Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Edward (Ted) was born in Lameroo on the 12th July 1919 to Francis Edward and Gladys Lehmann. He was the oldest of four children including Jean, Peggy and John.
Their father was one of the early residents of Lameroo, arriving in 1905 and lived in the area for his entire life. He was also the first student to enrol at the Lameroo School the following year. This loyalty to the school continued throughout his life, with all his children later attending. He also frequently undertook work for the local council, including as a contract grader until ‘42 and was an active supporter of the local Lameroo South Football Club for which Ted played. Francis was a regular trophy donor to players at the conclusion of the season.
As a student, Ted’s school work was submitted in the Lameroo Show, with his ‘manual work’ winning second prize in Grade V.
Ted particularly enjoyed his football involvement, but the local Pinaroo and Border Times writer commented that ‘E. Lehmann also made a reappearance for the red and blues. Although much slower than formerly, he played a useful game.’
With the Depression affecting the work prospects of many families, Ted became a rabbit trapper as this introduced species was decimating good pastoral land and the returns for those willing to work to reduce these vermin were reasonable. However, it was demanding work, as noted on his enlistment papers that he had distinctive marks of ‘scars in front of both knees.’
Ted officially enlisted just days before his 21st birthday on the 5th July ’40 in Adelaide and was given the number SX7959. He was allocated to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. From living and working in the outdoors, Ted’s early days were spent in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds where his ‘bed’ was straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. In those close confines, Ted became sick, causing him to have a week of sick leave at home. The battalion then trained in the Adelaide Hills before they had brief pre-embarkation leave. The young men finally boarded the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December, then marched to a Staging Camp. During those early days, besides regular army duties was the need to quickly adapt to the locals and local conditions. Ted developed rhinitis (then called Coryza), possibly from the dust and desert conditions. Within months, the 2/48th Battalion was involved in intense conflicts where their reputation for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Ted was to become one of the respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
Ted, when not on duty, enjoyed exploring, particularly the pyramids, which fascinated him. In a letter published in the February ’42 edition of the Pinaroo and Border Times, he gave a fascinating insight into the conditions under which he was serving.
“Christmas is over. We had bad weather during the day itself. Nothing but thunder and rain. Our tent was blown down just before dinner, so we had to go out in the rain and put it up again. The power line broke down and the canteen was closed. The picture show was also abandoned for two nights. We had one day’s break after five days’ rain and now it is raining again. I used to think this country never received much rain. I went to Cairo on leave, and the paybook is a bit lighter now. I spent nearly nine pounds on parcels to send home. The first morning we went to have a look at the Pyramids and Sphinx. You would never realise the tremendous size of the pyramids unless you saw them yourself. I was amazed when 1 first saw them. The first, and biggest is named after a king who was buried in it. It was built 4.000 B.C. Scientists have estimated that there are 2,300,000 huge blocks of stone in it. It took 100,000| men working three months of the year 20 years to build it. It is 450 feet high and at the base the sides measure 764 feet long. Altogether, the pyramid covers 13 acres of ground. The huge stones average about 10 feet' long and 6 feet across (just Handy to throw at the sparrows). I inspected the two chambers inside the pyramid. The steps lead up through a passage about four feet in diameter; so we had to double up to avoid bumping our heads. The Queen’s chamber is 120 feet high, and the King’s chamber another 255 feet. Alongside this pyramid are three smaller ones about 30 to 100 feet high. They are the pyramids in which the King’s daughters are buried. The second largest pyramid at Giza is named Cheprens and was built 3666 B.C. It is built on uneven ground and is unsafe to climb. On the top there is still some of. the original polished casing that used to cover all the pyramids at one time but has been stolen by builders for use in mosques. The third largest pyramid is named Mycerinius and was built 3633 B.C. It is 204 feet high. Next we had a look at the Sphinx which is about 200 yards away from the foot of the largest pryamid. Many theories have been put forward concerning the sphinx. The best one is that Chepren formed a natural hillock of limestone into a statue of himself. It is the form, of the god of the rising sun. It has the face of a man, the head of a woman, and the body of a lion. The human head symbolises wisdom and the body of the lion strength. At one time the Arabs used to believe that the sphinx could talk to them when an old priest used to speak from, inside the head. Alongside the sphinx is the valley Temple which was also built by Chepren.”

With Ted absent, his young sister Peggy sold pastries and cakes in May to raise contribution for the Schools’ Patriotic Fund, where she raised a total profit of 9/6. Later that year in October ’42, Ted was wounded in action and was treated by ambulance crew before re-joining his battalion at the end of the month. 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.’
The local paper in November ’42 shared that ‘Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Lehmann, of Lameroo, have been notified that their son. Pte E. Lehmann, has been wounded in action just recently. Pte Lehmann served with the AIF in Tobruk for eight months.’
