Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Mervyn and Doreen applied for the Soldier Settlement Scheme on Kangaroo Island and arrived at the Parndana East Camp on 1 April 1949 with their son, Colin, aged 14 months. Their second child Jeannette and third Barry were born whilst living in the camp. They were allocated their farm at East West One Macgillivray and moved there shortly after Barry was born. Three other children, Anthony, Gregory and Lynette were born in Kingscote and all six grew up on the farm.
The farm life had many challenges, running a mixed farm with sheep, cropping, pigs, dairy and beef cows over the years.
During these years Mervyn was a keen supporter and at times player of football and encouraged all of the children to play team sport - tennis, basketball, netball and football. It was always a quick rush from the oval after the A grade football to get home in time to milk the cows.
Other interests of Mervyns included, breeding Rhode Island Red poultry and showing them, along with turkeys, and at one stage ducks, growing gladioli and making sponge cakes.
Golf became a loved sport with the achievement of a "hole in one" and other wins.
Mervyn and Doreen left the farm in 1975 due to Mervyns health issues with Barry taking over the original farm.
Over the next years Mervyn underwent bypass surgery and they worked on various small farms and households as caretakers, moving many times from Kadina, Buckland park, Willunga, Noarlunga and eventually Hackham. Frequently going back to Kangaroo Island to support both Barry on the original farm and Colin on a neighbouring farm.

Mervyn died suddenly leaving behind his wife, 6 children and their partners and 8 grand children with the 9th due that month.

He was a much loved and respected father who rarely spoke of the war, but would keenly head to Adelaide every possible Anzac day and was involved with the RSL at Parndana.

Born in Snowtown in the mid north of SA to John Thomas Jamieson and Mary Anne Jamieson on the 19th April ‘1919 Merv had an older brother, Ronald Keith and three younger brothers, Hedley Raymond, Eric Colin, Clarence, and three sisters, Annie, Gladys and Ina Daphne. Ronald also enlisted with the 2/4 SX13874 Battalion.
John was a leading figure amongst the local settlers who unanimously voted to create Snowtown the centre of their district. Life presented challenges for the Jamieson family, including a January summer grass fire the year prior to Mervyn’s birth. This threatened the family’s wheat crop but fortunately the flames were quickly distinguished. Just after Merv’s 4th birthday, his father was involved in an horrific farm accident as he worked the chaff-cutter. His left arm became caught in the rollers, severing it below the elbow before John could stop the machine.
As a nine-year-old, Merv proved to be a capable student, winning a school work award at the Snowtown Agricultural Show, as did his younger brother, Colin. He also displayed sporting prowess at the Arbor Day Snowtown Sports Day, winning the combined Grade 4-5 boys’ competition while youger brother Eric won his combined grades 1,2 and 3 grades. The following year, three of the children, Ina, Mervyn and Hedley were all involved in the Snowtown School Christmas concert, made all the more memorable as their mother also was part of the group supplying icecream for all the children as well as making her traditional Christmas cake to be shared.
Post school, Merv returned to work on the family farm. He continued to be involved playing for the local cricket and football teams, regularly appearing in the best player lists. At a sports carnival held at the Snowtown Centenary Park in January ’39, the Light Horse Troop gave a spectacular display, including single and pair tent-pegging, hurdle jumping, obstacle racing and an alarm race. This particularly impressed 19-year-old Mervyn who, within a week enlisted for the Militia on the 5th February at Clare becoming Trooper 307405 with the 9/23 Light Horse from July to December ’39, including regular attendance at camps.
With the outbreak of WWII active recruiting occurred in country areas throughout South Australia. Merv was called up for full time duty at the end of June ’40, at Wayville. 32 Snowtown men had enlisted for the Army, five for the Airforce and three for the Navy by August – huge numbers for such a small community. These included Merv and his brother, Hedley who both enlisted for the Army. Merv had just turned 21.
The two had also that year won the Premiership playing for Snowtown in the Broughton Football Association. At Wayville, Merv was allocated the number, SX7228 in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. In an aside in his book ‘Derrick V.C.’ Murray Farquhar commented that “The ranks of the future 2/48th Battalion were supplied from every corner of the State. That neck of land called Yorke Peninsula was well represented with such men as Bill Mackay, Terry Farrell and Merv Jamieson.”
Initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, before the new enlistees headed to Woodside for their preliminary training. Following pre-embarkation leave the large contingent of enlistees embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, Unfortunately Merv sustained an infection on the trip, spending time in the hospital before finally disembarking on the 19th December 1940. Close friendships were forged, most to last a lifetime – which widely varied in length.
Their 2/48th Battalion completed a few months training in Cyrenaica before going to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees.
Merv acquired his first bout of Malaria in June ’42, a debilitating disease which continued to plague him even after leaving the Middle East. On the ship back to Australia he was hospitalised on board, again with Malaria and tonsilitis in December ’44. Training in Queensland followed, in preparation for a vastly different warfront against a totally different enemy.
Arriving in New Guinea, Mervyn, as did so many of his compatriots, again contracted Malaria, causing him to be hospitalised in February ’44. This was soon followed by a kidney infection with him then being placed on a hospital ship in Port Moresby to return to Sydney. Still extremely ill, Merv was finally transferred to South Australia, severely affected by malaria and debilitating kidney stones. In a further challenge, Merv’s 75-year-old father, John died in January ’45 after a lengthy illness. He was interred in the Condowie Cemetery.
Merv was finally discharged in September ’45. The following year as he recuperated, he and Doreen Southam from Barunga became engaged in March ‘46. Merv was also chosen as best man for his childhood friend, George Kench of Snowtown in July. That same year, returning to better health, Merv also blitzed the Servicemen's from World War II 100 yards Handicap race held on Victory Day celebrations at the Snowtown Centenary Park.
He married Rose (Doreen) Southam on the 12th April 1947 in the Methodist Church, Snowtown. In February the following year they welcomed their first child, a son born at Snowtown. In subsequent years two daughters were also welcomed.
As importantly, he returned to football captaining the Snowtown team to a premiership, proudly accepting the Shield and Standish Cup as well as an inscribed football. Merv continued to be the inspiring captain of Snowtown the following year, also, regularly being names in the best players as was his brother, Eric. Both continued to score well in the local Newspaper, the Northern Argus Medal for the Best and Fairest. Snowtown won the Premiership again in ’47 against Red Hill. The Blyth Agriculturalist reported that ‘Redhill were finding it hard to get past M. Jamieson at centre half back; this player was a tower of strength in this position.’ The reporter added ‘. M. Jamieson at halfback was clearing well with beautiful long drop-kicks.’ Not unexpectedly, Merv and brother Eric were named in Snowtown’s best at the end of the match. This form continued in the ensuing years. In a match against Blyth in June ’49 the Northern Argus observed ‘Merv Jamieson was the dominating factor for Snowtown, his cool, clever play with long kicks and great marking was a thorn in the locals side.’ He naturally gained the best player votes.
By July ’50 Mervyn’s medals were finally posted to him at Parndana on Kangaroo Island. He had earned the 1939/45 Star, The African Star (with 8th clasp), Pacific Star, Defence and War Medals and the Australian Service Medal.
In retirement, Merv and Doreen moved from Kangaroo Island to Hackham where Merv died two weeks prior to his 65th birthday of coronary heart disease. He is interred in the Garden of Remembrance at Centennial Park, Tree Bed 35, Position 17. Doreen died on the 21st March 2015. Merv is remembered on the Parndana KI Ex-servicemen Land Settlers 1939 – 45 Roll as well as the Snowtown Memorial Hospital Honor roll.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion