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Howard, commonly called Sam, born on the 29th November 1917 at Glenelg was the son of William Albert, a machinist and Evelyn May Starling. William was particularly interested in his local council of West Torrens, holding the position of Councillor in Morphett Ward for several years. He was also a Justice of the Peace and later chair of the Novar–Camden Recreation Ground Committee. William continued to be interested in local council and questioned the effectiveness of the audit system but when Sam was seven, William was forcefully struck in the head in what was described as an ‘overarm jab’ by a leader of a standing party, resulting in mild concussion and an ongoing court case where the assailant was quite heavily fined.
As a 17-year-old, Sam was also an inadvertent witness as a pillion passenger on his father’s motorbike which was involved in a collision with a push bike. William gave his phone number but refused to also give his name and address to the abusive, foul-mouthed bike rider, an attitude which was factually supported by Sam. William stated that 'It is a crying shame, that a man my age, 49 years, should be spoken to like that by a lad.' Unfortunately, as a Justice of the Peace, the Adelaide Traffic Court ruled that in his role, William should have shown a better example, and complied with the law, which did not set out the manner in which the request should be made, adding that ‘No doubt, the cyclist had spoken quickly and perhaps harshly.’ William received a fine of £2, with £1 15/ costs.
Two years later, Sam was in control of his own motor bike with a friend, Lloyd Allen as pillion passenger. They were hit by a car at Glenelg with Lloyd receiving a fractured toe, and severe crushing of the foot and other toes, bruising, and shock. It was alleged that Sam was driving fast and tried to get in front of the car. However, that driver was found negligent in not sounding a warning, keeping a proper lookout, or having sufficient control of the car and was fined.
In the sporting field, Sam followed in his father’s footsteps as a talented cricketer, particularly as a bowler, playing for East Torrens.
Friend Ron Smith and Sam recalled that they were enjoying cups of tea on Father’s day in 1939 when Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that Australia, would follow Britain in being at war with Germany. For both young men, their lives would be irrevocably changed from the life they had enjoyed at Glenelg. In an interview five decades later, Sam admitted “It didn’t sink in for a while, we all said it would be over pretty quickly.” At the time, Australia was experiencing the Depression and people knew times would get a lot rougher. With typical humour, Ron explained that he chose the infantry as the best way to go if you were going to be “up the sharp end”.
Sam was a linoleum layer when he enlisted to serve in WWII on the 12th July 1940 in Adelaide. He was given the number SX8642 and Ron Smith SX7206 with both allocated to the newly formed 2/48th battalion. They and other new enlistees were initially housed in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. Their ‘beds’ were straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. The young men were later given kitbags on which their names were stencilled.
Having signed his enlistment papers, Sam recalled being told that “In this new style of war the tanks did all the hard work and fighting, all us infantry would have to do is walk behind and clean up.” A statement at complete odds to the reality of war. (Sam’s friend, Lloyd who was injured while riding pillion with Sam, later also enlisted in May ’42 as a driver with the 2/3rd Infantry as S66470.)
On subsequent days, the 2/48th battalion headed to Woodside in the Adelaide Hills for preliminary training. Sam and Ron were selected to attend a week-long Signals Course before joining the other recruits. Following precious leave in October, Sam and his fellow members of the Battalion then embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December. Within days Sam was graded as a Group II Signaller. The young men marched to a Staging Camp, staying until July before returning to their battalion. During those early days in the Middle East, besides regular army duties was the need to quickly adapt to the locals as well as soon being involved in intense conflicts where the reputation of the 2/48th Battalion for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Ron was to become one of the highly respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
Fifty years later, Ron and Stan Starling were interviewed by the Sunday Mail on September 3rd ’89. They recalled the Desert Fox taunting the men to “Surrender – you’re all dying and living underground like a lot of rats.” Ron recalled this was the origin of the proud term ‘Rats of Tobruk’. As he predicted, times did get a lot rougher, but not as he had imagined. Within a year of enlisting, the two men experienced the real terror of war. It was “as rough as things were ever going to get.” Sam found it almost impossible to describe the sounds, the feelings and the sight of a 1000-gun barrage opening up. Then, with shells whistling over the top of him, standing up and beginning to move forward with his fellow soldiers.
John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan recounted the conflict where the 2/48th battalion was involved in fierce fighting for Hill 209 in April ’41. Sam’s B company were subjected to accurate mortar fire where communications between battalion headquarters and B Company ceased, the signal wire having been cut in several places by shell fire. Two volunteers, Corporal Lindsay Goode and Private Peter Anderson offered to go forward, crawling out and laying new wire whilst heavy shell fire and mortar fire exploding around them. When they were near B Company headquarters, they were met by two signallers, Jack Champion and Sam Starling, who had come out from B Company. The line was eventually re-established under on-going heavy fire.
Sam continued to update his Signalling skills with a refresher course in January ’42, ironically with mixed results showing good progress average 73% but his performance in the Instruments paper was less salubrious.
