Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Herbert John Howard Steer, known as John, was born 17 December 1918 at Gin Gin Qld, the second child and first son of Rev. John Howard Steer and his wife Myra Emmeline Pickering.

John’s father was a Church of England minister who was Rector of St Mary’s parish Gin Gin and at St. Anne’s parish Mt Perry. Rev. Steer was provided with a horse by the Mt Perry parish, and a buggy by the Gin Gin parish, resulting in his Hay Allowance being removed. A brother named Elwyn David was born at Gin Gin in 1920.

Rev. Steer was transferred to St. John’s parish in the Brisbane suburb of Bulimba in September 1920, not long before John Steer turned two. The family remained in Bulimba for nearly ten years, and three more children were born.

When John was 11 his father was transferred as Rector of St. Saviours Parish in Laidley in the Darling Downs region. John attended Warwick Church of England Grammar School as a boarder for just over a year. He then attended Gatton High School which was much closer to home.

Mid way through 1934 when John was 15, his father was transferred one last time, to Gympie. The family settled into the rectory in Amy Street and John completed his schooling at Gympie High School.

After finishing his schooling John became a motor mechanic. 

Shortly after the start of WW2 John joined the Militia on a part-time voluntary basis. He was part of the 47th Battalion, also known as the Wide Bay Regiment.

On 16 May 1941, at the age of 22, John Steer married Joyce Sylvia Hart at Gympie. Less than three weeks later on 2 June 1941 John went to Brisbane and enlisted in the 2nd Australian Infantry Force. His army number was QX19535.

Private John Steer QX19535 AIF completed his initial training at Gaythorne in Brisbane’s north.

By late July 1941 he was classified as Mechanic, Motor Transport Group II at Grovely.

John was on 7-days pre-embarkation leave from 13 to 20 August, and then relocated to Sydney by train on 31 August.

Private John Steer QX19535 AIF embarked from Sydney on 2 September 1941 aboard HMT “HH”. He disembarked in the Middle East on 25 September 1941.

During his time in the Middle East, John served in both the No. 2 and No. 3 Australian Advance Ordnance Workshops in Beirut, Syria, Rafah and Palestine.

Embarking from the Middle East at the end of January 1943, John arrived back in Sydney Australia on 28 February 1943. 

After a period of ‘Liddington’ Leave back home in Queensland, John was relocated to Bandiana in Victoria. He completed a Fitters Mechanical Equipment training course in December 1943.

John was then attached to the 2/4 Australian Base Workshop AEME at Bandiana on 7 January 1944.

He was promoted to Acting Corporal on 9 January 1944, and the rank of Corporal was confirmed three months later on 9 April 1944. 

On 6 Oct 1944 John was transferred to No. 6 Australian Advanced Ordnance Workshops in Toowoomba Queensland.

In May 1945 he was transferred to 4 Australian Infantry Troop Workshop (Engineering Equipment Workshop section).

He then returned in July 1945 to complete the remainder of his service in the No. 6 Australian Advanced Ordnance Workshops.

He was discharged from the army at Redbank in Brisbane on 26 October 1945.

Back in civilian life John Steer returned to his wife Joyce and they raised a family of three; two daughters and a son. John continued working as a Motor Mechanic at Gympie.

John and Joyce moved to Tewantin by the early 1970s where they spent their retirement. Joyce died in 1998 and John died in 2001 aged 82.