|
Training |
Recruitment |
Training in Australia
|
Voyage
to Singapore |
Training in Malaya
Arrived 25/9/1941
Departed 1200hrs 8/12/1941
1) Galleghan's Grove
NX33407 PENFOLD, Alan William, L/Cpl., BHQ, Intell.
"No need to ask, we all remember the small cottage at one of the two entrances to the 2/30 Bn. campsite at Batu Pahat, & which 'B.J.' selected as his office (not BHQ)
and was named "Galleghan's Grove".
(Source: Alan Penfold - Makan No. 276, Jan/March,
1985)
2) Birthday cake
NX12542 TOMPSON, Richard Clive, Capt., HQ, Carriers
"I well remember leaving Batu Pahat & the
excitement of getting the Carriers away. My mother had sent me a large
fruit cake for my birthday, wrapped in canvass, so I loaded that aboard
& my crew & I ate the lot, cutting it up with a bayonet. I think it was
all we had to eat then".
(Source: Dick Tompson - Makan No. 276, Jan/March,
1985)
3) P.T. School
NX34792 - DUFFY, Desmond Jack (Mum), Col. - B Company, O/C B Coy. Platoon, MC ED.
NX47506 - JACKSON, Oswald James (Ossie), Cpl. - D Company, 17 Platoon
NX29840 - SWINDAIL, David Thomas, Cpl. - B Company, 12 Platoon, WiA Sempang Rengam
"All the best to MUM DUFF and tell him I often have a bit of a
laugh when I think of his P.T. school under pommie instruction he sent
me to in Singapore for punishment (OSSIE JACKSON was with me there)".
(Source: David Swindail - Makan No. 264, Jan/March,
1982)
4) Swimming Championships
NX27349 - PONT, Wallace John (Wally), L/Cpl. - B Company, 10
Platoo
Re your enquiry on L/Cpl W.J. Pont. He was one of the team,
that I took with me from Batu Pahat in October 1941 to
represent the Battalion in the 8 Div A.I.F. Swimming
Championships at Malacca.
The events were held at the Malacca Swimming Club Pool at
Tanjong Bruas (generally called Palm Beach), six miles North
of Malacca City on the Straits of Malacca.
He won the 1 metre board diving and swam backstroke for us
in the medley relay, which we won.
I am almost positive that he was in the team I took from
Bathurst Camp to North Sydney Olympic Pool for the 8 Div.
Swimming Championships. However, I have no record of the
placings of the other team members.
(Source: Alan Pryde - Makan No. 260,
Mar/Apr, 1981)
5) Black Jack's
drivers
NX46067 - CRUMMY, Stanley Arthur Kevin (Nugget), Pte. - HQ
Company, Transport Platoon
NX52728 - GREEN, Jack, L/Cpl. - HQ Company, Transport
Platoon
NX26885 - LEONARD, Vincent Joseph Augustus (Vince), Pte. -
HQ Company, Transport Platoon
Some years ago "B.J.” was up on the Far North Coast as
Legacy Week Guest. Harry, of course, knew him possibly as
well as any one, so he stayed with Harry and Dot one night.
As they sat to dinner that night, Harry said, "Sir!” "Don't
call me, Sir, Harry". "Sir", Harry continued, "You are one
bloke I will always call, Sir". Harry appeared to win this
round.
"Sir", he continued, "I don't wish to intrude, but, why did
you sack Crummy?" "B.J." denied this explaining that he had
merely demoted him. "Demoted him", said Harry, "I don’t
understand"?
"Well I’ll explain", said "B.J.". "I was on a
reconnaissance. It had been rather a long day. By the time
that I’d had a shower and clean-up, I was rather late at the
Mess. When I arrived there, I noted that most of the young
blokes had been having a few drinks; talking quite well, and
all seemed to know, where I had been.
I said nothing and things took their normal course. Next
morning I called him up. "Crummy I've decided to demote you,
I said. "Demote?" said Crummy, "I don't understand"? "Well"
"B.J.". continued, "After being to Mess last night, I’ve
decided that this Unit cannot stand two Colonels, so I've
decided to demote you, while there is still time.
