Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Hugh Gerald Dutton
Rank: Private
Service number: WX2434
Decorations: Military Medal
Unit: 2/31 Battalion
Cause of death: Killed in Action
Place of death: Kokoda, New Guinea

Date of death: 14 September 1942

Age: 41
Plaque number: L238A
Dedicated by: Family on 16 November 2019

More information:
Biography presented during plaque dedication:

Private Hugh Dutton MM, known to the family as Gerry was born in Chester, England in 1900, the fifth son of Samuel and Mary Dutton of Dutton Hall.

He served for two years with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in WW1. After the war he emigrated to Geraldton, Western Australia with his wife Emily. There were seven children of the marriage, with the youngest only 16 months old when Gerry was killed.

Gerry worked as a lumper, loading ships from the old railway jetty before Geraldton Port was built, and continued working as a stevedore until the outbreak of WWII. 

He enlisted in the AIF in April 1940, putting his age down on the attestation form and was later assigned to the 2/31 Battalion. The battalion was on active service in Syria against the Vichy French forces.

At the battle of Jezzine in June 1941, Gerry was awarded the Military Medal, the citation reading, in part ‘in the face of heavy machine gun fire repeatedly and persistently this soldier attacked enemy machine gun posts with his LMG, silencing two such posts. At Greenhill he covered the withdrawal of his company. He carried out his task with skill and coolness in the face of enemy counter attack. His well-judged and deadly fire enabled his company to get clear. It was largely due to this gallantry that the company gained a defensive position’.

By September 1942, the 2/31 Battalion was in New Guinea and moved up the Kokoda Track to join other, now heavily depleted Australian battalions on the Ioribaiwa Ridge. They were immediately under Japanese machine gun and sniper attack. Gerry with his bren gun, charged along the main track in a lone attempt to clear it. The rest of his company was ordered not to follow as they were in a holding position and later they found him dead from multiple wounds.

Private Hugh Dutton MM, service number WX2434 of 2/31 Battalion, was killed in action on 14 September 1942 on the Kokoda Track, New Guinea. He was 41 years of age.

He is buried at the Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, New Guinea.

His plaque is placed alongside Staff Sergeant Frederick Karl Techow, who was in the same 2/31 Battalion.