Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Cecil was born in Renmark on the 11th May 1919, to Evelyn Lavinia. Cec worked as a labourer at Langhorn Creek until the outbreak of WWII when he enlisted in July ‘40, giving just his first name but omitting ‘Alfred’. He had just turned 21 years old at the time and was given the number SX7725, then allocated to the 2/48th Battalion. He initially gave his mother, then Everlyn Butterley as his next of kin, but at one stage changed this to nominate his paternal grandfather, T.T. Clark. However, as the war progressed, he again reverted to giving his mother as his next of kin.
Following his enlistment, Cecil and other new enlistees were initially housed in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds where their ‘beds’ were straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. The young men were later given kitbags on which their names were stencilled. Their battalion then headed to Woodside in the Adelaide Hills for preliminary training. Following a week’s pre-embarkation leave they boarded the Stratherden, arriving in the Middle East on the 17th December ’41. Soon after, Cecil contracted mumps and spent time recovering. Having been discharged from hospital, in February he was charged with his first offence of ‘conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline’ and was fined. Ill health followed with Cecil contracting acute appendicitis. By June he had been promoted to Lance Corporal with the Provost Company but reverted to being a Private by the end of that month. Within days, he was diagnosed with an acute ear infection causing him to again spend time in hospital. In what was to become a regular reaction, on his discharge to the 2/48th he was caught breaking out of barracks and forfeited seven days’ pay.
1942 was to be a challenging year for the 2/48th. Orders had been received to capture West Point of Tel el Eisa in a dawn attack. In late June ‘42 with Rommel crossing into Egypt, the 2/48th were in an offensive to capture Trig 33, which was achieved on the 10th July. In doing so, over 400 Italian prisoners were taken. The 2/48th Battalion then advanced south, capturing the Tel el Eisa station and repelling numerous counter attacks. However, they were eventually forced to withdraw, suffering 215 casualties between the 7th July and 23rd October. Of that number, 64 men were killed and six, died of their wounds. 125 other men were wounded but survived.
By 31st July ’42 Cecil was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to his left thigh when his battalion was attempting to capture West Point in a dawn attack. In his book, ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’, John G. Glenn described the ferocious encounter.
‘When the troops were well forward of the start-line they came under terrific fire from shells and mortars from the front and left, and suffered heavy casualties. With the slow deliberate movement of perfectly trained soldiers both companies continued the advance in perfect formation, over ground that trembled and erupted with vicious explosions. Through this, sometimes obscured by the smoke and dust, the men moved, and, as they advanced, the fire kept place with them, leaving behind the still shapes of fallen men among the camel bush and sand.’
Back home, the Chronicle carried the names of the killed and injured. Besides Cecil those in his battalion included: Wounded In Action SX6828 Pte Harold R L Baker Adelaide. SX8878 Pte Gerald W Bellinger Millicent. SX9388 Pte Clarence G Brown. Port Wakefield, SX1075 L-Cpl. Eric Brown SX11079 Pte Harold D Brown, Trinity Gardens. SX537 Pte. P. A Carey, Broken Hill. NSW SX7497 L-Cpl Ronald Chinner, Angaston. SX7725 Pte. Cecil Clark, Langhorne's Creek. SX8132 Pte. Cyril H. Fleet, Menlngle. SX7417 Pte. Clarence L Gallagher, Murray Bridge. SX7330 Pte. Allen R Harris, Moonta. SX13570 Pte Charles Holman, Broken Hill. NSW. (Later KIA Oct ’42) SX12363 A-Cpl. Harry B. Irwln. Port Augusta. SX8017 L-Cpl. Charles. G. Manuel. Balaklava. SX8138 Pte Albert. V. McKenzie, Minlaton. SX11302 Pte. Walter Sharp, Magill. SX7952 Pte Kevin P Stephens. Adelaide. SX7294 Cpl. Henry P. Stopp. Keith. SX9034 A-Cpl. Noel A Tietzel. North Adelaide. SX8539 Pte Edward J Young Inf., Morgan.
This was followed by an official list in the Advertiser of those killed or wounded. Cecil was listed in the latter group of 34 published names along with Gerald Bellinger SX8878 from Millicent and Cyril Fleet SX8132 from Mt Barker, both in the 2/48th Battalion.
Cecil was finally discharged from hospital in September but soon after being discharged, was fined for being absent without leave, which cost him financially and health-wise. This was then followed by a painful middle ear infection and inflamed blistering of his eardrum for which he was again treated. His reaction on being discharged was to again be fined for ‘unbecoming conduct’. Fortunately, his time in the Middle East concluded, when his battalion left the Middle East, returning to Australia via Melbourne in February ’43.
Following leave, ill health continued to affect Cec, with infected boils on his right lower leg, then the bacterial condition of cellulitis under the skin of that same leg. Once reasonably cleared, Cecil returned to training in Queensland to face a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. He arrived there via Port Moresby in September ’43. Within three months he had developed an abscess on his chin and cheek, as well as developing foot strain. Further examples of his poor health continued when he was diagnosed in Feb ’44 with a sinus and mouth infection causing abscesses. This marked the end of his time in New Guinea and a return to Brisbane.
However, by June Cecil developed an upper respiratory tract infection, and return of his sinus infection. Finally in March ’45 following several bouts of sinusitis caused him to be classified as unfit for service and he was discharged on the 16th October ’45.
With peace declared, Cecil moved to Brompton where he was employed as a furnace man. He had married Katherine Mary but that ended in divorce in October ‘50. The co-respondent had quite a history of Court appearances but fourteen months later died in an horrific car accident when, driving heavily under the influence (registering .22) he was thrown from his car as it rolled three times on the Main North Road.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.