EDMONDSON, John Hurst
| Service Number: | NX15705 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 May 1940, Liverpool, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, 8 October 1914 |
| Home Town: | Liverpool, Fairfield, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Hurlstone Agricultural High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Libya, 14 April 1941, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Tobruk War Cemetery, Tobruk, Libya Plot 3. J. 8., Tobruk War Cemetery, Tobruk, Libya |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Keith Payne VC Memorial Park, Liverpool J H Edmondson VC Memorial Clock, Liverpool Lodge No 197 U.G.L. N.S.W. Roll of Honour WW2, North Bondi War Memorial, Wagga Wagga Cenotaph, Wagga Wagga St. John's Anglican Church Corporal John Edmondson VC Memorial Plaque, Wattle Grove Corporal John Edmondson V.C. Memorial Park |
World War 2 Service
| 20 May 1940: | Enlisted Corporal, NX15705, 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion, Liverpool, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 May 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, NX15705, 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion | |
| 14 Apr 1941: | Involvement Corporal, NX15705, 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion, Siege of Tobruk |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Kearney
Edmondson, John Hurst (1914–1941)
by Ian Grant
John Hurst Edmondson, soldier, was born on 8 October 1914 at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, only child of native-born parents Joseph William Edmondson, farmer, and his wife Maude Elizabeth, née Hurst. The family moved to a farm near Liverpool when Jack was a child. Educated at Hurlstone Agricultural High School, he worked with his father and became a champion rifle-shooter. He was a council-member of the Liverpool Agricultural Society and acted as a steward at its shows. Having served (from March 1939) in the 4th Battalion, Militia, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 20 May 1940 and was posted to the 2nd/17th Battalion. Later that month he was promoted acting corporal (substantive in November). Well built and about 5 ft 9 ins (175 cm) tall, Edmondson settled easily into army life and was known as a quiet but efficient soldier.
His battalion embarked for the Middle East in October and trained in Palestine. In March 1941 the 2nd/17th moved with other components of the 9th Division to Libya and reached Marsa Brega before an Axis counter-attack forced them to retreat to Tobruk. The siege of the fortress began on 11 April. Two days later the Germans probed the perimeter, targeting a section of the line west of the El Adem Road near Post R33. This strong-point was garrisoned by the 2nd/17th's No.16 Platoon in which Edmondson was a section leader. The enemy intended to clear the post as a bridgehead for an armoured assault on Tobruk.
Read more - https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/edmondson-john-hurst-10099 (adb.anu.edu.au)
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