The Chronicle at a similar time painted a raw image of the extensive effects on the 2/48th Battalion. Killed in action were SX8468 Pte. Patrick H. Hoare, North Broken Hill (NSW); SX13570 Pte. Charles Holman, Broken Hill; SX7771 Pte. Henry O. Lohmann, Murray Bridge; SX6848 Cpt. Alfred F. Meyer. Renmark: SX3149 Col. Arthur H. Peters, Macclesfield; . SX11768 Pte. John R. Smith, Wardang Island; SX13535 Pte. Allan L. Thessinger, Jamestown. Died Of Wounds SX7917 Pte. Leslie A. King, Adelaide. Wounded In Action.— SX7830 Cpl. Kingsley G. Albrecht, Kingston-on-Murray: SX10571 Pte. William G. F. Barnett, Reedy Creek : SX8128 Pte.- Ivan G. Braidwood, Adelaide; SX8749 Pte. K. W. Dack, Med., Clare; SX7559 Pte, Maxwell. C. Fuss, Kimba; SX13602 Pte. George H. G. Gallagher. Paulco Station; SX12854 Pte. Sydney V. Goodes. Curramulka; SX8483 Pte. William T. Harris, Caltowie; SX10527 A-Cpl. Harold E. Hobbs, St. Peter; SX8497 Pte. Charles H. Lawrie, Naracoorte; SX7959 Pte. Edward Lehmann, Lameroo; SX7028 Pte. Murray V. McFarlane, Cobdogla; SX7721 A-Cpl. Hedley H. Pratt, Korunye; SX7244 Pte. Richard Ramsdale, Meadows; SX11154 Pte. R. F. Reed, Cummins; SX11152 Pte William Reed, Cummins; SX8366 S-Sgt. William W. Statton, Alberton; SX7933 Cpl. Walter H. Stewien, Verdun; SX8576 Pte Arnold R. Thomas, Campbelltown; SX11289 Pte. Keith W. Tilmouth, Cleve; SX7278 pte. Robert Tipper, Berri; SX13755 Pte. Eric M. Waye, Victor Harbor; SX7212 Pte. T. L. Woodall Exeter; SX10514 Pte. Allan. W. Wylie Sefton Park.
Early in December, Ted was appointed Lance Corporal. Within two months his battalion left the Middle East in February ’43, returning to Australia via Melbourne. Ted returned to Lameroo in time to be part of the farewell to the local minister, being one of several young people to present an item, but the only serving Private to do so.
Training in Queensland followed in preparation to face a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. Ted left Cairns and arrived in Milne Bay on the 6th August, ’43. The tropical conditions caused him to develop an extremely high temperature the following year, called Pyrexia of Unknown Origin (PUO), closely followed by scrub typhus. His poor condition caused him to be placed on a hospital ship to return to Brisbane in March. His ill health in New Guinea was again shared in the local paper of February ’44 ‘Mrs. F. E. Lehman, Lameroo, has been notified that her son, Private E. Lehmann, has been placed on the seriously ill list in New Guinea; Residents hope to hear of Pte Lehmann’s early recovery.’ Another Lameroo soldier, SX12786 Private Eric Stevens of the 2/43rd was also on the ‘seriously ill’ list with Ted. In the meantime, an ambulance train transported Ted to hospital for treatment of the scrub typhus resulting in him being classified as only being able to work under restricted medical fitness conditions. With deteriorated health, Ted reverted to the rank of Private, while continuing to be treated in South Australia for symptoms related to the scrub typhus. Back home the local community followed his progress, with the newspaper reporting in February ’42 that ‘Residents will be pleased to know that Pte E. Lehmann, of Lameroo who was recently reported to be seriously ill, has now recovered. He has been removed from all lists.’
Just prior to his discharge, Ted married June Maxine on the 26th May ’45. He and June then spent precious days with his mother back at home in Lameroo. Ted was eventually discharged on the 11th September ’45, returning to Lameroo with other servicemen, Vincent Gilbertson, SX27944, Ron Stanway, and Avon Vandepeer.
June and Ted welcomed a son, Maurice James in ‘49. Ted’s father, Francis lived to see Ted return home, marry, and start a family. However, aged 50, Frmarry, died on the 19th April ’56 in the Lameroo hospital. He was buried in the local Cemetery. The family placed a tribute to their stoic husband and father in the April Chronicle. ‘LEHMANN. — On April 19, at Lameroo District Hospital, Francis Edward, dearly beloved husband of Ethel Gladys and beloved father of Edward, Jean, Peggy and John. Peace, perfect peace.’ By this time, just two of the four children resided in Lameroo, Jean (Williams) and John. Ted had moved to live with his new family in Woodville Gardens.
In a cruel twist, nine-year-old Maurice died on 23rd February ’56. He was buried in the Enfield Memorial Park.
Aged 78, Ted died at Christmas time, on the 25th December, 1998. He was buried with his young son in the Enfield Memorial Park cemetery, general section, P73. His service is also remembered in the South Australian Garden of Remembrance at Pasadena. June died on the 16th March 2010.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.