Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Colin Roger Jacka
Born in Caltowie near Jamestown in the mid-north of SA, to Harry and Ellinor Jacka, Roger was the youngest of four sons, John, Matthew and Mortimer. The boys were educated at Unley High School, then Prince Alfred College. (In comparison to his brother Matthew, Roger’s education left him unscathed. Matthew, traveling on a tram car to a friend’s house for lunch during school time, fainted. In doing so he fell under the safety bar onto the road, sustaining severe bruising and concussion.)
Based predominantly at Renmark, Roger worked as a commercial traveller for Messrs. Goode, Durrant and Murray. The only blot on his copybook early in his career was a costly inefficient rear car light, which resulted in a 20/- fine with costs.
As were so many Riverland young men, Roger was an active and talented sportsman with the local paper frequently singling him out for his cricket skills especially as a bowler but also a steady, reliable batsman. In 1935, Roger initially played for Upper Murray Banks with the local paper lauding his achievements with comments such as “R. Jacka with 7 wickets for 32 was the outstanding bowler” and “Jacka, who secured 7 for 32 in Crescent first innings followed up with 3 for 26 to their second, thus securing 12 for 53 for the match” and “Of the bowlers Sale and Jacka were outstanding with 3 and 4 wickets respectively”. At bat, he was no less impressive: “Jacka completing a fine double with 44 not out. Crescent tried five bowlers in their futile effort to shift Banks' opening pair” and “An excellent all-round performance by R Jacka gave Banks a comfortable six point win and placed them well on the road for an outright victory when their match with Crescent was resumed” plus “Jacka was also top scorer for his team nailing a well compiled 69 (5 fours)”. It was inevitable that Roger should also be selected in the Represented Upper Murray team which played against Country Light Association and also for Renmark against both the Gawler Association and Gilbert Association.
In the following years, Roger continued to improve his skills as an opening batsman: “Both Jacka and Kumnick compiled sparkling centuries, and the premiership holders' regular bowlers were treated with scant respect. It was a fine achievement on the part of Banks to so comfortably pass the good score of 292 set them the previous week and then go on to pass the 400 mark.” “A splendid opening partnership by Jacka and Sage of 111 paved the way to victory and Bookmark's tally of 195 was passed with the loss of 6 wickets. Jacka and Sage bore the lion's share of the bowling and returned the best figures, with Jacka's 4 for 84 included three of the first four.” In the Grand final against Bookmark Roger Jacka was the principle factor in Bookmark's ignominious defeat.” A highlight of that year was a visit by ‘The Don’, Donald Bradman and the SACA team to play against the best of the Riverland teams in Berri then Renmark where Roger opened the bowling with his figures being 1 for 7 in the early stages of the match. However, Bradman’s first four was off Roger’s bowling before Roger took two of the last three wickets with successive balls resulting in the impressive figures of 3 for 59 from the cream of the brilliant batsmen. At the end of season Presentation Night Roger was one of 15 to have scored a century in A Grade with the highest total of 134.
By 1937 Roger was playing for Renmark Town, continuing his success as a bowler with figures including 4 for 33, 3 for 39 and in another match, sending down six overs, three of them maidens, and had only one hit off each of the others, finishing with 1 for -3. As an opening batter he was consistent, “Hosking and Jacka became associated and were not separated, scoring 55 and 57 not out respectively.” Again he was an obvious choice to represent the Upper Murray Association in an Easter match against Broken Hill. This standard continued in ensuing years where he showed some of his best form with the ball to be the outstanding performer for Town.
Roger also played tennis in the Easter Tournaments where either by coincidence or design in 1936, he was partnered with Ruth Bundy with the pair progressing to the finals.
