Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William (Bill) was born in Mount Gambier on the 25th January 1912 to William Hugh and Emily Gertrude Meyers. The family farmed at Kongorong, to the south-west of Mount Gambier, with the children attending the local school. As with most young sons of farmers, post school Bill assisted his father in the running of the family farm, which also included on-going challenges with a plague of rabbits, the need for a local, consistent water supply and the need for sturdy fencing to contain stock. Bill also acted as a labourer for other farmers as required.
With the outbreak of WWII, a huge exercise to particularly encourage fit young country men to enlist was underway. Younger brother, 21-year-old, Max enlisted to serve on the 3rd July ’40, becoming SX7659 in the 2/48th Battalion. Aged 27, Bill enlisted five months later on the 5th December 1940 as SX10574 as did another local, Herb Ashby who became SX10570 with both these new enlistees being placed in the 2/48th Battalion together. To commemorate the service of their young men, the community, friends and relatives of soldiers who had enlisted from the district organised a local tree planting ceremony. Trees were planted for both Max and Bill, Herbert Ashby, Lawrence Bird, Rex Butler SX2600 (later Killed in action in August ’43), Robert Chant SX2602 (later a POW), John Kiely SX2583 2/10th John McPhail SX2781 2/43rd Albert Praetz SX5830 and William Sheppard 407731 (later killed in a flying accident in Scotland).
Soon after his enlistment, unwanted news reached Kongorong in January that Bill’s brother, Max was seriously ill overseas, but a later update announced he had been removed from that list.
Prior to being posted overseas Bill and Herb Ashby were farewelled by a large crowd in the Kongorong Hall for a social evening. Typically, the Hall was beautifully decorated with dahlias, asters and guinea-gold marigolds. The popularity of the young men was evident in visitors coming from adjoining towns of Mt. Gambier, Moorak, O.B. Flat, Mt. Schank, Port MacDonnell and Allendale. Songs, dancing and entertainment kicked off the evening before the two new soldiers were escorted on to the stage and welcomed. Speeches followed, praising the young men who were held in high esteem by their community. The Kongorong residents then presented both men with a wallet containing notes, before a typical country supper ensued and the evening concluded with the singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
By March ’41 Bill was heading for the Middle East on the Ile de France, arriving in August. Time was then spent in training at the Amiriya Staging camp.
Bill learnt the distressing news that his younger brother, Max had been killed in action in Egypt on October 26 ’42. Just months later in December, Bill himself was hospitalised with a high fever called Pyrexia of unknown Origin (PUO). Other locals wrote home, including SX18467 Private Hartley Northen, also of the 2/48th Battalion who was in the Middle East with Bill. The Border Watch published that “He is a Bren gunner now and it's a good. job, too”, he says. He had been on leave in Alexandria and was very impressed with the place. Later, when back on duty one evening he writes, "I've just crawled back into my dugout and lit the fumigator, which consists of a tobacco tin of kerosene with a piece of string in the lid for a wick, and my, how it smokes." He is with an old pal, Bill Meyers, of Kongorong. At the time of writing, he was fit and well.’
Bill finally left the Middle East to head home via Melbourne in March ‘43. The conditions had taken their toll on his body as he experienced an upper respiratory tract infection and facial dermatitis causing him to spend some time recuperating in the ship’s hospital. A brief time of leave followed with both Bill and Herb Ashby again being the honoured guests with four other men at a social evening in the Kongorong Hall. They were hailed as being ‘fresh from their triumphs in the Western Desert where they met and repulsed Rommel's army at El Alamein.’ Speeches praising the men were given followed by the honouring of the ‘Silent Toast to Fallen Comrades’ where Bill would have remembered his younger brother as all stood in silence. The returnees were congratulated on their work for Australia and the Empire in Greece, Crete, Syria, Palestine, the Western Desert, Tobruk, and New Guinea. Their friends applauded what they had done and welcomed them home. Music, dancing, supper and traditional songs were then followed by the singing of ‘God Save the King’.
Bill’s battalion then headed to Queensland to prepare for a very different war against a different enemy in harsh tropical conditions. He arrived in Milne Bay in September ’43 but within two months was wounded in action. The Border Watch carried the news in December. ‘At the monthly meeting of the Bay Council on Monday, Cr. Crowe reported that a Kongorong soldier. Cpl. W. E. Meyers had recently been wounded and moved that a letter be written to his parents expressing the hope that he would soon be restored to good health. In seconding, Cr. C. T. Atkin said that he understood that a hand grenade was thrown at him and the explosion damaged his knuckles. The motion was carried. Bill is a "Tobruk rat," and went through the hottest fighting at El Alamein, where his brother fell in action. This is the third time he has been wounded.’
Having recovered, Bill received a promotion to A/Corporal but again was wounded with a gunshot wound to his hand in February ’44 which cause further evacuation for treatment. Bill eventually requested to return to the rank of Private. A less than healthy diet caused numerous digestive issues, to which repeat bouts of malaria, chronic stomach pains, a fingernail infection and appendicitis was added. Bill was able to spend some time on leave to recuperate back home on the farm with his parents in March that year.
He was then involved in the final ‘mopping up’ operations through the Salvage Unit. The war had certainly taken its toll on him as he still experienced malaria and also chronic stomach pains when he was finally discharged on the 30th July ’45. With the declaration of peace, Bill was more able to enjoy life. Finally in January ’48 he married Betty Dawn elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Glenburnie in the Presbyterian Church in an afternoon wedding. A welcome pre-wedding party was held by Betty’s friends where she was presented with a case of teaspoons and a beautiful shoulder spray of flowers. Betty was a local who had attended the local Glenburnie school and was heavily involved in community activities including cookery competitions, flower decorations (including a special mention and award for her bowl of pink delphiniums at the ’48 Mt Gambier Flower Lovers’ Show), being a member of the Mt Gambier Rangers and a Girl Guide leader. She was also a tennis and vigero player, particularly excelling as a goalkeeper in hockey. In April ’49 Bill and Betty welcomed a daughter, Heather Dawn and in April ‘52 a son Maxwell John, named in honour of Bill’s young brother, killed in action. Two years later in December ’54 Bill and Betty purchased 88 acres of grazing land at Mt Percy.
Bill’s father, William Snr died on the 20th November ’56 and was buried at the Lake Terrace Cemetery in Mt Gambier with Emily joining him two years later on 15 October ’58 aged 77.
Aged 66 Bill died in October ‘78 and was buried in the Carinya Gardens Cemetery, Cypress Garden Plot 37 Row AC where he was interred on the 23rd. Betty lived to be 69 and died in December ’95. She was then buried with Bill.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.