Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Jack Webber was born on the 10th of April in 1917, in Mile End, South Australia, to Mabel Annie Bishop (1880-1970) and Thomas Underwood Webber (1874-1945). With older siblings, Daphne Mabel Webber (1910-1995), Reginald Bishop Webber (1911-1995), and Kenneth Underwood Webber (1913-2008). He stayed unwed before he left for the war, meaning he lived with his parents until he conscripted, at 45a Rose Street, Mile End. He managed to find work as a furnace attendant likely at a local iron mill. Where he worked for many years before he enlisted.

 He enlisted in Adelaide on the 25th of May 1940, at the age of 23. Ranked Private on enlistment he was placed in the 2nd/27th Battalion with around 800 other men from the Adelaide region. The 2nd/27th Battalion was the second of the largely South Australian Battalions raised for WW2 (2nd/27th Infantry Battalion 2023). The 2nd/27th became part of the 21st Brigade in the 7th Division. The other Battalions of the Brigade were the 2nd/14th (Queensland) and the 2nd/16th (Western Australia). The 2nd/27th was raised at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills in May 1940 and sailed overseas in October that year. As there are no known written accounts of what Jack went through personally, the following information is of what has been acquired in the few documents found of his service.

After a brief stop in India, they made their way to Egypt, landing on the 24th of November 1940. Making their way directly to Palestine for training along with the rest of the 21st Brigade of the 7th Australian Division. This is where they stayed for a short time before moving on to reinforce the Egypt-Libya frontier. Occupying the area of Maaten Bagush and Matruh during April and May 1941, their occupation was due to suspicions of a German attack. Their presence there was essential to the safety of their tactical position. Only departing this place once it was degreed it safe.

Like most men at this time, Jack was getting fed up and homesick, so like many committed petty offences whilst serving. Jack was charged with negligence of an order and went absent without leave for an hour and was punished accordingly. Being fined 2 pounds for his first offence and received 7 days in confined barracks. These were not stand-alone offences as he committed more ‘crimes’ later in his time in the forces.

Returning to Palestine where they prepared for the invasion of Syria and Lebanon, their first offensive operation, beginning on the 8th of June 1941. The campaign aimed to occupy Syria and Lebanon to prevent the establishment of a German presence there that could threaten Britain's bases in Palestine and its broader strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean (Syrian Campaign 2023). The campaign involved approximately 34,000 men of which 18,000 were Australians, 9,000 British, 2,000 Indian and 5,000 Free in the French British and Commonwealth ground force.

Tasked with helping in the push to take over the Lebanon coast the 2nd/27th spent most of its time fighting in the hills of the coast. Jack Webber fought in a few main battles whilst in service at this time he was involved in Adloun on the 11th of June, Miyeoumiye on the 13-14th June and around El Boum, as part of the battle of Damour, between the 6th of and 9th July, heavily outnumbered and overpowered, facing the gruelling conditions of the Lebanese Coast, Jack was fighting each day knowing that it could be his last. Until a ceasefire was arranged to begin one minute after midnight on 12 July 1941; two days later, the armistice was signed at Acre (Syrian Campaign 2023). At this time there were 4,652 casualties of which 1,552 were Australian soldiers, as well as many being injured and taken as Prisoners of War (POWS). Going for a short 34 days, thousands of men from each side would never make it home, forever rotting in the fields of the Lebanese Coast.

They sailed home from Egypt on the 30th of January 1942, disembarking in Adelaide on the 24th of March. The Battalion's stay in Australia was brief, moving on to Port Moresby on the 14th of August. The Kokoda Trail was a gruelling experience for everyone serving on it, the drenching rain, dense jungle and disease, riddled the Battalion with doubt and downed spirits, the land was harsh and unforgiving. The relentless onslaught of the Japanese did not help, holding their position at Mission Ridge for two harsh days before being forced to pull out. The Japanese had more experience fighting in the dense jungle and had better more practised tactics, they went out and around, cutting off the trail behind them. The surviving men, Jack included, were forced into a tough 2-week journey back out of the jungle. Many had minimal food, were riddled with disease and were battered by the weather conditions around them. They managed to re-join the main Australian force at Jawarere, east of Port Moresby.

After a short period, the Battalion returned to action at Gona on the 28th of November being ferociously and relentlessly attacked from every direction they were left with as few as 70 men unharmed, returning to Australia in mid-January, Jack was one of the luckiest men serving at this time; looking at records he was not sick or injured in his time serving in or before Kokoda, remaining one of the very few. It is unclear if Jack went back into battle or if he remained in Australia this time. Looking back on records it looks as if he may have returned with the 2/27th where they spent a month training near Port Moresby before being flown to Kaipit in New Guinea to take part in the advance along the Ramu Valley. Leaving Kaipit on 29 September, the 21st Brigade reached Dumpu on 4 October and then began pushing up into the Finisterre Ranges. The 2/27th occupied several key features during these operations and bore the brunt of the one major counterattack launched by the Japanese on 12 October. Thereafter, the 2/27th's operations were principally patrol actions. It began returning to Port Moresby on 3 January 1944 and arrived back in Australia on 1 March

Once discharged, Jack settled down to a new address, 20 Old Beach Road, Brighton. Where it is unknown if he took a wife. What we do know is that he had children, which there is also only one mention of in a letter about a few medals that were awarded to him being lost, Passing peacefully on the 27th of August 2004, he was later cremated.

Works Cited

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“Anzac Spirit | Australian War Memorial.” Awm.gov.au, 11 Aug. 2020, www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/anzac/spirit. Accessed 7 May 2023.

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“Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History.” Vwma.org.au, 2023, vwma.org.au/. Accessed 7 May 2023.

“AWM52 8/3/27 - 2/27 Infantry Battalion.” Awm.gov.au, 2023, www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1360725. Accessed 7 May 2023.

“Dawn of the Legend: The Anzac Spirit | Australian War Memorial.” Awm.gov.au, 30 Oct. 2019, www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/dawn/spirit#:~:text=The%20legend%20of%20Anzac%20was,seen%20as%20the%20Anzac%20spirit. Accessed 2 May 2023.

“FamilySearch.org.” Familysearch.org, 2015, ancestors.familysearch.org/en/K23B-BFQ/jack-webber-1917-2004. Accessed 7 May 2023.

Genge. “DVA’s Nominal Rolls.” Dva.gov.au, 2014, nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=667208&c=WW2#R. Accessed 7 May 2023.

“Kokoda Trail.” Awm.gov.au, 2022, www.awm.gov.au/collection/E84512. Accessed 7 May 2023.

“Scots Church Adelaide - the Colours of Courage.” Scotschurch.org, 2021, scotschurch.org/home/the-colours.html. Accessed 7 May 2023.

“Syrian Campaign.” Awm.gov.au, 2023, www.awm.gov.au/collection/E84669. Accessed 7 May 2023.

“The Syria-Lebanon Campaign, June-July 1941 | Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park, Sydney.” Nsw.gov.au, 2022, www.anzacmemorial.nsw.gov.au/our-stories/our-stories/syria-lebanon-campaign-june-july-1941#:~:text=Fearful%20that%20vital%20shipping%20and,began%20on%208%20June%201941. Accessed 7 May 2023.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Syria–Lebanon Campaign.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Apr. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria%E2%80%93Lebanon_campaign. Accessed 5 May 2023.