A further incident involving Sam was described by Darren Paech in Adelaide to Alamein. On the 22nd July ’42 the 2/48th were involved in an attack on the dreaded West Point 24 with the whole area between their position and West Point being lathered with shell and mortar fire. The attack started at first light and the fire was terrific. B Company lost seven or eight men, killed from shelling in the very early stages before the remainder were urged to spread out more as the shells began landing amongst them. At that stage, “Private ‘Sam’ Starling, the B Company radio operator, was unable to get his set to work. They were pinned down. The B company officers were either dead or wounded and the company was virtually wiped out. Sgt Wally Prior decided to take control and rallied the remainder into some cover. He could only see Privates ‘Pop’ Connolly, Sam Starling – who was still trying to fix the radio and Jack O’Donoghue nearby. It was not until 1400 hours when Private Sam Starling finally got the B Company radio working that information could be relayed to Colonel Hammer. Using the faded light for cover they gathered the wounded and cautiously moved back towards the 2/48th’s main position some 2,000 yards away.’ That day, more than 100 members of the 2/48th Battalion were killed or wounded fighting for Tel el Eisa Ridge. Sam’s efforts did not go unrecognised.
Glenn similarly described how ‘For fourteen hours these men had been lying out in terribly exposed positions, pinned down, with the fearful heat adding to their difficulties.’ The men were being surrounded but were going to attempt to fight their way out.
Sam and his battalion finally left the Middle East in February ’43 returning to Australia via Melbourne, then home for precious leave in Adelaide. There he married Dorothy Haime on the 3rd March. The Advertiser announced the occasion. ‘PEARCE—STARLING.—Marriage of Dorothy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. Pearce, Plympton, to Howard (Sam), only son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Starling, Grovene will be solemnised at St. Peter's, Glenelg, Wed., March 3, at 7. Reception Covent Gardens.’
A fortnight later, Sam was selected to play cricket in an Army team, led by International bowler, Frank Ward, and several district cricketers including Doug Richardson against a SACA team which boasted Clarry Grimmett.
By July ’43 Sam was diagnosed with severe neck pain, possibly from his posture crouched over a radio or by carrying essential but heavy equipment. However, he continued to refine and update his Signals skills with a refresher course. Officially, in August that year, he was formally recognised by being Mentioned in Despatches for ‘gallant and distinguished Services in the Middle East from 1st May ’42 to 22nd Oct ’42. This had been gazetted on 24th June ’43. The Advertiser proudly announced that ‘The Minister for the Army (Mr. Forde) today announced that the King had approved the Mention in Dispatches of 231 members of the AIF in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East between May 1. 1942. and October 22, 1942.’ Sam received his badge and brooch on the 5th August ’44 at Wayville. In later years details emerged how Sam, a signaller was awarded the MID for valour when he was cut off from his unit, single handedly manning his radio to keep communications open whilst under a constant barrage of machine gun and mortar fire. Ironically, he found that MID awards were not handed out ‘for cleaning up’ as was the advice given when he enlisted.
Sam then undertook training in Queensland prior to leaving Townsville and arriving at Milne Bay on the 16th September. He was detached for special duties as part of an advanced party January ’44, rejoining his unit in mid-February. With today’s knowledge of PTSD it was almost inevitable that Sam be medically classified as being in an anxiety state, this being reinforced in February ’45, preceding his discharge on the 17th March ’45.
In the ensuing years, Sam and Dorothy enjoyed their two children, Malcolm and Trina. Sam also returned to the sport he loved – cricket. He was a member of the Glenelg District Cricket Club Management Committee for several years. In ’47, for example, he took 2/17 against Port Adelaide. That same year there was a tie for the greatest number of wickets between H. Starling (Glenelg) and G. Howard (Kensington). but Starling, who also headed the bowling averages, virtually took the honors. His bowling skills were recognised with him being awarded the Rook trophy. In January ’49, in a nail-biting match against Sturt, Sam was the last batsman but ‘was not worried when his side needed eight runs to win with two wickets in hand. Glenelg officials and supporters were not as confident. Raith Hart, Glenelg vice president, and Ray Thompson, his inseparable companion at Glenelg matches, turned their backs on the play because they could not bear the strain. Starling, waiting to bat, rested unperturbed on the grass in front of the oval "race". "Don't they know I'm to go in yet?" he quipped.’ This, before comfortably contributing to a win.
Sam and his childhood friend Ron Smith both survived the war, regularly catching up over a glass of port. In an interview with Peter Haran, appearing in the Sunday Mail in September ’89, the two men recalled that their reason for enlisting was simple. “We decided we’d go over there and do something about it.” A year later the friends felt the full terror of war, describing it as “about as rough as things were ever going to get.” Unlike Ron, Sam could recall every detail of his service with clarity “a lot like it was yesterday”. Both friends agreed that they were extremely lucky to survive but admitted they were scarred by the war, remembering those they had fought with who could never come to grips with the death and killing they were involved with.
Sam described as remembering with horrific clarity the advance where “Mates fell each side of me as we moved across open ground. There was a flash and a bang in front of me and I was flat on my back.” A legacy of that day was the shrapnel still embedded in his body, for which he later received a full pension.
Aged 87, Sam died on the 31st July 2005. Dorothy died aged 88 on the 8th September 2010. The two now rest together in St Pater’s Church at Glenelg. Sam is also remembered at Centennial Park.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.