Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William, born in Sale, Victoria on the 7th January 1918, was the youngest of three sons of James Duncan and Christina Floyd. His siblings were Harold and Robert. Throughout his life he was known as John or more colloquially, Jack. He was an 18-year-old labourer when his mother died at the family home in Prospect in September ’36.
With the outbreak of WWII, 23-year-old Jack enlisted on the 15th January ’41 and was allocated the number SX10940 in the 2/48th Battalion reinforcements. His early training was at Terowie in the mid-north before he headed to the Middle East in August ’41. He was to become one of the highly respected Rats of Tobruk, a term initially designed to destroy morale of the troops by Germany with their fighters dropping leaflets urging the men to surrender, rather than live ‘like rats’ in their hand-hewn bunkers. Contrarily, the term was immediately seized on as a badge of honour.
Jack was accidentally injured with shrapnel wounds to his chin, left arm, and face causing him time in hospital at the end of December ’42. At the time the 2/48th moved back to Palestine, learning of a coming Divisional Parade. This resulted in an issue of new clothes and ‘T’ Colour patches, preceding the parade. Speeches were made praising the men for their historic achievements during the Battle of El Alamein and their magnificent effort in the Western Desert. During the rest period which followed, the third Christmas in Palestine for the battalion, Jack was injured. That no Court of Enquiry was held suggested that ‘high spirits’ were involved.
Finally, Jack’s battalion was able to leave the Middle East in February ’43 for Australia via Melbourne. Following brief leave, Jack was training in the tropical Queensland conditions, preparing to face a very different enemy in New Guinea. However, before leaving for overseas again, he was caught being AWOL for four hours and fined 5/. Service in Milne Bay followed where Jack continued to be affected by malaria, dengue fever and an extremely high temperature (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin). He then suffered several bouts of hookworm which continued to plague him.
Returning to Queensland, Jack received a fine for conduct prejudice to good order and was fined 5/- before again heading to the war zone in Morotai and service in Tarakan. More fines followed of increasing cost as well as a week confined to barracks. Over September and October, Jack was again affected by hookworm before he was finally able to leave Tarakan in November ’45 to be discharged on the 21st January ’46 with a self-inflicted infection. He then worked as a metal polisher.
Less than four years later, in 1950 Jack’s 73-year-old father, James died unexpectedly whilst travelling on a tram in King William Street. He was buried in the Dudley Park Cemetery.
It appeared that Jack’s experiences in the war had a lasting effect on his well-being. He lived in a boarding house, which caused some challenging behaviour for other residents. He was successfully able to appeal against a Court imposed decision in May ‘47.
Aged 78, Jack died on the17th August 1996.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.