HOWE, Sydney Leonard
| Service Number: | QX24678 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 November 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Beebo, Queensland, Australia, 8 December 1913 |
| Home Town: | Beebo, Goondiwindi, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Texas, Queensland, Australia, 20 May 1978, aged 64 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Texas Cemetery, Texas, Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia Anglican Plot, Section 5 |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 12 Nov 1941: | Involvement QX24678 | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Nov 1941: | Enlisted | |
| 12 Nov 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, QX24678, 2nd/15th Infantry Battalion | |
| 30 Jan 1943: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, QX24678, 62nd Infantry Battalion, Sidney joined 7 Trng Bn in Cairns on 16 September 1942, and remained until 16 Sep 1942 where he left for Thursday Island on SS Markle to the join Aust Inf Batt prior to leaving for Merauke (Dutch East Indies) as part of the Merauke Force on 30 January 1943 as part of the 62 Inf Bn. | |
| 12 Jul 1945: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, QX24678, 15th Infantry Battalion, On 23 March 1944 Sidney was transferred to Brisbane on SS Thedens and transferred to the 2/15 Aust Inf Bn on 1 June 1944. On 25 May 1945 he transferred back to Cairns before sailing to Borneo on 12 July 1945 on SS Morotai. | |
| 4 Apr 1946: | Discharged | |
| 4 Apr 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, QX24678, 2nd/15th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Tracey Small
Sidney Leonard Howe, QX24678, enlisted in the AIF in Toowoomba on 12 November 1941. He was described as 5ft 6in, with a fair complexion, Hazel eyes and fair skin (with an appendix scar).
Sidney joined 7 Trng Bn in Cairns on 16 September 1942, and remained until 16 Sep 1942 where he left for Thursday Island on SS Markle to the join Aust Inf Batt prior to leaving for Merauke (Dutch East Indies) as part of the Merauke Force on 30 January 1943 as part of the 62 Inf Bn.
The Merauke Force was an Australian-led military force of World War II which was responsible for defending Merauke in Dutch New Guinea from Japanese attack amidst the Pacific War. The force was established in late 1942 and was disbanded at the end of the war, having never seen combat. The Japanese attack did not eventuate and from mid-1944 the force was progressively drawn down and its assigned units redeployed to Australia or elsewhere in the Pacific. At its height, Merauke Force included troops from Australia, the Netherlands East Indies and the United States, as well as several squadrons of aircraft, including a joint Australian-Dutch fighter unit.
On 23 March 1944 Sidney was transferred to Brisbane on SS Thedens and transferred to the 2/15 Aust Inf Bn on 1 June 1944. On 25 May 1945 he transferred back to Cairns before sailing to Borneo on 12 July 1945 on SS Morotai.
On 12 November 1945 he was evacuated to the Hospital Ship with Acute cholecystitis (inflammation of the Gallbladder) where he was subsequently returned to Australia on the HMAS Labuan, arriving 29 December 1945.
On February 1946 Sidney returned to Queensland where he remained until discharging on 22 March 1946 due to demobilisation.
He was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star and Defence Medal for his service.
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