A very sociable young man, Roger was the secretary for the Renmark Bachelors’ Club which organised social and sporting functions including a football match in a team named the Rovers against ‘the rest of Renmark’, where Roger fronted as the first ruck. This was as a fundraiser for the Queen of Sports, Mavis Harrup. He was also a driving force on the committee for the Jubilee Ball in September of 1937, as coincidentally, was Ruth Bundy. As secretary of the Renmark Bachelors’ Ball in the same year, Roger coordinated the evening’s arrangements and decorations. He also regularly appeared in the social columns attending ‘coming of age’ parties.
Roger met Ruth Bundey while he was working in Renmark and the young couple became engaged in December of 1938, just after he was transferred to Broken Hill. A gift evening was arranged for Ruth before the couple married in Renmark’s St Augustine’s Church at Easter in 1940. The wedding received coverage in the local ‘Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record’ which described the dresses with the highlight being Ruth’s wearing a magnificent 100 years old bridal veil. Roger chose his Renmark friend, Murray Price as his best man. The young couple then travelled to their new home in Streaky Bay.
WWII intervened and like so many other young men, Roger enlisted in August of 1940 becoming SX7996 with the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. On a pre-embarkation leave he, with many other A.I.F men, spent the weekend in Renmark, visiting friends and relatives. By December of that year, Ruth decided to return to Renmark to live with her parents while Roger was overseas.
Within three months Roger’s battalion was in Palestine, fighting in Tobruk for eight months after which he came back to Egypt and had to undergo an operation in a military hospital. From Egypt he went with his unit to Syria and soldiered on the Syrian-Turkish frontier. In his absence, Ruth became a volunteer Air Spotter, being regularly rostered for duty. By August of 1942 Ruth received a telegram informing her that Roger had been wounded on July 25 during operations in Egypt and was in a hospital in Egypt. Other soldiers from the Riverland wrote home with updates, including Glynn Kimber who visited Roger and Tom Loveday in the military hospital, reporting that both were making ‘great progress’. The two were also being visited by other locals, Fred Braddock and Jim Roberts and also Douglas Malcolm. A close and supportive community.
On the 17th July,’42 Sgt Jacka, in the absence of his platoon commander, commanded nine carriers in a diversionary charge across a railway line to the Tel el Eisa ridge, churning up a thick curtain of dust as they ran through the German posts into the fire of anti-tank and machine guns. John Glenn in his book ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ stated that “Only the elements of surprise and speed enabled it to come off. The enemy suffered heavy casualties from our fire. For the part he had played in the raid Sergeant Roger Jacka was awarded the Military Medal.” The official war correspondent, Kenneth Slessor reported the citation:
‘Sgt. Colin R. Jacka (SX7996) M.M. Jacka was in command of nine carriers which were ordered to raid and disrupt enemy forces holding an important flanking position. Jacka coolly led a raiding party in the face of the enemy in an operation lasting half an hour. He headed a charge through enemy lines, shooting up machine-gun posts and troops, although under heavy fire.’ This quotation appeared in a number of publications including the ‘West Coast Sentinel’ and the NSW ‘Barrier Daily Truth’ both where Roger had been a well-known commercial traveller, and also in the ‘Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record’.
A few days later in another encounter, under intense fire all troops were forced to ground within 200 yards of the enemy posts, with every movement bringing down heavy, intense fire. In an act that earned Private Stan Gurney a posthumous VC he charged the nearest machine gun. He and Ivan Hanel’s bayonets let the pinned soldiers, including Roger, continue their advance before again being pinned down. It was during this action that Roger sustained a fractured leg from a 20mm anti-tank explosive shell. Also injured with him was Captain Dick LeMessurier, both being in an exposed position and in the heat of the desert for many hours.
Schools are always proud of their students’ achievements and Adelaide’s Prince Alfred College was no exception when reporting that over 700 of their ‘old boys’ were serving in various countries in the naval, military, and air forces. Both Sergeant C. R. Jacka and Lance Corporal J. G. S. Maddocks were awarded military medals for conspicuous bravery, an achievement PAC was honoured to report in the ‘Mail’ of November ’42.
