DALTON, Maurice Desmond
| Service Number: | NX1985 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 October 1939 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/4th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Moree, New South Wales, Australia , 15 December 1906 |
| Home Town: | Weemelah, Moree Plains, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Crete, Greece, 20 May 1941, aged 34 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Athens Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Moree & District Fallen Soldiers Honour Roll |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, NX1985 | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Oct 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX1985, 2nd/4th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Maurice Desmond Dalton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Arthur and Mary Anna Dalton, of Weemelah, New South Wales, Australia
Pte. M. D. Dalton, son of Mrs. Dalton, of Weemelah, was killed in action in Crete, on May 20. Pte. Dalton was one of the early enlistments, and left Australia with the first contingent.
How Pte. Des. Dalton, of Weemelah, was killed, is described by Pte. John Forrester, in a letter to his father, Mr. H. J. Forrester. Pte. Forrester states that Pte. Des. Dalton was killed when the first paratroops landed in Crete. He was hit with a burst of Tommy gun fire by a sniper while he was trying to locate him. He died immediately and did not feel any pain. "I was quite close to him and afterwards helped to carry him away," says Pte. Forrester. "I could not help noticing that he was smiling as he always did when he was alive. He was given a decent burial in a Greek soldiers' cemetery out from Candia in the Keraklion area." Pte. Forrester concluded by asking his father to convey his sympathy to Pte. Dalton's mother and to tell her he was a good man and a great soldier, liked by all.