Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The extended Gepp family were well-known market gardeners who lived in the fertile Ashton area in the Adelaide Hills, renown for the quality of its fruit orchards and vegetable gardens. Ronald, known as Ron, was one of eleven children born to Ernest Isaac and Mary Jane Gepp. He arrived on the 29th March 1911. His siblings included four sisters, Dorothy Gladys, Mary Esther, Hazel May and Irene Laurel and six brothers William Isaac, Golden Thomas, Edward Charles, Laurence Harold, Mervyn George and Leonard Ernest.
Ron was part of a group of local young men who would spend a weekend away together, with Blanchetown being a popular destination. In later years, many of this group enlisted to serve in WWII. They included the Jennings brothers, Reg and Frank, Clem and Bruce Makings and Phil Osborne. Several of this group were later to enlist and serve in WWII together. Prior to enlisting, in January ’39 Ron travelled by train to Kalgoorlie for a few weeks holiday, but there was no indication of him striking a rich gold find. Sadly, Ron’s 62-year-old mother, Mary who had been unwell, died that year on the 29th April ’39 at Ashton. His father lived a further decade to 79 and died in January ’49.
The following year, 29-year-old Ron enlisted in July ’40, just days after Herb Jennings. They were allocated the numbers SX7884 and SX6929 respectively. Together with other new enlistees, their early days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, before they headed back to the more familiar hills location at Woodside for their preliminary training.
Following a short pre-embarkation leave, the two and their fellow soldiers in the 2/48th Battalion, embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940 disembarking on the 17th December. A few months training in Cyrenaica followed before Ron was heading to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees. Both Ashton men were to become one of the famed Rats of Tobruk.
Ron’s younger brother, Mervyn also enlisted in March ’41. He had previously served with the Militia as S16276, then became SX13999, initially with the 2/43rd then with the 2/6th Battalion. He survived the war and was eventually discharged in November ’45.
The 2/48th Battalion had barely arrived when Ron’s Ashton friend, Herb Jennings died of wound he sustained in Libya on the 23rd April ’41. He was 27 years old. The following month, in May, Ron sustained a gunshot wound to his left foot, resulting in a compound fracture of his ankle. His injury occurred in the fierce fighting for Hill 209 which also claimed the lives of seven others. John Glenn in his book, ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ described conditions that day at Dimra: “At 3:50am on 1st May the men of the 2/48th stood-to to await the outcome of the battle which had raged all through the night. In thick mist, darkness, and bitter cold they snatched a quick breakfast of bully beef and hard biscuits.” In an attempt to take Hill 209 in the heavy dust storm marked by overhead enemy aircraft targeting their carrying vehicles, ‘D Company moved out steadily with two platoons forward- 18 Platoon under Lieutenant Larkins on the right and 17 Platoon with Sergeant Tonkin in command on the left.’ ‘The company then moved well forward under control, and came under small arms fire, but continued until they came under very heavy machine-gun fire from the direction of the Water Point and Post S4.’
The remainder of that day was chaotic, information scant, the men weary and under heavy fire and a raging sandstorm. The next morning there was a terrific dust storm, but a foot patrol set out to find their soldiers who had not returned. For a few of those missing men it was some time before their fate was confirmed. An appalling day for the close knit 2/48th.
Back home in May ’41, the Chronicle listed Ron as one of the 29 wounded in action from his battalion. These included Pte. Laurence S. Baker, SX7282, Mambray Creek; Pte. Percival G. Bartholomew, SX7122, Narrung; Pte. Thomas Bell, SX8265, Snowtown; Joseph Buckley, SX8459, Albert Park, Vic; Pte. Robert W. Carvosso, SX7888, Glenelg; Pte. Ernest H. Chapman, SX7289, Koongawa; Pte. Ronald R. Collins, SX7163, Gulnare; Pte. M. G. Day. SX7434, Nairne; Pte. Harold W. Gass, SX7147, Mannum; Pte. Ronald A. Gepp, SX7884, Ashborne; Pte. Roy D. Goodes, SX6917. Curramulka; Pte. John Kennedy. SX7842, Adelaide; Lieut. Geoffrey D. Larkins, SX10332. St. Peters; Pte. Wilfred. J. Lewis, SX8856, Scott's Creek; Pte Henry O. Lohman. SX7771, Murray Bridge; Pte. Keith H. Pointon. SX7143. Prospect; Pte. Leonard G. Rex, SX7990, Colonel Light Gardens; and Pte. Leonard J Rodda, SX7327, Moonta.
Ron was treated in hospital but inevitably the medical decision was that he was ‘permanently unfit for service.’ By September, Ron’s war was over, and he returned to Australia via Freemantle on a New Zealand hospital ship. The injured men were later met at the Mitcham railway station where a number were interviewed by reporters for the Advertiser. They gathered stories from Private Clarence Hackett, SX2448 who risked his life dashing across open country to get aid for his wounded Lieutenant David Syme SX4856, an action that earned Clarence the Military Medal. Others told of being under sustained fire by mortar and sheltering behind a dirt wall, about 16 inches high, not daring to raise their heads for fear of a sniper’s fire. Ron and Keith McLean, SX7564, also from the 2/48th were amongst this group of injured soldiers who were then driven by members of the Red Cross, who transported them to units at Wayville. There they were given breakfast before being medically examined.
After being treated at Wayville, Ron was then transferred to Kapara Convalescent Hospital. By March ’42 he was then treated at the Repatriation Hospital, with quite extensive sick leave continuing until his discharge on the 22nd October ’42.
On September 23rd ’44, Ron married Nola Elizabeth Hunter from Basket Range in the Pirie Street Methodist Church in an evening ceremony. They later had two children, Kenneth Donald in August ‘46 and Janet.
Ron returned to play football for Meadows, regularly appearing in the goal scoring lists and was a regular in the best player list as well as being named as best team man in September ’48 and in the following match was accorded the most outstanding and best player for the match in the semi-final against Macclesfield. At the conclusion of that season he tied with Geoff Stone as the most brilliant player in A Grade for which he received a trophy.
Aged 76, Ron died on the 11th October 1987 and was buried in the Norton Summit Cemetery, General Section G Row 1 Plot 328. Ron’s parents, most of his siblings and extended family also rest in this Hills cemetery. A plaque honouring his service is also in the S.A. Garden of Remembrance. Nora lived to be 91. She died on the 28th April 2008 and now rests with Ron.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.