Edgar (Todd) JAY

JAY, Edgar

Service Numbers: 693, NX339
Enlisted: 25 February 1916
Last Rank: Lieutenant
Last Unit: 16th Infantry Brigade (2/AIF)
Born: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 16 September 1905
Home Town: Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling: Fort Street Public School,Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Canterbury Town Clerk
Died: Illness (heart failure), Palestine, 2 June 1941, aged 35 years
Cemetery: Gaza War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza)
Plot: A. C. 14.
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

25 Feb 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 693, 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade
13 May 1916: Embarked Gunner, 693, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, HMAT Beltana, Sydney
13 May 1916: Involvement Gunner, 693, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: ''
13 May 1916: Embarked Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A72 Beltana on 13 May 1916
14 May 1919: Embarked Returned to Australia, on board SS Khyber on 14 May 1919
1 Jul 1919: Discharged AIF WW1

World War 2 Service

3 Sep 1939: Involvement Lieutenant, NX339
1 Jan 1940: Embarked 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion
7 Jan 1940: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Lieutenant, NX339, Anti Tank Batteries / Companies
10 May 1940: Transferred 16th Infantry Brigade (2/AIF)
16 Aug 1940: Transferred 16th Infantry Brigade (2/AIF), Anti-Tank Company
2 Jun 1941: Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Died of heart failure on return from Greece & Crete

Help us honour Edgar Jay's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by James Coleman

Edgar was one of 13 children born to Walter Jay & Amelia McKnigh

 

Edgar served in France in WW1 with the 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade

 

Edgar was an old Fort Street ' boy," & was a well-known Rugby League footballer, having for several  years played with the North Sydney "A" grade team

 

At the time of enlisting, he held the important position of Town Clerk at Canterbury & was at one time, Deputy-Town Clerk at Kurangai & Town Clerk at Mascot. He was one of the last six elected for consideration for appointment as manager of the Sydney County Council

 

In 1940, during WW2, he was given leave of absence from Canterbury Council when he enlisted in the Second AIF

He was officially over age when he enlisted. Lieutenant Jay served in the Libyan & Greek campaigns

During the Battle of Bardia, 3-5 Jan 1941, Lieut Jay was Pl Commander of 3 Pl, 16 Bde A-T Coy attached to the 2/3rd Inf Battalion

 

By the morning of 3 Jan, the 2/3rd was now assailed by half a dozen Italian M13/40 tanks who freed a group of 500 Italian prisoners. The tanks continued to rumble to the south while the British crews of the Matildas "enjoying a brew, dismissed reports of them as an Antipodean exaggeration"

 

Finally, they were engaged by Jay's Anti-Tank Platoon of three 2 pounders mounted on portees

 

Corporal A. A. Pickett's gun destroyed four of them until his portee was hit, killing one man & wounding Pickett

 

The survivors got the gun back into action & knocked out a fifth tank. The portee was again hit by fire from the sixth tank, fatally wounding another man; but it too was soon knocked out by another 2 pounder

 

By midday, 6,000 Italian prisoners had already reached the provosts at the collection point near Post 45, escorted by increasingly fewer guards whom the rifle companies could afford to detach

 

The Italian perimeter had been breached and the attempt to halt the Australian assault at the outer defences had failed

He was Mentioned in Despatches (posthumously) for services in the Western Desert, particularly for his command during Bardia, while CPL Pickett was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his part in the battle

 

On 18 Mar he embarked for service in Greece

 

Having formed the rearguard during the withdrawal from Greece, they had embarked separately from the main body, being taken aboard the Costa Rica

 

During the voyage to Alexandria, the transport had been attacked by German aircraft & as it sank, they were ordered to abandon ship. After being rescued by Royal Navy destroyers, the troops were transported to Crete, where they were formed into a composite battalion with men from other units of the 16th Brigade & together the unit became known as the 16th Brigade Composite Battalion

 

Following the German invasion on 20 May 1941, some of these troops saw direct action against German paratroopers. After the Allied evacuation from the island a week later, they undertook active patrols around the island before being evacuated on 31 May 1941 aboard HMS Phoebe. They arrived in Alexandria on 1 June 1941

 

Lieut Jay was welcomed home by his brother officers, had lunch at the mess & 5 mins after leaving the table, collapsed & died almost immediately of heart failure on 2 June 1941, age 44 years

 

He was buried in the Gaza War Cemetery

 

In November, 1941 a memorial tablet to him was unveiled at All Saints, Cammeray by Major General Wynter. Edgar Crescent and Jay Avenue, Belfield are named after Edgar Jay

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