RUST, Ernest John
| Service Numbers: | N210432, NX127852 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 May 1941, Merrylands, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 'M' Special Unit |
| Born: | Guildford, New South Wales, 14 June 1921 |
| Home Town: | Guildford, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Guildford Public School |
| Occupation: | Plumber |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 26 May 1941: | Enlisted Private, N210432, Merrylands, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1942: | Involvement Signaller, NX127852, 'M' Special Unit | |
| 14 Nov 1944: | Promoted Corporal, 'M' Special Unit | |
| 16 Apr 1946: | Discharged Corporal, NX127852, 'M' Special Unit |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Marea Whitley
Ernest John Parker Rust was born in Guildford in 1921. His father was the son of English immigrants, but his mother was third generation Australian, the granddaughter of a digger on the gold fields in 1840. He attended Guildford primary school and then Granville Technical college to become a plumber.
When War began in 1939, his parents thought him too young to sign up, but in 1941 he overcame their objections and enlisted into the army. During training he showed an aptitude for morse code and so was trained as a signaller in the elite commando unit M Special Unit.
He spent months behind enemy lines and came near death many times. He lost friends and witnessed terrible things, but still had funny stories to tell of the pranks he and his mates played behind the backs of the Japanese. He earned his medals and was awarded one by the US army for his work behind enemy lines during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
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