Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born in Adelaide on the 20th May 1916, post-school William (Bill) worked and lived in the Yorktown area for the Bank of Adelaide. He quickly became part of the community, playing a creditable game of tennis for the local team. By January ‘40 Bill, eldest son of Mr W. C Byrne and the late Mrs. Byrne, of Semaphore announced his engagement to ‘Doreen Mavis (Dawn) youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs W Frank Latty, of Yorketown’. However, with war looming, the young couple organised a quiet wedding six months later on Saturday 6th July in Adelaide. By the beginning of May, Bill learned of his promotion to the Spalding Branch of the Bank.
Soon after turning 24, and married for three months, Bill enlisted to serve in WWII on the 20th July ’40. Twenty others from his area enlisted at a similar time and of these four were allocated to the same newly formed 2/48th Battalion with Bill. They included two Schulz brothers, Clem and Colin, SX7732 and SX7590 respectively. Colin became a Corporal and survived the war. Clem was killed in action during the horrific fighting that erupted over the 25th and 26th October, 1942. Others were Donald Carmichael SX9999, Head Teacher, Yorketown School and Bill Lewis SX9395 accountant Y.P. Barley Producers, Minlaton.
Whilst on pre-embarkation leave back in his hometown of Spalding, Bill was given a public farewell with speeches given by the chairman of the District Council, Catholic Church, Returned Soldiers’ Association and the CWA. Bill was presented with a smoker’s outfit and a silver inkstand and the CWA gave him a tobacco pouch. A series of items, dancing and supper followed.
The town followed the fortunes of their young men closely with the local Pioneer reporting in March ’41 of Bill’s promotion to Lieutenant. Darren Paech in Adelaide to Alamein made reference to this welcome appointment. ‘Mon 13th Oct ’41 Reached Alexandria travelled to Amyria staging camp. At the officer’s mess we met three officers who were on their way to our battalion, and of course they were pleased to know they did not have to go to Tobruk. Officers concerned were Lieutenant Bill Byrne, Syd Mazzucchelli and Tubby Lewin.’
Later that year, Lieutenant Tasman Gill SX2895, also from the 2/48th Battalion, had a letter published in the Northern Argus from ‘somewhere in Egypt’. He wrote “. Sitting opposite me at this moment is Lieut. W. A. Byrne, who enlisted ' at Spalding. We were both evacuated to hospital at practically the same time. All my sympathy goes out to those who have lost their sons; their sacrifice is not in vain. Your papers have been most interesting, and very welcome, and I don't doubt are finding their way to the four corners.”
In a further entry, Ivor Paech on whose diaries Adelaide to Alamein was based, wrote on Christmas Day ’41 ‘Christmas day I slept in bed until 1030 hours when a tornado swept through the camp area flattening every tent in its path. Everyone started to panic because hail was still falling. Capt Col Williams, Lieutenant Emmett Murphy and Bill Byrne were still trapped under our canvas. Poor Col Williams was pinned in his stretcher by the centre pole…Most ORs thought it a great joke to see the officers in such a plight for we suffered most. We had Christmas dinner with the ORs and waited on their tables.’
Bill was injured on October 25th ’42. Ivor Paech’s writing indicates that during the ‘battle for Tenantrig 29 D Company managed to destroy the machine gun post that was holding up its advance, but not before two of the remaining platoon commanders were hit. Lieutenant Thomas Bowman had been fatally wounded and Lieutenant William Byrne had been hit badly in the leg.’ John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan added extra detail of the incident. ‘Some time later a large force of the enemy formed up to attack on D company’s front. When this was seen, and because the wires had been cut, Lieutenant Byrne of 17 platoon ordered Bill Manley to contact company headquarters and request artillery support. Manley was successful and the resulting fire momentarily held up the attack.’
Lance Corporal Henry Lohmann was hit, and a stretcher bearer went to his aid carrying a Red Cross flag but was killed before he could reach him. ‘Clem Billings volunteered to make the next attempt to reach Lohmann but Lieutenant Byrne refused to allow more men to sacrifice themselves. Under cover of darkness that night, however, Byrne led a patrol forward to bring in the bodies of our dead.
