Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Donald, known as Don, was born in Cummins, a town out of Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula, on the 20th July 1912 to Richard Henry and Abi Jean Siviour. Don’s grandfather, (also called Richard Henry) was a pioneering farmer in the area in 1903 with two of his sons. He was instrumental in developing the area, becoming a member of the Tumby Bay District Council, before eventually retiring to Adelaide. That same sense of duty was evident in his son, Richard Jnr who, as a 20-year-old enlisted in January 1902 to serve in the Boer War as Private 996 in the 2nd Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse Division. Don was the second of six children with siblings including older brother, Cephas Clyde, Lindsay Ross, Doriel Clementine, Jennie Laurel and Erol Norman.
Life was not always easy for young children; Don was 16 when his ten-year-old brother, Erol, died on the 10th May ’29 and was buried in the Payneham Cemetery.
The family lived at Murdinga, a strong farming community with a convenient local railway for transport of grain and sheep. Don and his siblings all attended the local Cummins School, then Crystal Brook after which Don returned to work on the farm with his father. He later celebrated his 21st in style with a surprise birthday party at the family home, before adjoining to the McMahon’s woolshed for dancing and games, with Don scooping the winning pool for a treasure hunt and ‘lucky spot’.
However, with the outbreak of war, a huge recruitment drive was undertaken in country areas with the aim of attracting young, fit men to enlist, which Don did at Port Lincoln on the 13th June ’40. He travelled to Adelaide where he was allocated the number SX7186 in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. Intensive training followed at Woodside. In September, Don was able to return home, in uniform while on leave, to celebrate at a Red Cross dance at the newly opened Cayley Station woolshed near Tooligie. Don brought with him news of other new enlistees which whom he was training for anxious family and friends.
On his final leave before embarking, a huge gathering met at the Tooligie Hall to farewell Don. Well-wishers can from so many nearby areas, including Cummins, Lock, Murdinga, Peachna, Warrachie, Karkoo and Yeelanna. A mix of dancing and speeches about the guest of honour were made, prior to the final singing of " Auld Lang Syne," and the National Anthem.
A year later, Don’s younger brother, 26-year-old Lindsay also enlisted at Lock on the 8th July ‘41 as SX13612 and was allocated to the same 2/48th Battalion.
Don boarded the Stratheden on the 7th November. The voyage from Adelaide gave the soldiers time at Freemantle in Western Australia over November. Unfortunately, Don was admitted to the ship’s hospital on the 21st, discharged on the 22nd and re-admitted on the 23rd, then finally discharged on the 24th. At the time, a self-assured, confident boxer Private Tom Derrick decided to do some unofficial sightseeing and enjoy a few beers, inevitably being fined for being AWL and confined on board. According to ‘Diver’ Derrick’s diary of the 25th, he wrote “Got clocked last night. Broke teeth & cut lip then got stuck into him. Made a real job. On another charge now for fighting.” Post war, fellow soldier Clem Billing recalled that Don had ‘king hit’ Derrick but did not expand on the reason. He added that Don and Derrick later became mates. Derrick was fined £1 10/- for the fighting (conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline’) and Don 10/- with an additional £1 for being drunk. The remainder of the voyage was uneventful, with the troops arriving in the 17th December in the Middle East. Don and Tom both continued to serve together in the same platoon.
The dust, heat, flies and rats continued to play havoc with Don’s respiratory conditions, including bouts of tracheitis, sinusitis and bronchitis. Being hospitalised did not suit Don and by the end of January ’41 he was facing charges of both drunkenness and being beyond the limits set for recuperating soldiers. Inevitably, he was confined to barracks for a week. These same conditions were derided by the enemy, attempting to destroy morale and encourage the troops to surrender, rather than live ‘like rats’. Contrarily, the men seized on the description, proudly claiming the unofficial title of being Rats of Tobruk.
Don and other locals wrote home regularly, with newspapers reporting “they were all in good health”.
Don became a Group III Driver Mechanic, drawing on the skills used back home as a farmer and applying these to the desert conditions. Finally, the 2/48th Battalion headed home in February ’43, via Melbourne and well-deserved leave. Don married Esther Milda Steike (Millie) of Robertstown on the 16th March ’43. His young sister, Doriel travelled to Cummins for the wedding before he was transferred to Queensland for training in the tropical conditions that would be faced in New Guinea, against a very different enemy. He arrived in Milne Bay in August ’43, but again his health issues re-appeared, beginning with an upper respiratory tract infection and chronic sinusitis.
December ’43 brought unwanted news that Don had been injured in action on the 20th November, as had fellow Lance Corporal R Francey from Poochera, both lauded as War Heroes in the Port Lincoln Times. Don had sustained a penetrating gunshot wound to his scalp. An extremely high temperature followed (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) as he was treated and eventually returned to Australia in February ’44. He was formally diagnosed with asthma and bronchitis, which combined with his head injury, contributed to him being discharged on the 19th June ’44.
Don returned to farming with good post-war conditions contributing to his wool being classed as AAA. In ’54, a crop competition to assess fertility and weed control saw C.H. Hewitt’s crop, grown on Don’s property, awarded 1st prize and Don’s crop second.
Don also enjoyed playing cricket for Murdinga, being a reliable batter, often top scoring. He also took up golf, with the highlight being winning the Lock Competition in June ’64, breaking his handicap (93/64). His love of this game continued as he competed in the Port Lincoln Club Championships over the ensuing years, still being leader in the C Grade in ’72. The following year he hit a brilliant 60 ‘hitting his straps with a vengeance to record the best score of the day’. Throughout that decade, Don remained a competitive and successful player. Bowls also featured, as Don later moved from playing for Merdinga to Port Lincoln in ’72, being farewelled by his home club. He was also an active member of the Murdinga and District Memorial Hall Committee. As a country farmer, Don’s skills were called on unexpectedly, as in March ’60 when the Elder Smith’s manager overturned his car but was able to briefly continue after being helped by Don.
Don and Millie mixed the constant work demands of the farm with time spent at Coffin Bay. They had three boys, Richard (Dick) Terry and Leon. Don had a sense of déjà vu when Dick completed his two years of National Service and was welcomed by a crowd at the Murdinga Hall on his return in May ‘68.
Aged 72, Don died on the 26th July ’84 and now rests in the RSL section of Happy Valley Cemetery at Port Lincoln. Nearby is his father’s plaque and that of his brother Lindsay who died on the 12th August ’92 aged 77. Millie died in 2011.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes, SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.