Transferred to other duty”. "And that is how Crummy lost his
job, driving for the C.O.”
(Source: Harry Riches - Makan No. 257,
Oct/Nov, 1980)
Jack was a member of the Transport Platoon, coming to it on
22/11/41 in Malaya from the 2/18 Bn, to be Black Jack's
Driver and Bodyguard, because B.J. wanted a driver
experienced in driving on the Malayan roads, and, as well,
he had demoted Stan Crummy, as Harry Riches explained in
Makan 257, although in between that demotion of Stan and
arrival of Jack Green, Red Macauley had lent B.J. his own
driver, Vince Leonard.
(Source: Makan No. 260, Mar/Apr,
1981)
6) Drinking game
NX70451 - DONOHOE, Kevin Gordon Cyril, Lt. - D Company, O/C
17 Platoon
NX70426 - MACAULEY, Norman Gilmour (Red), Capt. - HQ
Company, O/C Transport Platoon
NX12544 - McLEOD, Graham Stanley, Lt. - BHQ, A/Adjt.; D
Company, 17 Platoon
"I can still see Norm McCauley
and Kevin Donohue sitting in the Mess at Batu Pahat
on Saturday afternoons (it came to be a ritual with them)
steadily drinking their way through numerous bottles of
Tiger beer, casually exchanging insults about each other's
religion. Apparently, whoever was out insulted had to buy
the next bottle. They never seemed to get tired of this
game.."
(Source: Graham McLeod, Makan No.
181, Dec., 1968)
7) Jam sessions
NX36270 - ELPHICK, James Jack (Jack), Pte. - BHQ, Band
NX36271 - GOUGH, William George (George), Pte. - BHQ, Band
NX68236 (N75587, NX506369) - LUGTON, Stanley James (Stan),
Cpl. - BHQ, Band
NX36719 - MONTGOMERY, James William (Monty), Pte. - BHQ,
Band
NX69851 - RYAN, Patrick Leonard (Len), Pte. - BHQ, Band
Stan Lugton was Corporal of the Battalion Band. It was a
very important part of the Battalion in training and on
Ceremonial Marches. He was one of a group, which held "Jam
Sessions" in the Company Mess Huts in rotation, while we
were at Batu Pahat. An idea encouraged by "Black Jack" as a
means of keeping the men occupied, instead of them going in
to the township in order to sample its "delights?" Others in
the group were George Gough, Jim Montgomery, Jack Elphick,
Len Ryan.
The Band was used in the fighting in Malaya as a Protective
Platoon to Battalion H.Q. and, whilst they were thankful
that the Rifle Companies kept the Nips away, they were still
recipients of metal that was thrown at Battalion H.Q. and
its surrounds.
(Source: Makan No.
237, Nov/Dec., 1977)
8) Battle Stations
NX37646 - KING, Roy Rutherford, Pte. - B Company
NX12544 - McLEOD, Graham Stanley, Lt. - BHQ, A/Adjt.; D
Company, 17 Platoon
NX52778 - NOSSITER, Reginald (Reg), Pte. - B Company, 10
Platoon
"We heard that when the Bn. got the code word that "War had
begun", which sent the Bn. to Battle Stations, Reg Nossiter
(who reports elsewhere) and Roy King were two of the working
party left behind to pack unwanted gear, which was to be
sent south, and, working together for a week, they became
very friendly. Graham McLeod, as Assist. Adj. was in charge
of this work."
(Source: Makan No.
265, Apr/June, 1982)
9) Soccer team
NX53054 - SALISBURY, John Edward (Jack), L/Cpl. - A Company,
7 Platoon
NX36564 - STEPHENSON, George, Pte. - HQ Company, A/A Platoon
Your
scribe has a photograph of the Bn., Soccer team that played
at Batu Pahat, just before the hostilities started.
The team
is shown in "A" Company jerseys, but George explains this by
saying that he thinks that was because the Batu Pahat team
was to play in white, so that the Bn. team could not wear
the Bn. shirts, which were white also.
