Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Eric was born at Mount Gambier in the South East of SA on the 4th August 1917. His father, Arthur Hunter married widow Lucy Anne (nee Owen) in 1914 at Kingston. Lucy had three children from her first marriage, then she and Arthur had four children of their own Eric, Charles Hunter, Violet and Ada. Their father, Arthur undertook a range of work for the local council, frequently tendering for labouring work, including as a wood cutter, which was conditional on the local council in ’35 assessing if the wood was useful or ornamental.
All four children attended the Lucindale School where the girls excelled academically and Charles in sporting activities. Aged eight, Eric was awarded an equal first for his sample of pastel work. (In later years, Clarence Copping with whom he tied for the award, also enlisted to serve in WWII as SX24767.)
Soon after his 19th birthday, Eric had his first encounter with the law, being charged with driving a motor cycle without a licence. The fine of 5/- and 15/- costs was quite a blow to the young labourer. In December that year, (’39) Eric’s mother died unexpectedly on the 16th. The Naracoorte Herald reported that ‘Mrs. Lawrie was found in a condition of collapse on the evening of the 16th inst., and although medical aid was immediately sought and received, she succumbed within a short time after a seizure.’ Lucy was buried in the Lucindale Cemetery.
Perhaps in celebrating his 21st birthday, Eric was injudicious, being caught using indecent language in the local Public conveniences. Soon after, with the outbreak of WWII, 22-year-old Eric and his younger brother, 20-year-old Charles, were early enlistees at Mount Gambier on the 10th July ’40. With the Depression making work difficult to find, the army provided the opportunity for regular pay, important for Eric who was unemployed and single. He was given the number SX8498 and 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. (By January ’41 Eric and Charles’ cousin, Samuel Welsh also enlisted as SX11160 and was allocated to the same 2/48th Battalion as the brothers.)
The two brothers and their battalion then headed to Woodside in the Adelaide Hills for preliminary training. Unfortunately, from the early days, Eric found the rigid structure of the army challenging. He registered three incidents of being Absent Without Leave in October. These incidents attracted three days of being confined to barracks, the second, two days and the third four days, plus a 15/- fine. Returning home on pre-embarkation leave the new enlistees were farewelled with a civic afternoon, hosted by the Mayor of Narracoorte who expressed his appreciation to the guests in the task they had undertaken. Others from their battalion included Gordon Lennard SX6939, George Flavel SX7818 and Victor Atkins SX7814. The young men were provided with a sumptuous afternoon tea provided by the Cheer-Up Society, before each was presented with a parcel from the members.
The following month, the brothers then embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December. The young men marched to a Staging Camp, but soon after arriving in Gaza, both Eric and Charles were caught being AWOL and fined £1. In the desert conditions, Eric soon contracted bronchial pneumonia, causing him to be hospitalised. He returned to the staging camp until July before returning to the 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. The brothers were to become one of the respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
In January ’41 Eric contracted pleurisy, and again within months went AWOL and fined 10/-. His health continued to be an issue as he contracted a high fever (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) in June and was again hospitalised. Almost inevitably, the following month after his discharge, Eric again went AWOL, forfeiting a further day’s pay. September saw ill health return with a diagnosis of the contagious skin infection, Impetigo, again resulting in him having time in hospital followed by a further charge of being AWOL. A bout of dermatitis followed in November.
The start of 1942 was again marked by a series of offences, including failing to obey orders, breaking out of barracks and failing to appear on parade. Times spent confined to barracks continued to escalate with over 27 days imposed by mid-year. Charlie’s record was very similar to Eric’s. The desert conditions also exacerbated Eric’s health issues with dermatitis and other foot conditions causing him further stays in hospital. Eric soon learned the Charlie was wounded in action at the commencement of November ’42, with a gunshot wound to his foot, hand and thigh in the attempt to take Trig 29.
Finally, the brothers were able to return from the Middle East, via Melbourne, arriving on the 25th February ’43. From there Eric returned home on leave. However, by the end of the month, he went AWOL yet again, but then travelled to Queensland to undertake training to fight a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. He arrived in Milne Bay in August ’43. Early the following year, a high fever resulted in hospitalisation, before Eric’s time in New Guinea concluded with a return to Australia via Brisbane.
By April ’44 Eric again went AWOL and received a loss of pay. Health issues continued to affect him with septic sores, tinea, malaria, scabies and dermatitis throughout that year. The start of ’45 was again marked with a charge of ‘Conduct to the prejudice of good order..’ and a further fine. Yet again, Charlie’s service record was similar, before Eric left Cairns for Morotai in April. Almost inevitably, ill health followed with an upper respiratory tract infection and widespread dermatitis on his upper body. At last, his war was over, returning to Australia via Sydney, then to Adelaide where he was discharged on the 26th November ’45. A week later, Charlie was also discharged on the 3rd December.
Less than two years later, Eric, probably trying to forget the memories of war, was before the Courts on a charge of drunken driving charges. He was heavily fined £20 with costs and disqualified from driving for three months. He pleaded guilty of being incapable of effectively controlling his buckboard. As part of the evidence presented, police claimed that ‘He was travelling in a very erratic manner, his vehicle followed a crooked, course across the main street and on into Gordon Street. The police followed in the motorcycle outfit but were unable to pass Lawrie in Gordon Street. At one stage he was almost off the road on the right-hand side. Eventually he was stopped when nearing the junction of Gordon Street and Penola Head. He was arrested and taken to a doctor where he was given a thorough examination as to his sobriety and was pronounced drunk and incapable of controlling his vehicle effectively.’ Despite requesting that his licence not be cancelled as he was a truck driver in the railways at Hynam, resulting in a loss of employment, the seriousness of the offence outweighed this. Eric had previously been warned about his driving, as safety of others was of paramount importance. He received a hefty fine of £20 with 9/ costs and! £1 1/ medical fee.
Although unmarried, Eric was regarded as part of his cousin (Sam Welsh’s) family. Eric had married Jena with the two welcoming Eric for meals and often shared a drink. In ’47 the two had arranged to attend the Anzac march together, which Eric was unable to do. Despite Sam not being at home, Eric and his friend still visited Jean as she was attempting to bed the children. Having already consumed alcohol, Eric was disruptive and behaved inappropriately, at which time Sam returned home. With Eric refusing to leave the house, despite Sam’s trying to physically eject him, police were called. Eric was charged with assault with the hooliganism. The Judge acknowledged "your excellent service to your country, but that does not protect you from offences such as this. I hope you appreciate the gravity of the offence. There will be a fine of £25, to be paid within 14 days."
Eric’s life continued to spiral downwards. Early in the New Year of ’48 he was seen to be drunk and was being escorted by two police officers to the motorcycle outfit for a formal arrest. Unfortunately, Eric’s two companions from the Hynam railway camp, incited, him to resist, and refuse to move when requested to do so by the Officers. He was again arrested for drunkenness, resisting arrest and indecent language, and was jailed for a month. A fellow ex-soldier, Norman Lane (VX44963), working at the Hynam railway camp, was also given a prison sentence for inciting Eric to resist arrest, failing to move on, giving a false name, wilful and malicious damage to a police cell, and indecent language. Part of the seriousness of the incident was that it took police officers more than an hour to arrest the three men.
Sadly, Eric died aged just 43 on the 5th April, ’61. He was buried in the local Naracoorte Cemetery, remembered by his three siblings, Charlie, Violet and Ada. His 77-year-old father died two months later, on the 19th June and was buried in plot E649.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.