However on his return to Australia and being compared to a distant relative, Captain Albert Jacka, who earned a V.C. in WWI, Roger was reported in the ‘News’ of January ‘43 as saying deprecatingly “For heaven's sake, don't get any wrong impression, mine's just a Military Medal." The newspaper also reported that “The Germans could not kill him, but an internal complaint, which had never troubled him before, put him in a very bad way on the trip home to Australia. For several days Jacka was in a critical condition. Doctors had to resort to intravenous feeding to pull him through. Sips of champagne also helped.”
Similarly, his Renmark community anxiously followed Roger’s recuperation with the ‘Murray Pioneer’ which reported in July ‘43 that “The sergeant was seriously wounded at the battle of El Alamein on July 22, 1942. He has been incapacitated for 12 months, but thanks to skilled medical officers and devoted army nurses, is much better. Sgt. Jacka was awarded the MM for gallantry in action.” Mention was made of a possible story Roger would tell “of men from the River he met in the Middle East, and how they did their duty. He said, "I think we all tried to uphold the traditions made for us by the first AIF."
By September of the same year, more details of Roger’s leadership and intense bravery emerged when he was interviewed by the ‘Murray Pioneer’: “He gained the MM at the battle of El Alamein. He was desperately wounded in the right leg during the battle and found himself in danger of bleeding to death in a Bren gun carrier. Keeping his presence of mind, he almost fainting from loss of blood, placed a roughly made tourniquet above the gaping wound and so saved his life. He afterwards found himself in an ambulance with a German and Italian prisoner also wounded. He received the wound in July, 1942 and was interviewed just 12 months afterwards. During this 12 month only the soldier knows what he suffered, but he lost stones in weight and on the voyage home nearly died. Happily, Sgt. Roger Jacka is much better and although still lame he will recover. He stated that he would like to "soldier on" again, but this is very doubtful and a staff job is what he should get. At El Alamein he was with the Bren gunners and was blown up. His driver was also wounded. He was in Gaza hospital for six months. He would not talk about how he received the MM, but it is known that his Bren gunner carrier dashed behind one of the German advanced lines and shot up everything they saw. Nine carriers were in this foray, if it can be called by that name. It was a dash in and out which showed the calibre of Australian troops in action. His carrier was hit twice once in its front and again in the rear.” Typical of this modest, self-effacing man Roger added "I don't want to talk about myself", said the sergeant. "I would prefer to tell you about some of those whom I met and knew.” Roger also heaped praise on the sisters who nursed us who were just 'unborn Angels'.
By December, Roger was hospitalised in SA and awaiting a further operation. Riverland people who travelled to the city would visit Roger as he recuperated, then this news would be shared with the community as when a Mrs Harold Graham visited Roger in February of 43 reporting that he was “getting stronger and looking as well as can be expected.” Ruth’s parents frequently travelled to Glenelg to be with her as Roger recuperated and the young couple were able to have some return visits and a short holiday on Kangaroo Island before Roger returned to Daws Road Hospital in March of 44. He and Ruth made every effort to return to Renmark and stay with the Bundey’s when possible.
At Government House in 1946 Roger was one of four River Servicemen to receive a decoration or medal. From Renmark were Charles Katekar, who received the OBE, Flt. Lt. Lindsay Lawton DFC and DFM and Sgt Roger Jacka, MM. Then from Waikerie was Capt. Hugh Dalby who received his M.C. A proud moment for the People of the Murray.
Roger and his family lived in the original family home on Ashby Street in Blackwood. Each day he and Bryan Holmes caught the same train from the Coromandel railway station to and from Adelaide, both invariably wearing their Rats of Tobruk badge in their button holes. At the junction of the road with Brighton Parade, the two would bid each other ‘Good Evening’, with Bryan continuing to Clarence Street. In a typical understatement, Bryan succinctly summarised Roger – “A Good Bloke”. High praise, indeed.
Written and researched by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.