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Australia

Gilbert was born in the northern suburb of Bowden, an early industrial area of South Australia, on the 20th June 1920. His siblings included an older sister, Lina Melva and older brothers, Garth Victor and Laurence Keith. Childhood was challenging for the children as their mother, Ada was unmarried and initially struggled to provide for Gilbert’s older siblings, one year old Garth and three-and-a-half-year-old Lina, who were declared neglected children. The Gawler Magistrate’s Court committed the two to the Industrial School at Edwardstown.
Times continued to be challenging for Ada, with the children very quickly becoming ‘street wise’ and familiar with the law. Garth eventually returned to live with his siblings but as an eighteen-year-old was the first to push boundaries, being caught stealing a bike and having an unregistered rifle, which was confiscated. The children were enrolled at the Brompton Primary School (now Bowden Brompton), but it was a challenge for Ada to encourage Gilbert to attend as a six-year-old Ada faced the Hindmarsh Magistrate Court several times in 1926, initially receiving a conviction but without penalty and fined 15/-. This escalated to the point Gilbert was declared an habitual truant in October and Ada was again fined 10/- with her son ordered to the Wistow Probationary School for six months.
Gilbert, known as Mick, later joined Laurence in working for George Baltrop in his trucking business. As an eighteen-year-old he was fortunate to escape serious injury when the lorry he was driving collided with a car at the intersection of Junction and Port roads, Port Adelaide. The force of the collision dragged the car over 54 feet, extensively damaging it but also without major injury to the driver.
The following year, Mick was again parting with his wages when fined 10/, with 10/ costs for his offensive behaviour at Port Road, Hindmarsh. The outbreak of WWII saw the three brothers deciding to enlist. Having just turned 20, Mick enlisted on the 21st June ’40. He was given the number SX6639, initially with the 2/3rd Battalion, before transferring to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. Older brother, 25 year old Laurence enlisted days later on the 25th June as SX7766 and was also placed in the 2/48th Battalion. 28-year-old Garth, working as a Dairy Manager enlisted on the 17th December ’42 as SX27887, serving in the Northern Territory. In comparison to Mick and Laurence, Garth’s record of service was unblemished.
Mick and Laurence left on the Stratheden on the 7th November, arriving in the Middle East on the 17th December. However, early on both displayed the challenging behaviour of their earlier civilian years. Mick was confined to barracks for six days, the first of many behavioural challenges of being absent without leave. He accumulated fines and loss of pay plus being confined to barracks, in one instance for ten days. Laurence’s record was similar. Conditions in the desert also contributed to Mick acquiring gastritis and painful gallstones. In between he was graded a Group III Driver Mechanic.
Just over two years after enlisting, Mick was wounded in action. In late June, 42 with Rommel crossing into Egypt, the 2/48th Battalion attempted to capture West Point in a dawn attack to capture Trig 33. This was achieved on the 10th July. In doing so, over 400 Italian prisoners were taken. The battalion then advanced south, capturing the Tel el Eisa station and repelling numerous counter attacks. However, they were eventually forced to withdraw, having suffered over 100 casualties, including Mick. It was during this attack that fellow soldier, Private Stan Gurney was awarded the 2/48th Battalion’s first VC having captured two machine gun posts and bayonetted the gun crew firing on his company but he was killed attempting to take a third. The 2/48th battalion suffered 215 casualties between the 7th July and 23rd October. Of that number, 64 men were killed and six, died of their wounds. 125 other men were wounded but survived

In his book, ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’, John G. Glenn described the ferocious encounter;
‘When the troops were well forward of the start-line they came under terrific fire from shells and mortars from the front and left and suffered heavy casualties. With the slow deliberate movement of perfectly trained soldiers both companies continued the advance in perfect formation, over ground that trembled and erupted with vicious explosions. Through this, sometimes obscured by the smoke and dust, the men moved, and, as they advanced, the fire kept place with them, leaving behind the still shapes of fallen men among the camel bush and sand.’
Glenn later quotes 22-year-old Ray Bloffwitch SX7866 of D Company who was in the thick of the fighting:
“The noise was terrific: German machine guns were spreading the fire right across our front. The continuous call for stretcher bearers told of our casualties.”
