Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

At the age of 21 years, Allan signs his Attestation confirmation of details form on 18th April 1940 in the Australian Military Forces for special service in Australia and Abroad and was allocated his Army number NX14275.
This procedure was done at the enlistment office in Orange, NSW and Allan becomes a private in the Infantry of the 2/1 Battalion reinforcements (commonly referred to as the Sydney Battalion) of the 6th Division.

At the time of his enlistment Allan nominated his occupation as Station Hand while working for the Kyalla Park Investment Company at Orange, NSW.

Following Allan’s enlistment, he is taken on strength at Ingleburn army camp and then undertakes three months training at Greta in the Hunter Valley. He is now a part of “F” Company, No 1 Platoon, 2/1 Battalion Infantry Wing RTD A.I.F.

His troop convoy leaves Sydney on the 29th August 1940 for active service overseas. Allan’s voyage is on the former cruise liner the R.M.S. Aquitania, stopping at Fremantle and then the troops disembark at Bombay.
From Bombay (Mumbai), he then travels on the passenger ship R.M.S. Orion to Port Suez and then disembarks and the 2/1 travel overland to the Middle East arriving on 30th September 1940.

Following five and a half months of active service in North Africa, Allan’s 2nd 1st Infantry Battalion is sent to Greece on the 18th March 1941. They are then withdrawn from Greece and are sent to Crete with the impossible task of defending the Island of Crete. The allies in Crete were under prepared due to low levels of essential supplies, insufficient or unsuitable weapons to protect the island from German invasion and no air support. Also, there were not enough stockpiles of ammunition, poor communications between the allied troops and the command centre - resulting in a disastrous campaign outcome.

While fighting a second wave of more elite forces of German paratroopers in Crete, the Battalion successfully withdraws on 30 May 1941.
However, it is understood, that during their escape from Crete, Allan’s ship is severely damaged by enemy fire and he is subsequently rescued and captured by the German invaders.

(The Australian AIF in Crete suffered 274 killed, 507 wounded and 3102 captured and became prisoners of war although these casualty numbers vary depending on the research source)

Allan and his fellow 2/1 Battalion POWs were then transported 900 miles to Hammelburg, Germany on board a cattle train and Allan was then imprisoned in Stalag X111C prison camp for the next four (4) years
The camp was used by the Germans for a range of allied POWs from various countries – his camp was mainly occupied by regular soldiers as the officers were sent elsewhere to a higher security prison.

While a prisoner at Stalag X111C, Allan was allocated his German prisoner identity tag number 09803. The tag is manufactured from a zinc and lead alloy in a duplicate format. Junior enlisted prisoners were then put to work. Allan and other POWs were assigned in gangs to work at neighbouring factories, farms and forests. Some of the time they lived outside the Prison and were controlled by the German Home Guards (Landschutzen)

As a POW, Allan was issued with a British uniform that was supplied by the Red Cross who were active at the camps to help support the prisoners. These uniforms were much warmer in the very cold conditions at the prison camp and while working as forced labour.

Near the end of his imprisonment, Allan suffers from malnutrition caused by lack of food and as a result contracts a severe bout of Beri Beri – a disease that affects the muscles, heart and organs of the body plus other debilitating symptoms.

Towards the end of the war in Europe, on 6th April 1945, Stalag X111C is liberated by the American 47th Tank Battalion at their second attempt and Allan and many other POWs are subsequently released.
The POWs now have to find their own way back to safety, away from the fighting.
The following extracts are from Allan’s personal war diary. Some references have been further detailed to clarify the short hand version in the diary.

Extracts from Allan’s personal war diary – Note next to 26th April ‘FREE’
6th April
We left Rugheim with four days rations and walked for 12 days towards the American Forces. We see many dive bombers all day long – (Author’s note - this is very interesting as Rugheim is many kilometres further west from Stalag 13C in Hammelburg, so it is very likely that Allan was liberated while labouring outside the confines of the POW camp OR during a prisoner forced march to a relocation camp)
12 April
We heard that Schweinfurt had fallen to the Allies
14 April
Allied dive bombers attacking railway trains and machine gun posts.
Our food is very light, living on potatoes and more potatoes all day long. We have heard the Americans Forces are somewhere ahead about 20 or 30 kilometres.
18 April
We are heading towards Munich and the front battle line is now 80 kilometres behind us. We see many leaflets on the way and find out a lot of news.
24 April
We see a Red Cross trunk and receive 4 parcels. I traded one sock and a singlet for 2 lots of bread also traded one pair of socks for 13 cigarettes, one piece of meat and one packet Tobacco.
25 April
Spent the day resting and washing. We are 64 kilometres from Munich. We hear artillery fire all day long and also see large formations of allied bombers going overhead. Things are not too good as our food is very light all the way.
American Red Cross – between 4 then?
In a place called Staubach, our orders come through that we stop here and put up our POW signs.
26 April
“FREE”
27 April
American Tanks come to Mainberg.
Leave Mainburg by car to Ingolstadt, cross the Danube River on a temporary Pontoon bridge. In Nurnberg? Travel to Bamberg by trunk.
Go to Nurnberg? (Author’s note, on this day Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his underground war bunker located in Berlin)
29 April
Then travel by plane to Brussels – it was a rough trip.
Travel by plane to Gouldford?,Lancaster, England.
Then went to Eastbourne.
30 April
On leave to London, then Edinburgh.
2 May
Back in camp.
Set sail for Australia on the ship called the Dominion Monarch.
Good sea voyage back - very quiet, as we are still at war with Japan
(Author’s notes –
Germany is under siege by the Russians from the N.E and the British, Americans and the combined Commonwealth forces, resistance fighters plus other united countries. From the time of the POWs release, the end of the war in Europe is only one month away. The situation must have been very chaotic for the unarmed POWs trying to locate a safe haven that is close to the battle front.
It appears the POWs went to their planned evacuation position but they were then transported back to xxxxx to be airlifted to Brussels and then flown onto England)

On 17 May 1945, Allan embarks from Liverpool, England and arrives back in Australia on 17th June 1945.

The return voyage to Sydney was on the Dominion Monarch – a luxury ocean liner stripped of all its cruising fittings and beds & converted into a troop ship

After a short period on “Holding Strength”, Allan seeks a discharge on compassionate grounds and was discharged on 14th August 1945