He says,
"The game finished 2 - 2, Batu Pahat's 2 goals were scored
by their inside left, who was a Malayan International. Jack
Salisbury scored the Bn's first goal and George scored the
equaliser.
(Source: Makan No.
243, Oct/Nov, 1978)
10) Sports Day
NX30509 - SWADLING, Roy Leonard, Pte. - HQ Coy. Carrier
Platoon
In November Roy wrote about the Bn's first anniversary
celebrations sports day where he participated in a hurdles
race. He was proud that his "HQ Coy won the big cup and
about half a dozen small cups also went to our Coy." They
took pot shots at coconuts painted as Hitler - "every time
you knocked one of the coconuts over you got a packet of
cigarettes. To put some life into the party a few of us
started a buck jumping contest of our own. Just fancy, the
Bn is now just three days over its first year."
On the 30th he wrote that they had gone into town and were
"at the pictures when a call came through for everyone to
return to camp. Inside 10 minutes everyone was on the way.
It looked like something was on. ... we've been waiting for
it for a long time now
(Source: Letters written by Roy
Swadling - courtesy of Robyn McNamamra)
11) Borrowed lighting
NX55561 - HALL, Leslie Gordon (Les), Sgt. - HQ Company, Signals
Platoon
NX34999 - RAMSAY, George Ernest (Gentleman George), Lt. Col. - BHQ,
In
Malaya, at Batu Pahat Camp, I "borrowed" town lighting
equipment from the local power house thereby providing us of
H.Q. Company with many benefits.
However, someone in
the red-tape department thought that I had done something wrong, and the
wrath of officialdom descended upon my balding pate.
At the subsequent
inquiry, held in Johore Bahru, the diplomacy of our one and only 2 i/c
succeeded in absolving me from some nasty civil proceedings. The Unit
was fined ten shillings per month rental. It was never paid!
(Source:
Les Hall, Makan 256,
Oct, 1980)
12) Racing round the hut
NX57422 - RILEY, Neville Thomas (Nev), Pte. - HQ Company, Carrier
Platoon
NX54877 - WEBSTER, Leslie, Pte. - D Company
"Do I
remember racing LEN WEBSTER 3 times round the hut at Batu
Pahat, to win a bottle of beer to celebrate my 21st.
Birthday"
(Source:
Nev Riley, Makan
265,
April/June, 1982)
13) Proud of his work
NX27335 - McKNIGHT, Gordon Leslie, Sgt. - HQ Company,
Transport Platoon
NX4199 - STEPHENS, Sidney Francis Arthur (), Pte. - HQ
Company, Transport Platoon
One of the Transport Platoon, NX4199, Pte S.
F. Stephens, commented in a letter of 8th October 2001,
"Gordon was a good mate — quiet and popular with the boys. I
remember once we were at Batu Pahat (Malayan Training Camp)
and a truck had a very damaged mudguard. Gordon did some
panel beating on it — and what a great job he did on it! He
was proud of his work — and so were we."
(Source:
Sid Stephens, 2/30 Bn. Archives)
14) Malaria
NX41219 - LOGAN, Haig Lincoln (Jock), Pte. - HQ Company,
Transport Platoon
He certainly was a great front row forward
Rugby League Footballer, until Malaria struck him at Batu
Pahat and he was away from our Unit then for a long period.
If memory serves me right, he went to Malacca Hospital.
("Jock" sent to your scribe snapshots of Malacca Hospital
and the Con Depot up that way, but in the same envelope he
had other snapshots of a Hospital at Kota Tingii. It would
seem, however, that the occasion, of which Les speaks, would
be Malacca. Ed.)
(Source: Makan No. 255, Aug/Sep,
1980)
15)
Lost pay book
The story about the young Malay
boy who handed in a well known (single) soldier's Pay Book
at the Battalion Orderly Room at Batu Pahat. When questioned
as to how the Book had come into his possession, the boy
proudly explained that the soldier had left it in his
sister's bedroom?
(Source:
Darby Young, Makan 216, Jul/Aug, 1974)
Back
Last updated
14/02/2023 |