The Chronicle published a list of those killed or wounded in that action in action in August ’42. From Mick’s battalion, they included SX1312 Pte. Reginald W. C. Brown Whyalla. SX12765. Pte. Charles A. Corfield Clare. SX7166 Pte. Arthur R. Davis Rosewater SX13018 Pte. Colin J. Hanley Port Augusta. SX8236 Pte. Gerald J. Hayes. Wirrabara SX6297 Pte. Donald S. Ridley Loxton SX11052. Pte. Walter M. Shane. 2/48th Spalding and SX8315 Pte. Robert O. Sunman. Port Augusta. Died Of Wounds SX8087 Cpl. Francis W. Fletcher, Aldgate SX8454 Cpl. Arthur A. Harding. Peterborough. Wounded In Action SX10613 Pte. Percy H. Evans,. Stirling East. SX8178 Pte. William E. G. Snider. Peterborough. SX6639 Pte. Gilbert M. Speck. Croydon. Accidentally Wounded SX13350 Pte. Douglas C St. Clair. Seaton Park. Believed Prisoner Of War SX13037 Pte. Melvin R Maynard. Clare. (Aged 17 he enlisted as Melvin Reginald, an assumed name, but was Allen Sydney Maynard.).
The Advertiser that month also shared that ‘Mrs. A. Speck, of Port road, Croydon, has received advice that her youngest son, Pte. Gilbert Maxwell Speck, has been wounded in action in Egypt. Pte. Speck enlisted in 1940, and went overseas in the same year. He served in Syria and Tobruk. He was formerly employed by G. Barltrop, Hindmarsh.’
In the Army a rifle was considered an extension of a soldier. When Mick lost ‘by neglect’ his rifle in November ’42, he was fined a huge £9/9/9 with his pay withheld until this was reimbursed. Mick’s age, the conditions under which he fought and lack of knowledge of conditions like PTSD, probably all contributed to him being Court Martialled in December ’42 and charged with desertion at El Alamein for a week. Instead, he was found guilty of the lesser charge of being AWL and held for detention for 60 days, plus forfeiting a reduced 105 days’ pay. This time coincided with the 2/48th finally returning to Australia via Melbourne, leaving on the 1st February ’43. He was released from the ship’s detention room on the 16th February.
During this time, his brother, Laurence faced similar charges of desertion over August, September and the first fortnight of October. Like Mick, Laurence was found not guilty of that charge but of being AWL. He was held in detention for nine months and forfeited 75 days’ pay. Laurence’s additional self-inflicted punishment was to contract a social disease.
Following leave, Mick trained in Queensland, an area chosen to prepare soldiers for the tropical conditions they would face in New Guinea against a very different enemy. This prospect resulted in further lengthy fortnight-long successions of Mick being AWL in March and April ’43 and the consequential forfeit of pay, plus time in a Field Punishment Centre. Inevitably, in August ’43, Mick left Cairns and arrived in Milne Bay.
Tropical conditions contributed to him contracting malaria, dysentery and an extremely high temperature (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) before his return to Brisbane in February ’44. Mick was unable to shake the malaria and fever for over a month. Almost predictably he went absent again, with a warrant for his arrest issued, detention imposed, and a forfeit of 41 days’ pay. Mick then developed scabies, and his behaviour continued to deteriorate, particularly over September. His final months in the army were spent in Morotai, before his return to Darwin and being discharged on the 25th September ’45. Soon after, Garth was discharged in December and Laurence served until January the following year.
With the war over, Mick married Margaret Mary with the young couple having two young children. Their extended family were involved in a freak accident in February ’49 at the intersection of Grote Street and West terrace. They had been returning from picnicking in the Belair National Park when a Thebarton fire truck, racing to a house fire (caused by a cigarette butt) collided with the passenger bus in which the family was travelling. Sadly, there was one fatality, with the accident being called the worst vehicular accident for years, with appliances on standby to prevent the overturned bus bursting into flames. The members of the Speck family sustained a range of injuries. Mick’s children, eighteen-month-old Graham and nine-week-old Barbara were taken to hospital where Barbara was treated for a lump on her head and young Graham with abrasions. The children had been rescued from under the upturned bus, clinging to their mother, Margaret. Mick was treated in the Royal Adelaide Hospital for a lacerated scalp. His brother, Lawrence and mother, Ada were also injured, along with 17 others.
Just months later, Mick was fined for riding his bicycle against the flow of traffic and when spoken to by a special constable, ‘adopting a threatening demeanor.’ He was fined £1. with 15/ costs. This was soon followed by next being charged for riding his bike without lights, again using threatening language and refusing to move on when requested by police and receiving a significantly higher fine of a total of £3. with £1 2/6 costs
Last abode Christie Downs Applied for medals in 1994 War Medal and ASM Initially in ‘49
The year prior to his death, Mick finally applied for his missing medals, War Medal 1939/45 and Australian Service Medals. These were to complete his full entitlement of the 1939/45 Star, African Star, Pacific Star and Defence Medal.
Aged 75, Mick died on the 2nd November 1995 with his remains cremated and now rests in Centennial Park Cemetery.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.