‘The enemy, who certainly paid dearly for their stubborn resistance, took a heavy toll of both companies’ (Bowman, Shepherd, McEvoy, Matthews, Morgan were all wounded.) ‘Jack Marshall ran up against a trip wire, sending up a flare which lit the area like day. This brought down heavy German fire’ When Lieutenant W.A. Byrne was hit in the leg and had to be evacuated, Captain Peter Robbbins, the O.C. of D. Company, became the only remaining officer.’
Bill’s wounding was reported by the Chronicle. In the list containing his name were those of six others from his Battalion. These were Wounded In Action.— SX10318 Cpt. D. Maxwell-Wright. 2/48th Toorak; SX9353 Lt. W. A. Byrne, 2/48th Spalding; SX7743 Pte. L. J. Loveridge, 2/48th , Wallaroo Mines; SX7198 Pte. K. Spears, 2/48th Henley Beach. Dangerously Wounded. — SX11146 Pte M. T. Carter. 2/48th Ngapala; and SX6880 Pte. F. J. Wooldridge. 2/48th.
The following day on the 26th October Bill lost a close mate 24-year-old Bill Zeising SX3917 to a sniper’s bullet during a ferocious attack on Trig 29. In his book Tobruk to Tarakan, John Glenn explains that ‘The attack continued, however, without pause…it was only after hard fighting, with heavy casualties on both sides, that they were able to consolidate on their objective. The troops had never been more tired.. The 2/48th had stirred up a real hornets’ nest; from first light until nine o’clock the enemy turned all their fury on the Trig area, with particularly heavy fire on 29 itself, hiding the position in a cloud of dust and smoke.’ A comment was later made about the heavy casualties. On that night alone 9 of the Battalion were killed and 20 wounded in action. Of these 16 were from South Australia and the remainder from Western Australia.
Bill posted a tribute to his friend in the Advertiser the following year ‘ZIESING. In memory of friends and comrades, who made the supreme sacrifice. July and October. 1942.—Inserted by Lieut. W. A. Byrne.’
Back home, in November two newspapers carried the information about Bill’s wounding. The Advertiser reported that ‘Mrs. W A. Byrne, of Yorketown, has been Informed that her husband. Lt. Bill Byrne, has been wounded in action in the Middle East. Before he enlisted in the ATP In July 1940, L.t. Byrne was on the staff of the Bank of Adelaide. Yorketown.’ Similarly, his earlier hometown of Spalding informed locals through the Blyth Agriculturalist that ‘Spalding Officer Wounded in Action—Lieut. W. A. Byrne, of Spalding, has been officially notified as being wounded in action.’
Bill survived the war and was discharged in January ’44. Post war he and Dawn returned to Yorktown. At one stage in March ’51 they experienced a massive thunderstorm that lasted for almost 7 hours, bringing welcome falls of rain and also a variety of unusual stories reported in the local Pioneer. These included motorists having to pull up for a few minutes because the heavy rain made visibility so bad, a local farmer receiving 215 points, which was a great help to his lucerne and lightning strikes, which accompanied the thunder, putting out some of Minlaton's lights. Inside houses, a woman reported that ‘reading in bed when the lightning struck, fusing the wires and causing a small piece of glass from the globe to fall on the bed cover and set it alight. Bill’s wife, Dawn shared that she ‘was sewing when the lightning struck the needle from her hand. In other places women went round their houses putting scissors and other like articles under cover and covering mirrors. It was the biggest electrical storm experienced for a long time, but it has refreshed the earth.’
In those years, Bill was also involved in the RSL, holding positions including Secretary and auditor at Minlaton. He readily remembered the many thousands of men who continued to serve overseas in Korea and Malaya and in Korean waters. Bill’s actions through the Returned Servicemen's League enabled four comforts parcels to be sent each year, including games and reading materials. He believed that ‘These men are fighting our battles just as our troops did in the desert and the islands during the last war. Conditions are equally unpleasant and parcels equally acceptable.’ Through the Annual Smoke Social of which he was secretary, the C.Y.P. Sub-branch Minlaton, collected £20 from members and visitors for this worthy cause. Bill was also active in his support of the Minlaton Hospital.
Dawn and Bill eventually moved to Novar Gardens, where aged 74 in the 1990’s Bill died. He was buried in the Derrick Gardens at Centennial Park Cemetery, Path 44 933B. Dawn died on the 25th December 2000 and was buried at the Enfield Memorial Park.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes, SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.