MIDDLING, Neil
| Service Number: | VX46677 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 August 1940, Caulfield, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia , 23 October 1916 |
| Home Town: | Hexham, Moyne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Died: | Died of Illness, At sea (en route to Port Moresby), 17 February 1942, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea Plot B.B.4 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Shire of Mortlake War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 5 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Private, VX46677, Caulfield, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, VX46677, 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 17 Feb 1942: | Involvement Private, VX46677, 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion |
Private Neil Middling
Neil MIDDLING, VX46677
Private, A.I.F. 2/22nd Infantry Battalion
Died 17th February 1942, aged 25 years
Place of Enlistment was Caulfield, Victoria
Son of Humphrey Moses and Elizabeth Middling, of Bendigo Victoria
Photo is dated 28/12/1941, less than 50 days before he died from illness enroute from Rabaul to Port Moresby - he has been listed as buried at Plot B.B.4 at the Rabaul War Cemetery.
Note on the back reads - "To Alice with love, your old pal Rusty. Think I'm boxing weight but slightly heavier than when I left Hexham. This was taken in Rabaul early this month"
Alice was the daughter of Sydney Veal, the head stockman at Myngrong Station in Dundonnell Victoria. Every likelihood she meet Neil Middling while he was working as a stockman or shearer in the district.
As a child Alice used to speak sadly about "all the lads from Woorndoo and Hexham who were killed in Rabaul" as a number of men in the 2/22 Bn were recruited from the Western District of Victoria.
Submitted 8 March 2017 by Bart Robertson
Click images to start slideshow.