Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Out in no man's land, a mile beyond the perimeter of the Tobruk fortress, there was a patch of sand called "Plonk". In the days leading up to October 10th, 1941, the men of the 2/17th Battalion were keenly watching it. The enemy had been moving all around it by night, and by day they were shelling it relentlessly. The reason it had everyone's attention was simple; it was being constantly manned by seven Australian soldiers.

Plonk was only an "observation post" at the time, meaning that if the shelling got too hot, the soldiers were allowed to leave until the activity died down. On the night of October 10th, an allied tank operation was planned to take place right on the battalion's front, and arrangements were hastily made to take advantage of the extra activity. The plan was to upgrade Plonk to a "defended area". This meant more men, more of the time, and no more abandoning the post under heavy fire. Three companies would send out troops to fortify the area. A-company and B-company would each send eight men to dig weapon pits, fill sandbags, lay mines and set trip wires. C-company would send twenty men and an officer to defend the two working parties. Captain Windeyer would take a leading role in the operation.

Just before 7pm, the three parties set out with two trucks to carry supplies. After a short commute, they quickly started digging.

Less than two hours passed when reports came in from all along the 2/17th Battalion's front. "Shells are landing on Plonk". Nearly forty Aussies were out there and the enemy knew it. Captain Windeyer was wounded badly, and the main party was evacuated. With communication lost, the unrelenting shelling continued.

Just before midnight, a badly wounded Captain Windeyer was able to report that the ground at Plonk was rocky and difficult to dig. He'd tried to arrange working parties under heavy shellfire, but visibility was reduced to fifteen feet thanks to the debris kicked up by the shells. Moments later, a man from D-company emerged from the dust. He described being surrounded by 14 to 16 tanks and hearing the digging of the enemy nearby. "Plonk is overrun."

With the tables turned, the Australians began shelling Plonk. By the time the sun rose the following morning, the position was completely shrouded in dust. It would be some time before the damage could be assessed, but early reports indicated that around 7 men had been wounded, 1 man killed, and 8 missing. Plonk would keep changing hands right up till December, 1941, just before the end of the siege.

Two weeks after the events of that night, the 2/17th Battalion shipped out of Tobruk to safety. Unfortunately, before he could share in the jubilation, Captain Windeyer passed away from his wounds. He is buried in Alexandria.

Source: 2/17th Battalion War Diary, Sep-Oct 1941, (AWM accession no. RCDIG1024746)
- Operation Order No. 23, 10th Oct 1941 (page 168)
- Log of Operation... Night 10/11 Oct 1941 (page 176)