Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born in Mount Gambier on the 2nd of May 1910, Cornelius was named after his father, Cornelius Fitzgerald. His mother was Ellen (Kerrin) from Mount Gambier. Con had three sisters, Minnie Doreen, Noreen Veronica (Rhonda), Ellie Kathleen, and a brother Leonard Noel.
Con was the third generation of the Fitzgerald family to farm with his grandfather coming to the colloquially known ‘drainage area’ from Tarpeena and selecting land near Hatherleigh. The two sons, Con’s father Cornelius and uncle Patrick, worked the land in partnership for many years. Just prior to Con’s birth, the brothers spent two years in the West Australian Goldfields over 1906 and 1907 before returning to be successful graziers in Hatherleigh, a farming region north of Millicent in the Limestone coast region. Cornelius also became a member of the Beachport District Council and acted as Chairman for a term. All his children, including Con, attended the local Hatherleigh School and the family were involved in the regularly run community activities including Dances and Balls to raise funds for the school library. Unlike his sisters, Con was less inclined to be a performer in the school concerts. The children were all active tennis players for Hatherleigh, in the Millicent Association, representing their town in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Con and Leonard frequently paired in the men’s doubles throughout the ‘30’s.
Post school, Con worked as a station hand. He was 24 when his older married sister, Minnie Aberle (Doreen), contracted pneumonia prior to Christmas ’34 and was treated in the Thyne Memorial Hospital for several months before returning home. Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated into double pneumonia resulting in her death, aged 29, leaving her seven-year-old son and the extended family to mourn her death. The following year, Con’s sister Rhonda was given a farewell evening prior to her marriage to Mr. Richard E. McRostie, of Norseman, Western Australia. Games, sketches, singing and dancing were all part of the entertainment at the local Hatherleigh Schoolroom. Prior to supper, speeches were made in praise of Rhonda, with Con responding to these on her behalf (as was the tradition in those times.) Then, just prior to Christmas, Con again was involved in Rhonda and Richard’s wedding as he escorted her into the St. Alphonsus' Church in Millicent. Their young sister Ellie was Rhonda’s bridesmaid.
With the outbreak of WWII, 30-year-old Con enlisted on the 25th November ’40 with another local, Allan Wylie, also from Hatherleigh enlisting just days later on the 2nd Dec 40, as SX10514. Con’s number was SX10345. Their early days were spent in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds where their ‘beds’ were straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. Con had a minor operation prior to leaving as on the battlefield and in desert conditions, water and washing would be a luxury. The battalion then trained in the Adelaide Hills before embarking at the end of April. They arrived in the Middle East on the 14th May and immediately marched to a Staging Camp where they were kitted out, before officially joining the 2/48th Battalion reinforcements.
While Con was serving overseas, he learnt of the death of his 77-year-old father at his home in Hatherleigh in October ’41. Tributes to Cornelius appeared in the local Border Watch and Catholic newspaper, Southern Cross. Many local attendees were at the funeral and graveside in the Millicent Cemetery, an indication of the respect in which the family was held.
Con was wounded in action at the start of November ’42 with a gunshot wound to his right leg. At the time, his battalion had seized Trig 29, a key location in the Battle of El Alamein. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan painted an image of those days. ‘The troops had never been more tired. Yet, notwithstanding the fact that they had not slept for three nights, all were grimly determined to put everything they had into the fight to hold what had been won. Their spirits were high. All-round teamwork, cooperation, and an eagerness to be dug in by dawn caused every man, irrespective of rank or his particular task, to throw his whole weight behind the battalion.’ Heavy fighting helped capture this feature, but the challenge was in ‘digging in’ to the rocky ground. Glenn added ‘The 2/48th had stirred up a real hornet’s nest; from first light until nine o’clock, the enemy turned all their fury on the Trig area, with particularly heavy fire on 29 itself, hiding the position in dust and smoke.’
In November ’42 The South Eastern Times, Border Watch and Advertiser all carried the news of their local young men being wounded. ‘Reports of three Millicent soldiers of the AIF having been wounded in action have been received by the relatives. They are Private Allan Wylie and Private Con.(Cornelius) Fitzgerald (SX10345), both of Hatherleigh and Private Jack Seebohm (SX14283) of Millicent. They all enlisted from this district and have been on active service abroad for a comparatively long period.’ All three were from the 2/48th Battalion.
Both the Advertiser and Chronicle published lists of the men killed or wounded. It painted a raw image of the extensive effects on the 2/48th Battalion. Con was treated in hospital for over a month before he was able to re-join his battalion for Christmas. Just two months later, he and the 2/48th left the Middle East, returning to Australia via Melbourne and well-earned leave when he was able to return home. In March ’43, the Millicent ‘old diggers’ entertained the new breed of soldiers who had been serving in WWII, with a toast in their honour. Because of his injury, Con was one of two soldiers who reluctantly had to give their apologies for being absent. The soldiers were praised as being “jolly good fellows, and expressed the hope that the war would be brought to a speedy and successful termination. Reference was made to the similarity of aims and ideals for which the two Australian expeditionary forces had fought and bled, and to the need for greater watchfulness over the terms of peace that would follow the present world conflict. It was declared that when the Allies had achieved victory on the "battlefield, their soldiers as civilians, would have much to do to make the victory worthwhile.” All the returned men spoke, giving their perspective of their war experience.
Con’s injured knee continued to be problematic as by May ’43 he was treated for fluid on his knee joints. This was followed by multiple swellings in several joints (polyarthritis) and a skin condition where the skin on his face and hands thickened and bled causing calluses and corns (called hyperkeratoses). With his health deteriorating, Con had extended leave without pay until June ’44 when he returned to work in Queensland. He changed his next of kin details to his brother, Leonard in September that year. Con was finally discharged on the 12th April ’45.
He married Isobelle Phoebe, known as ‘Terry’ and they had two children, Ronda and Barry. Con returned to the farm back home at Hatherleigh, where by April ’48 he and Leonard as graziers expanded their holding, purchasing a total of 882 acres from another local M. Domaschenz. The wool Con produced on his holding continued to be of a high quality as he also continued to gain good prices for his lambs in Jan ’51. In the ‘50’s an appeal was conducted by the local Millicent ‘Fathers’ Association’ for local Dads to donate wool – which Con readily signed up for each year.
Aged 69, Con died in ‘76 and was buried in the Millicent Cemetery with the very apt description ‘Nature’s Gentleman’ on his plaque. Aged 77, Con’s wife ‘Terry’ died on the 12th May 1992 and was interred nearby.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.