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Australia

Colin Edward was born in Yorketown, a farming community on the southern tip of the Yorke Peninsula of SA. He was one of six children of Edwin Phillip and Olive Ethel Schulz, having his birthday on the 5th April, 1918. His siblings were Max, Clem, Walter, Dorothy and Gerald. All the children attended the local school where a broad range of subjects, including woodwork were taught and competition actively encouraged. The headmaster proclaiming ‘The school may be regarded as a community, in which the interests of each individual must at some times be subservient to the benefits of the majority. Individual teaching is not possible; indeed it possesses some disadvantages, notably the lack of the competitive spirit so needful for progress. The competitive spirit is encouraged by the awarding of shields to the top grades in the chief subjects, i.e, in arithmetic, spelling and mental.’ Fortunately, the Schulz children’s names appeared regularly. Colin’s appeared in the Honour List for both Arithmetic and Spelling in Grade V.
Post school the boys worked with their father in his carting business. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, Colin was already serving with the Militia but both he and younger brother Clem decided to enlisted on the 22nd June, 1940 in Yorketown. Colin had just turned 22. The community were proud of these young men, with the local newspaper, the Pioneer including the brothers in their publication of July ’40: ‘For King and Empire - Colin Edward Schulz and Clem Harold Schulz, sons of Mr, and Mrs. Phil. Schulz, of Yorketown, have both enlisted for service overseas.’ The very active soldier’s Welfare Committee formed at a similar time to ‘pack, despatch and generally supervise parcels for men who have gone abroad on active service. The Chairman, Mr. S. G. Goldsworthy, addressed the meeting, and stated that the Committee desired that a suitable parcel should be sent to every man who had enlisted from the district’ according to the local Pioneer. The local paper also noted the departure of their enlistees on the Bastins Bus Service with Lance Corporal A Domaschenz and Pte. R Johnson being the first to depart at the start of the week and the two Schulz brothers, Clem and Colin, on the following Thursday.
Once in Adelaide, Clem was allocated the number SX7732 and Colin SX7590. Both were assigned to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. The brothers spent their initial days in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds before they headed to Woodside for their preliminary training. Pre-embarkation leave gave then time to return to Yorketown where they were farewelled with Alfred Domaschenz (SX7836) who was also in the 2/48th Battalion, at the Southern Yorke Peninsula Digger’s Club where a social was held in their honour in October. There was a splendid gathering, and the door takings amounting to over 10/-. Each of the trio were presented with a wallet. Dancing and a typical country supper followed.
Returning to the 2/48th the contingent then embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 19th December 1940. There the recruits completing a few months training in Cyrenaica. From there, the Yorketown trio were soon on their way to serve in Tobruk, Syria and Egypt. By the start of April 1941, the 2/48th were in Tobruk where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to new enlistees. They were to become the famed Rats of Tobruk.
Conditions were ever-changing and the fighting continuous. The Pioneer shared letters from many of the servicemen, including one from Tom ‘Ripper’ King SX7615, also from the 2/48th Battalion. He wrote in part ‘We are in Palestine, and I have met some Yorketown boys here, including Alf. Domaschenz, Schulz brothers, Keith Bartram, and Tom Daly — they are all very well. You can imagine the difference between this country and our own in seeing a single-furrow plow being drawn by a camel or a donkey, when we have been used to tractors and big teams of horses. Kindly remember me to friends at Yorketown.’
October ’42 was to be one of the most devastating times for the Battalion. Just a month prior to his birthday, Clem was killed in action during the horrific fighting that erupted over the 25th and 26th October, 1942in an horrific explosion when seven trucks ladened with mines were hit by an enemy shell. 22-year-old Clem was killed under these conditions. Colin was also wounded with the Pioneer reporting ‘Mr and Mrs E. P. Schulz, of Yorketown have received advice that their son, Cpl. Colin E. E. (Jim) Schulz, has been wounded in action and placed on seriously ill list on Nov. 5th. A later cable from Jim states: " Injured and in hospital; injury not serious." There were so many losses and injuries that conflicting information was published. The next week the Advertiser reported ‘Wounded In Action And Placed On Seriously ilI list SX7590 Pte C. E. Schulz. Inf. Yorke town’. Better news followed in December through the Chronicle’s report that Colin was by then removed from the ill list.
However, the entire family mourned the loss of Clem in the Pioneer, October 1943, SCHULZ—In fond memory of our dear son and brother, Clem. who gave his life for his country, North Africa Oct. 25th 1942. In our home there's a beautiful treasure, to us more precious than gold; It's the photo of our dear son and brother whose memory so dear we hold. —Inserted by his parents, brother Colin (AIF ret.) Wally, Dot, Gerald.
Colin’s leadership was acknowledged in his promotion to the rank of Corporal. He survived the war to be discharged in January ’46. Returning home, Colin’s mother had five years to spend with him before her death in January ’51. She was 58 years old and was later buried in the nearby Pink Lake Cemetery.
Post war, scant attention was given to those who wanted to enjoy a quiet beer. Supply hours for hotels was tightly policed, catching Colin enjoying a beer at the Melville Hotel, Yorketown during prohibited times. He was fined £3, Court Fees 10/-. Just five months later, tragedy again struck the Schulz family. Colin’s 63-year-old father Edwin was killed. The Pioneer carried the distressing story. ‘Mr. E. P. Schulz, carrier, of Yorketown, was found dead in the River Torrens by Adelaide Police Tuesday last at about 9.30 a.m. The body was found beneath the railway bridge behind the Adelaide Gaol. It is believed that Mr. Schulz was traversing the bridge and received fatal injuries when he slipped and fell between the rails to the river below. The late Mr. Schulz was a well-known identity of Yorketown and district, where he had conducted a carrying service for many years. The deceased, a widower, leaves three sons: Walter (of Adelaide), Max and Colin (both of Yorketown).

In later years, Colin moved to Myrtlebank, living to be 73. A tribute to him is in the RSL Section of Centennial Park, Wall 124, Niche C009.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes, SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.