Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Roy was born and raised in Curramulka, a farming area on the Yorke Peninsula, on the 13th April 1916. Post school he became a labourer until just after his 24th birthday when he enlisted to serve in WWII. At the time there was a strong recruitment drive in country areas to encourage fit young men to enlist, which Roy did, at Minlaton on the 29th June ’40. Another of the Goode family, Sydney Vincent (Vin) enlisted the following year in May and was also allocated to the same battalion as Roy.
Initially Roy nominated his brother, Benjamin, who lived in Dimboola, Victoria as his next of kin, then changed this to his married sister Mrs Curtis who was living in Whyalla.
For the new soldiers, initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds before they headed to Woodside in the Adelaide Hills for their preliminary training. Roy had brief pre-embarkation leave, returning home to Curramulka in October where the locals had organised a concert in his honour. The Soldiers' Welfare Committee presented him with a wrist watch on behalf of the Curramulka community, wishing him the best of luck for his posting. This was followed by Roy giving a vote of thanks before community singing completed the evening. He then returned to the 2/48th Battalion which embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 19th December 1940 where the Battalion completed a few months training in Cyrenaica.
The battalion was soon involved in intense conflicts where the reputation for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Having only been in the Middle East for five months, Roy was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to his right arm in May ’41 causing him to be hospitalised for a short period before returning to his battalion. He had been involved in the intense fighting for Hill 209. A sandstorm had delayed the initial offensive, followed by an air attack by the German forces as the men were about to climb onto trucks. The offensive did eventually proceed with Lieutenant Larkin’s group coming under small arms fire. In his book Tobruk to Tarakan, John Glenn describes the attack which ‘continued until they came under very heavy machine gun fire from the direction of the water point and Post 84. Captain Woods then instructed Lieutenant Robbins to attempt an advance on the left, along a crest to the right of the Acroma Road. Almost immediately this crest was brought under extremely heavy fire by the enemy, and the company was pinned to the ground.’ Bob Carvossa SX7888 was hit in the head, losing the sight of an eye. Fortunately, Roy’s injury was less severe.
Back home, the Advertiser published an extensive list of 10 men killed in action and 59 wounded. From the 2/48th, besides Roy these also included Pte. Laurence S. Baker SX7282, Mambray Creek; Pte. Percival G. Bartholomew. SX7122, Narrung, Pte. Thomas Bell. SX8265, Snowtown; Pte. J. Buckley. SX8459, Albert Park, Vic; Pte. R, W. Carvosso. SX7888, Glenelg; Harold W. Gass SX7147. Mannum; Pte. Ronald A. Gepp, SX7884. Ashton; Pte. R. D. Goodes, SX6917. Curramulka; Pte. John Kennedy, SX7842. Adelaide; Lieut. Geoffrey D. Larkins, SX10332. St. Peters; Pte. Henry O Lohman, SX7771, Murray Bridge: Pte. Keith H. Pointon, SX7143. Prospect and Pte. Leonard G. Rex. 6X7990, Colonel Light Gardens.
In the Middle East at the end of November ‘41 Roy was caught not attending a parade, then also for being beyond the fixed limit imposed on his battalion. This was an expensive exercise financially for him. However, it did not later affect his promotion to Lance Corporal in April ’42.
Following his service in the Middle East, Roy returned to Australia via Melbourne and well-earned leave in February ’43.
Training in Queensland followed before Roy was heading to Tarakan, New Guinea and face a very different enemy and in totally different tropical conditions. By the end of that year, he had reverted to the rank of Private. By February he had contracted a persistent fever of unknown origin, which was later to become dengue fever and a painful inflammation of his nasal passage, causing him to be hospitalised. He returned to Australia via Brisbane, but ill health followed him with appendicitis being diagnosed in March ’44 for which he was admitted to Kapara Convalescent Home. A month later he was able to re-join the 2/48th but contracted malaria in September.
By February ’45 Roy was treated for an accidental gunshot wound where residual fragments at the base of his spine and buttocks and right hand were treated. Having regained better health, Roy was again promoted in July ’45 before finally being discharged in November ’45.
Roy married Lily Josephine and the couple had four children, Barry, Lynette, Graham and Stephen.
Aged 54, he died on the 22nd November 1970. Lily lived to be 98 and died on the 3rd April 2014. Roy is buried in the Kadina Cemetery, Path 57 Block 13. The Wallaroo sub-branch of the Returned and Services League also placed a memorial tribute to him at Kadina.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.