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COOK, Leslie John
Personal Details
| Service Number: | NX32179 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 June 1940, Paddington, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Queen's Park, Western Australia, Australia, 11 June 1918 |
| Home Town: | Earlwood, Hurstville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk (Brewery) |
| Died: | Accidental (plane crash), New Guinea, 7 September 1943, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea CWGC Grave No: Section C. Plot 1. Row E. Grave 16. Inscription: "FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS". |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
Service History
World War 2 Service
| 14 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Private, NX32179, Paddington, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Corporal, NX32179, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Sep 1943: | Involvement Corporal, NX32179, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
Personal Stories
Tragedy strikes 2nd/33rd Battalion in Townsville while awaiting troop lift flight to Nadzab
The 2nd/33rd returned to Port Moresby in late July in preparation for the operations capture Lae, in New Guinea. On 7 September, while it waited near Jackson's Airfield at '7Mile' near Moresby to be flown to Nadzab, via Tsili Tsili, a fully fuelled and 'bombed up' US B-24 Liberator bomber crashed on take off among the trucks carrying the battalion. Sixty men, mainly from D Company, were killed and 92 injured. This represented a third of the battalion's fatal casualties for the entire war.
The remnants of the battalion were flown to Nadzab on 8 September and subsequently participated in the advance on Lae, which fell on 16 September.
Submitted 7 September 2017 by Steve Larkins
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