PALMER, Herbert Ernest
| Service Number: | WX4041 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 May 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/16th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Perth, Western Australia, 20 June 1903 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Lebanon, 6 July 1941, aged 38 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kings Park Western Australia State War Memorial, Perth City Salvation Army Fortress WW2 Roll of Honor |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Sergeant, WX4041 | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 May 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, WX4041, 2nd/16th Infantry Battalion |
WW2
The details provided are taken from the book "1000 Men at War" the History of the 2nd/16th Infantry Battalion, 1st Edition published 1959, refer page 10. Herbert was born in Perth WA 20th June 1903, prior to the war he was a clerk of Perth. Unfortunately, he was Killed In Action 6th July 1941. Rest In Peace. Lest We Forget.
Submitted 22 April 2020 by Maxwell HILL
Biography contributed by Robert Johnson
Brothers Herbert (Bluey) and Mick Palmer were two of four stretcher bearers from the band of the 2/16th Battalion who participated in the frontal attack on El Aqita on the morning of 6 July 1941 in what became known as the Battle of Damour in Lebanon. Mick recalled that Bluey just said “Ahh!” then “Oh Mick, I’m dead.” Mick said that Bluey had “Got mortar shrapnel through his back, cutting his aorta. He was gone in six seconds.” Sergeant Bluey Palmer was one of the Battalion’s 27 killed and 74 wounded on that day.
Source: “Cuppa Tea, Digger? Salvos Serving in World War Two” by Lindsay Cox, 2020.