Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Edgar George Mayman was born on the 1st of June, 1907 in Norwood, South Australia. He he enlisted at Adelaide, on June 4th, 1940 at age 33. At the time of his enlistment he was married to Phyllis Mayman, and had one son, Gregory Mayman, with a daughter on the way that he would not meet until his return from the field.

He departed Woodside on December 28th, 1940 during a severe dust storm and marched to Oakbank, where his company, the 2/43rd Infantry Battalion caught a train to Murray Bridge and onward to Victoria, where they would embark upon a small fleet of ships alongside other companies to make their way towards Fremantle. Upon arriving at Fremantle, they marched to Perth and made camp, but the precise location is not recorded.

Edgar remarks in a letter to his family, that they had a grand 12 hours before they departed Perth. They were permitted to take a look around the city and he took it upon himself to meet Phyllis’ aunt Ada, but it is only briefly mentioned. The letter further details that they wound up in Cottesloe, upon which he states: “The Beer here doesn’t taste as good as in Adelaide, but it is drinkable”. Edgar and Co. arrived at their boat at Midnight, very tired.

Edgar departed Perth on the 21st January, 1941, and sailed alongside other troop carrying ships and destroyers to Pt. Suez, in Egypt, at the beginning of the Suez Canal. The 2/43rd Infantry Battalion marched from the Port of Suez to Kautara, where they were transported by train to Khana camp, in Palestine. From Palestine, they marched to the Mediterranean Sea, where they were then transported back down south, near the Dead Sea, arriving on March 5th, 1941.
there Is little information that could be found regarding transportation from The Dead Sea, but one month later, on April 5th through till Easter (April 12th 19410, Edgar was situated in Tanta, Egypt.

Two days later, on April 14th, 1941, Edgar George Mayman was reported missing. He was taken prisoner by the Italians in Egypt, attempting to assist one of his companions who had been injured during a night raid. His safety was learned of through interrogation of prisoners taken during the raid by our side, and were informed that he will be safe until after the war.

Edgar was permitted to write letters during this time and says his captors were in fact rather nice and humane to him, and were well mannered. He was transferred by the Italians to a German POW camp, location undisclosed. Edgar remained a POW until the war ended on September 2, 1945. He was moved to London and treated by the Red Cross for illness and injury, although he was healthy, and arrived home in Adelaide to be reunited with his family on January 26th, 1946. He lived to the age of 73, and passed away 28th of July, 1980

This was a brief biography of my Great Grandfather, Edgar George Mayman, beloved by his family, written on the 14/12/2023, 43 years after his passing.