rd November 1908 to parents Maria and Samuel Turner Dunn. He had an older brother, James Andrew. Their father died on the 18th October, ’28 at Karcultaby on the Eyre Peninsula just prior to William’s 20th birthday.
James and his wife, Ellen Rose had a second young son, Ronald James who was born when William was 10. Unfortunately, young Ron died in the Adelaide Hospital in February ’33 when he was just 13. It is possible that this incident triggered James to take drastic action two years later when, aged 38 he took strychnine. For about six months, 26-year-old William had been living with James and his wife, Ellen Rose to help James in his work as a wood dealer. The arrangement had caused a rift between the couple which escalated to a strange incident, when William was in bed late one evening. Unexpectedly, James entered the room, throwing a tomahawk at William, which fortunately lodged in the bedhead. A fight ensued but James eventually laughed the incident off. This was passed off as James had also suffered from ‘fits’ and afterwards would just want to be left alone. Later, James acquired poison, ostensibly to get rid of foxes near the camp site where he chopped wood. However, it subsequently appeared to be a deliberate action as he was observed mixing a ‘medicine’ which he consumed with his afternoon tea. That afternoon, William was driving the wood-ladened trolley whilst James sat atop the load. Just 200 yards into their delivery journey, James admitted having taken strychnine and started fitting. William turned the trolley around, heading back to the shed, with James staggering inside. William headed off to get the local Constable, but in the meantime James’ health deteriorated resulting in his distressing death on the 2nd March ‘35. An inquest subsequently determined he had taken his own life with strychnine.
With the outbreak of WWII, William was about 33 when he enlisted to serve in WWII on the 15th January ’41. He was allocated the number SX10952 in the 2/48th Battalion naming his widowed mother Maria as his next of kin. He was to become renown for his care of injured soldiers and for the manner in which he relentlessly carried out his duties as a stretcher bearer. It is not inconceivable that the close family deaths of his father, nephew and brother influenced his actions.
On the 26th October ’42 in the fighting at Sidi Rahman where enemy troops began amassing, a massive wall of fire was put down when Trig 29 came under enormous fire. Heavy casualties were inflicted. When a lone jeep, carrying three men arrived, the 2/48th held their fire until the driver alighted – and spoke German. All guns opened up with two of the occupants killed. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan and Darren Paech in Adelaide to Alamein recorded ‘Both the men left were badly wounded; they were handed over to our stretcher-bearer, Bill Dunn, then placed on the jeep and taken back to Battalion headquarters.’ When later questioned, one of the Germans had said that five days ago he had been at Trig 29, but then it had been safely in German hands and the soldier was returning to report.
During this fierce fighting the 2/48th were near exhaustion, dirty, and sleep deprived with the ranks thinned to about 415. Incessant flies and heat made resting almost impossible as the men prepared for an assault on the 29th October. ‘Pieces of shrapnel were slapping into the ground near the 2/48th trucks, and men began scraping and digging shallow trenches. Stretcher-bearer Dunn, a big man, had just settled into his hole with a sigh of satisfaction when he heard a strange clanging noise beside him. A mine had toppled in from the edge. He, with Lieutenant McLellan and several others, had dug slit trenches right in a minefield.’
It was during the ensuing fighting at El Alamein over the next days, 30th and 31st that Bill was awarded the Military Medal for working ‘incessantly under fire to treat and evacuate the wounded’.
Glenn also later wrote ‘Truly it can be said of these men, “They fought themselves and their enemy to a standstill until flesh and blood could stand no more, then they went on fighting.” He added ‘No account of this night’s battle would be complete without mention being made of the men who had, in the face of fire, tended our wounded.’ He listed Bill amongst the group of 17 ‘who had done a marvellous job, working until they were too exhausted to evacuate the wounded. It says much for them that not one man was missed in their search over the four thousand yards from Trig 29 to the Blockhouse, or in the attack of 3,600 yards to Ring Contour 25. Of one stretcher bearer, Private W.C. Dunn, the citation for the Military Medal reads:
‘Despite intense fire still coming from an enemy post, Private Dunn attended the wounds of a forward platoon commander and other wounded men. At the risk of his life, but without considering his own personal danger, he worked incessantly under fire to treat and evacuate the wounded.’
By January ’43 news of the Distinguished Conduct Medal awards were made with, not unsurprisingly, the 2/48th Battalion being well recognised. They included SX7410 Sergeant Robert Frank Gordon Ranford, of Bartley terrace, Davington, SX7410 2/48th Corporal Kingsley George Albrecht, of Kingston-on-Murray and Corporal Robert Francis Kennedy, SX7092 of Halbury. Additionally, Private William Charles Dunn, of Ellen street, Prospect also from the 2/48th was awarded the Military Medal. The decorations were for gallantry in the attack made by the 9th Australian Division on Rommel's forces, which led to the defeat of the enemy in Egypt.
William was finally discharged on the 2nd January ‘46 with his mother able to enjoy having him safely back home. She lived to be 82 and died a decade later, on the 23rd October 56, then was buried in the Cummins Cemetery. William lived to be 58. He died on the 6th August ’67.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion